Manchester City hit double figures in FA Cup thrashing

Manchester City are into the quarter-finals of this season’s Women’s FA Cup after thrashing Ipswich Town 10-0 at The Academy Stadium this afternoon.

Every year the Women’s FA Cup throws up fixtures that have the potential for freak results one way or another but there was to be no giant-killing for Manchester City against The Tractor Girls.

Going into the game, Ipswich Town would have dreamt of causing the upset of the competition if they somehow overcame City. Sadly, that was not to be the case as the dream quickly turned into a nightmare for Joe Sheehan’s team.

City had the lion’s share of the possession in the opening minutes and very nearly took the lead early on when Pauline Bremer’s header rebounded off the bar. The Tractor Girls were able to keep the home side at bay through some disciplined and dogged defending. In the brief moments when they were able to regain possession, they found themselves swarmed by City players who weren’t willing to afford them the time they’re used to in their league fixtures.

It was only a matter of time before City took the lead and it eventually came after 20 minutes. With players pushed forward, Ipswich Town were vulnerable as City broke on the counter. The pace of Laura Coombs beat the visitors’ high line and she found herself one-on-one with goalkeeper Nikita Runnacles. With just the keeper to beat, Coombs lobbed the ball over Runnacles into the net.

One goal quickly became two as the ball fell to Bremer in the area and she dummied onto her left after the defender had committed herself and her low shot went through Runnacles’ legs before she had time to react. The home side kept their foot on the gas as Jess Park then made it 3-0 when Ipswich Town failed to clear the ball from a cross, only finding Park on the edge of the box. The teenage forward shaped herself for a finessed shot to the back stick but was able to instead drag the shot powerfully in at the near post.

City showed no signs of letting up in the second half when a wonderfully disguised pass from Janine Beckie picked out Bremer who fired high into the roof of the net to put her side 4-0 to the good. Georgia Stanway then got in on the act when some neat football from City allowed Beckie plenty of space on the right to pick out the Lionesses attacker in the six-yard box to poke the ball into the net and make it 5-0. Stanway had started the match at right-back but following the introduction of Mathilde Fidalgo she was given license to position herself further upfield and ruthlessly displayed her attacking prowess.

The gulf really began to show then as Bremer found herself free in the area with only the keeper to beat and she delicately chipped the ball past Runnacles to brilliantly round off her hat-trick. City were still not finished however when once again, Beckie was given the time to pick out Stanway in the area and in a repeat of her first goal, she slotted home from close range to make it 7-0.

Stanway then threaded a delightful through ball in behind the Ipswich Town defence and Park coolly picked her spot to guide the ball into the bottom corner for her side’s eighth goal.

In the final 10 minutes the goals just kept on coming as City continued to assert their supremacy over the visitors Park provided the ninth when she whipped in a wonderful shot into the top right-hand corner to complete her hat-trick before a quickly taken corner found Stanway wide open 30 yards from goal, she took a touch to set herself and let rip with an absolute rocket which left Runnacles rooted to the spot. That goal gave Stanway a hat-trick of her own making her the third City player to score one in the game. It also capped off City’s biggest victory since beating Aston Villa 8-0 in the FA Women’s Continental League Cup in 2016.

Ipswich Town had started the game well despite relinquishing possession to their FA Women’s Super League opponents and being 3-0 down at half-time was probably more than they could have hoped for. However, the gap between Sheehan’s fledgling side and the Women’s FA Cup holders really told as the game wore on and the scoreline reflected that. Ipswich Town must now turn their attention to gaining promotion to the FA Women’s National League Southern Division whilst Manchester City have sent to the message to the rest of the competition that they will not surrender the Women’s FA Cup without a fight

About The Author

Ryan Lee Gregory

I am Ryan Lee Gregory a writer and reporter for FA Women’s Super League Full-Time. I am also a documentary filmmaker.

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