Hot-shot Reggae Girl Khadija Shaw netted her ninth goal of the season as Manchester City took advantage of two own goals by Reading captain Emma Mukandi to win their English Women’s Super League (WSL) match 3-0 at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Sunday.
City lacked a cutting edge at times but constant pressure from Lauren Hemp resulted in Mukandi’s two second-half mistakes before 25-year-old forward Shaw headed home Mary Fowler’s cross – her seventh goal in six league games – on 76 minutes to wrap up the points for the visitors.
Spanish Town-born Shaw, who struggled in the first half to find the form she has shown in recent weeks, had opportunities to open the scoring but took a heavy touch from a Hemp cross before heading well over the bar on the stroke of half-time.
City looked sharper in the final 15 minutes with the arrival of Chloe Kelly and Khadija Shaw finally got her goal when Fowler swung in a lofty ball and she made no mistake this time, burying her header.
It was City’s fourth consecutive league victory and Gareth Taylor’s side are fourth in the table with 12 points, heading into the international break.
Reading, meanwhile, are second from bottom with three points, having earned their first points of the season last weekend with victory over Leicester, which ended a run of 14 consecutive WSL matches without a win.
Two of Shaw’s UK-based Reggae Girlz teammates, Drew Spence and Shania Hayles, were side lined by waterlogged pitches that led to the postponement of Tottenham Hotspurs’ WSL home game against Everton as well as Championship outfit Bristol City’s game at Lewes.
Hayles has scored six goals in seven games for second-tier Bristol City while midfielder Spence bagged a brace for Tottenham in their 8-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.
CMC/
