Brighton & Hove Albion have recorded one of the surprise results of the weekend, holding Manchester City to a goalless draw at The Academy Stadium.
Manchester City opened their campaign last weekend with a lacklustre display against newly-promoted Aston Villa but a couple of errors at the back and a wrongly disallowed goal meant that The Cityzens were able to see the game out in the end. Today, they welcomed Brighton & Hove Albion to The Academy Stadium who themselves chalked up a 2-0 victory last weekend as they saw off Birmingham City.
City started their latest match brightly and had a free-kick early on in a dangerous area. Captain Steph Houghton stepped up to take it but her effort was turned behind by Brighton & Hove Albion keeper Megan Walsh.
England international winger Chloe Kelly found herself one-on-one with visiting keeper Walsh but she rushed out quickly and pulled off a tremendous save to keep the game goalless.
It will have been contrasting emotions for the two managers going in at half-time but there was still a lot of work to do for both teams in the second 45 minutes.
City came agonisingly close to the taking the lead just after the interval when Sam Mewis played through Ellen White. The England international took aim with her left foot but her effort rolled marginally wide of the far post.
Despite incredible amounts of pressure put on the Brighton & Hove Albion defence, the home side didn’t create too many clear cut opportunities in the second period.
The game ultimately ground down to a tense finish which saw Albion clinging on but they were able to see out the match and claim an unlikely point.
It was a frustrating afternoon in the end for Gareth Taylor’s City side as some of their new arrivals get some much-needed minutes under their belts. It could be a title race that is decided by fine margins and two points dropped this early in the season could prove crucial come May. It is the first time that City haven’t scored at home since their 2-0 defeat to Reading in 2018. Despite having a star-studded line-up, they couldn’t break down a well drilled Brighton & Hove Albion unit.
As for Albion boss Hope Powell, she will be delighted with the guile and resolve that her players showed to take a point off one of the best sides in Europe. The result will give both Powell and her players confidence for the rest of the season and for their hopes of avoiding a relegation battle.
The result is a clear indicator that despite some very one-sided scorelines this weekend, the top clubs will not have it all their own way this season. The “lesser” clubs can still provide plenty of competition throughout the season and it should make for lots of excitement.
Up next in the calendar for both sides are Women’s FA Cup quarter-final ties. Manchester City travel to newly-professional FA Women’s Championship side Leicester City while Brighton & Hove Albion welcome the return of Birmingham City to The People’s Pension Stadium.
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