Brilliant ‘Bunny’ bags Man City winner

LONDON, Nov 19 (CMC):

PROLIFIC REGGAE Girl Khadija Shaw scored her eighth goal in seven English FA Women’s Super League (WSL) matches as Manchester City beat hosts Everton 2-1 in a close encounter yesterday.

The 25-year-old set up City’s opener on 32 minutes at Walton Hall Park, the Jamaican ace picking up a looped ball from Leila Ouahabi as Everton goalkeeper Emily Ramsey came out of her goal, leaving an empty net for Shaw to square the ball to Julie Blakstad, who slotted home.

Everton’s 40th-minute equaliser came from a corner and a scramble saw Sandy MacIver try to punch the ball away, but it fell straight to Rikke Sevecke, who powered home a header.

The dangerous Shaw – nicknamed Bunny – then secured all three points on 49 minutes when she tapped in the rebound after Laura Coombs’ shot from distance cannoned back off a post.

It seemed a tough ask when Shaw replaced England’s top goalscorer Ellen White, who retired after the summer Euros, as the starting number nine at City, but it is a mantle the Spanish Town-born striker has taken on with ease.

GOALSCORING FORM

Her goalscoring form continues to rock WSL opponents as she notched her eighth goal, the most in the WSL, and 10th in all club competitions this season. Four of her WSL goals have come from headers.

Shaw, just back from Jamaica where she scored once in a shared two-match series against Paraguay, also had a goal ruled out for offside when she made a run deep into the Everton half and her shot from near the byline found the back of the net.

City boss Gareth Taylor told the club’s official website: “It was a game of two halves, I think it was a really good performance from us, especially off the back of the international break, you’re never too sure how much rhythm you’ll see.

“But against a really aggressive Everton press, we handled it really well, mixed our game up which allowed us to get through a lot.”

This was City’s fifth consecutive victory in the WSL, despite being without injured winger Lauren Hemp, and moved them fourth. The loss was Everton’s third consecutive home defeat of the season and left them seventh.