Table-toppers Manchester City made a perfect start to 2026 in the Women’s Super League with a routine win over Everton.
A deflected effort by Kerolin and a composed finish from Vivianne Miedema ensured the Cityzens sustained their six-point lead over Chelsea.
The Lineups
MCI: Yamashita, Knaak, Greenwood, Rose, Casparij, Hasegawa, Blindkilde Brown, Hemp, Miedema, Kerolin, Shaw
EVE: Brosnan, Fernández, Mace, Pacheco, Holmgaard, Vignola, Wheeler, Hayashi, Van Gool, Snoeijs, Payne
The Action
It didn’t take long for Manchester City to take full control of proceedings. Khadija Shaw was quick to work goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan with a first-time volley that the Irish shot-stopper did superbly well to tip behind.
It was the beginning of a gripping 90-minute duel between the two of them. Shaw saw a header glance wide and was just beaten to another cross by Brosnan’s brave punch.
Brosnan was winning the battle, but there was little she could do when Kerolin beat Maz Pacheco for pace far too easily, and her low cross took a wicked deflection off Martina Fernández and into her own net.
City continued their aerial bombardment, with Miedema seeing one header fly wide and another land in Brosnan’s gloves. Hemp looked certain to convert a loose ball in the six-yard box, but Fernández was alert to volley clear from under her own crossbar.
For all of City’s dominance, they only had one goal on the scoreboard. And they were nearly punished for their wastefulness when a rare Everton attack produced a corner. The delivery was wicked, Ayaka Yamishita clawed it out, and Fernández volleyed in the rebound.
But to Everton’s despair, Ruby Mace was harshly ruled to have fouled Yamishita, and the goal was ruled out. Everton’s woes worsened two minutes later, when Katja Snoeijs went down in extreme pain with no one near her, and was forced to be stretchered off.
Brian Sørensen brought Kelly Gago on for the stricken Snoeijs, and then Hannah Blundell for Pacheco at half-time, but it had little effect on the game’s momentum. Three minutes into the second half, Hemp should have made the game safe when faced with an open goal and a Shaw cross to convert. But under pressure from Karen Holmgaard, she contrived to head over.
Shaw continued her duel with Brosnan with another header that she was equal to, and then a shot that rolled into her gloves. The pressure continued to crank up on the Everton defence as Hemp saw a shot fly over the bar and another straight at Brosnan. Something had to give, and just after the hour, the Toffees’ resilience was broken.
It started with a drilled pass from Yui Hasegawa to the feet of Shaw on the edge of the box. She showed great strength and vision to turn and dink theball over the defensive line. Miedema nipped through to control the ball with ease and slam the ball past Brosnan for 2-0.
City had the chances to extend the lead further. Shaw found herself a one-on-one on the counter, but Brosnan defied her once more. With 10 minutes to play, Shaw finally got the ball past her nemesis, but it also beat the far post.
Greenwood and Hemp both went close, but ultimately, it mattered not. Manchester City remained top of the pile, and remain on course for a first WSL title since 2016.
Embed from Getty Images
Eleven in a row for title-charging Manchester City
Andrée Jeglertz’s rampant start to life in the WSL is showing no sign of slowing down. This was a dominant, controlled, patient performance that has rapidly become the norm under his stewardship.
An incredible 11 wins in a row have seen them storm to the top of the table with a comfortable six-point buffer over reigning champions Chelsea.
Against Everton, Manchester City were always in control, and the question was never about whether they would win, but by how many they would win by.
Whilst the opening goal may have had a stroke of fortune attached to it, it was fully warranted based on the dominance they had exerted. The only annoyance at full-time was that the dominance they had enjoyed was not expressed more on the score-line.
For Khadija Shaw, it was a frustrating afternoon in front of goal. Despite her best efforts, Courtney Brosnan was equal to everything the WSL’s leading goalscorer could throw at her.
But her talents are not just limited to finding the back of the net. A wonderful dinked pass by Shaw over the top opened the door for Miedema to score Manchester City’s second and seal another crucial victory.
Embed from Getty Images
No New Year joy for Everton boss Sørensen
For Sørensen, this was yet another defeat of what is rapidly becoming a very disappointing season. Everton’s last away trip in the WSL saw them claim a heroic and miraculous win over Chelsea. There was little chance of a repeat of that happening here today.
Whilst the Toffees’ defence showed plenty of resilience against the waves of attacks, their forward line left a lot to be desired. Toni Payne’s pace on the flanks provided the side with an ideal release valve to escape on the counter, but with nobody else running up in support, her efforts were mostly in vain.
Everton can justifiably point to Martina Fernández’s harshly disallowed goal just before half-time, denying them the opportunity to go into the break level. But if it had it stood, it would not have been earned on merit.
For much of the game, Everton were merely a passenger on Manchester City’s pitch, trying to ride out the 90 minutes as best they could. They escaped with just a 2-0 defeat, a margin that would have been greater were it not for the heroics of Brosnan.