29/10/2017 The Women's Football Show

Hello and welcome to the home of the

WSL 1 champions, Manchester City

have enjoyed their fair share of

success in this dressing room over

the past 18 months. Today, it's all

about maintaining momentum in this

year's title race. Nick Cushing's

side welcome may Birmingham City

side more than capable of halting

Manchester City's season. Pat Nevin

puts the formidable forward line

under the microscope. After three

years at the helm, Arsenal say adios

to Pedro Martinez Losa. We have had

our first managerial casualty of the

season. We'll see how Arsenal get on

at Everton without Pedro later. In

the company of Rachel Brown-Finnis,

it's all about this match.

Historically Birmingham City have

been a bogey team for Manchester

City. They have looked confident

recently. They don't have Ellen

White, one of their star striker 's,

out injured. But with Rachel

Williams, I think they will prove a

tough test for Manchester City.

The

WSL 1 champions, FA Cup holders and

Continental cup champions have their

sights set on further silverware.

It's been an incredibly rewarding

last couple of seasons for

Manchester City. Success familiar

foes Birmingham have had to

witnessed first-hand.

Finally Lucy Bronze has the opener.

They are the 20 16th WSL Continental

cup winners.

Unbeaten and champions. History is

made in Manchester.

Manchester City lead Birmingham 1-0.

It's two. Izzy Christiansen

arriving. Carli Lloyd surely puts

the FA Cup final beyond Birmingham.

Jill Scott, to wrap it up for

Manchester City. The Golden girls of

English football. They have

completed the domestic treble inside

12 months.

No silverware on offer today, but

after earning a draw on both their

previous visits to Manchester in the

league, Birmingham arrived with one

aim, to end City's perfect start to

the season. COMMENTATOR: Manchester

City making one change to the side

that won in the Champions League

before the international break. Izzy

Christiansen is another formerly of

Birmingham's Paris. She scored

against them in the FA Cup final in

May. Goalkeeper Karen Bardsley

returns to the bench for the first

time since injuring herself in

Europe 2017. Sargent, Quinn and

Williams come in for Birmingham

City. The injuries are stacking up

for Marc Skinner's side. Leading

scorer Ellen White remains sidelined

with a groin issue. Ellen West has

been suffering with illness all

week. Keep an eye on Jess Carter,

the PFA Young Player of the Year

last season, just 20 and making

great strides.

The flag stays down against Jess

Carter. She is too strong for

McManus. Carter pulls it back. The

effort in the end from Williams was

a little week after some terrific

build-up play by the 20-year-old

Carter. A second spell with the

club, Rachel Williams. Originally

here between 2011 and 2013 for

Birmingham City. Returns to the club

in May. Ellie Roebuck is closed

down. Lucky that Manchester City

haven't cleared their lines. Lucy

Quinn has managed to find the back

of the net. Terrific strike by

Quinn. Birmingham City shocking

Manchester City inside the opening

ten minutes. Quinn's effort bending

and looping, too hot to handle for

Ellie Roebuck. Terrific retaken by

Quinn. Walsh being harassed by

Williams.

Lovely delivery from Lawley. That's

the first chance of the game. They

had over the top of the crossbar

from Jane Ross. That's the first

time Birmingham have been opened up

by the hosts.

Lawley watched expertly by Paige

Williams, who has nullified all the

threat coming from the right-hand

side. Izzy Christiansen's delivery

aims to the near post to a Jill

Scott was waiting. The shot from

distance brilliantly saved by

Ann-Katrin Berger. Add to spring to

her left side to keep it out. Heavy

clearance for Nikita Parris to

challenge with Kerys Harrop. It

bounces nicely for Jill Scott.

Christiansen! The first opening of

the second-half falls to the former

Birmingham City player. Straight at

burger. Birmingham 15 minutes away

from recording what would be a

significant victory. It's a poor

clearance by burger. Stanway can't

reach it. Nikita Parris did. The

referee gives a penalty to

Manchester City. Nikita Parris

caught by the backtracking Paige

Williams. The home side might just

have been presented with the gift

they needed to maintain their

unbeaten record this season. Izzy

Christiansen against her former

club. She finds the net and gives

Manchester City a crucial equaliser.

They have had to wait a long time.

They have had to be patient. But

Christiansen has scored the goal

that might provide the platform for

the home side to try to turn this

game around completely. Nikita

Parris goes down again. The referee

has blown the whistle here. Just

wonder what the referee has seen.

Kerys Harrop has kicked a player off

the ball. That's what's been

spotted. It's a red card. Kerys

Harrop sent off. Birmingham City's

afternoon has gone from wonderful to

woeful in the space of five minutes.

Stanway applying the pressure to

Hayley Ladd. If you haven't seen a

Megan Campbell throw before, watch

this. It's quite outstanding. It

loops in for a Manchester City

winner in stoppage time. Campbell's

delivery caused all sorts of

problems. And Jennifer Beattie rose

highest to nod it beyond burger.

Birmingham City's resistance with

ten players might be futile. The

chance for City to potentially wrap

it up. It will be another penalty.

Ann-Katrin Berger was rash, flying

into the challenge. Christiansen for

the second time, scoring again. If

there was any doubt about it

becoming a Manchester City victory,

it is now confirmed by Izzy

Christiansen, the former Birmingham

City player, who has her second of

the match, both from the spot. It

was the last action of the game.

Manchester City women 3-1 Birmingham

City ladies.

Really mixed emotions,

as you can tell. I'm bubbling,

really proud of them and we can kick

on from that. We have faced

everything. We've had sendings off

this season. Late penalties. We've

had everything. That will only help

to build experiences going forward,

so I'm really pleased with them. I

have just told them that. They are

tiering up, but they are young, a

lot of them are babies. It's about

them understanding that you have to

believe you can take these teams on.

You don't have to fear coming to

Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal,

Liverpool, Reading, who are flying.

Don't fear it, embrace it. The girls

have done that today, pressing in

their half. They know they can be

dangerous getting in behind. When

they go over the edge and start to

believe that more. Days like today

will build in their memory and give

them the next platform. I hope and

believe it is that. The psychology

to beat these teams and take them

on. That's what I think it is.

City

maintain their perfect start to the

season. We are joined by goal-scorer

Jennifer Beattie. What a finish to

the game the.

It definitely went

down to the wire. We know we weren't

on par. Delighted with three points.

How frustrating and afternoon was

it?

Credit to Birmingham, they made

it incredibly hard. They are a very

good team. We say every year it gets

harder to win the league. We showed

that today that it will get harder

and harder, but we were happy with

three points and take it into the

Continental cup on Thursday.

This

season, playing gap from the back

has been very good. Ellie Roebuck

and her competence with her feet. It

has risks and rewards. Is it a theme

running through the club, and it's

taken from Pep Guardiola and the

men's side?

Definitely. As a club,

overall, men's, women's, youth,

everything. We want to play

attractive football. We don't just

want to launch it. When it goes

wrong it can be risky, but we put

confidence in all the players,

goalkeepers, defenders, we want to

play like that throughout. When it

works, it's really good, but when it

doesn't work, hopefully it doesn't

go wrong as many times as we would

want.

When Birmingham press, how

difficult does it make it to find a

way around?

It's always difficult.

When teams want to play a high

pressing game, that's the confidence

that we have with our goalkeeper and

the back line and the players in

front of us. We have confidence and

quality, technically and tactically

to play through teams and break the

lines. We tried to do that today and

will continue to work on it through

the season.

Well done today Jenny,

and Manchester City. We now heads to

Widnes where Arsenal facing Everton

side looking for their first points

of the season. They arrived without

a manager with Pedro Martinez Losa

losing their manager earlier this

week.

They go home with nothing.

It's the beginning of the season and

we want to fit the pieces together.

Disappointment for the Gunners,

losing more ground in the title

race.

At the moment, all the

performances have fallen short of

expectation.

Asked women confirm

manager Pedro Martinez Losa has left

the club three years in charge after

one win from their opening three WSL

and fixtures, Arsenal announced the

departure of Pedro Martinez Losa on

Wednesday. The Spaniard arrived as a

replacement for Shelley Kerr in

2014, guiding the Gunners to the 20

15th Continental cup before securing

more silverware at Wembley a year

later.

Arsenal are the FA Cup

winners.

However he was unable to

regain the WSL 1 title, a task now

passing to his successor, who the

club hope to appoint in the near

future.

It was a shock to everyone.

As a team and club we had a huge

respect for Pedro. He took a time

when we were not professional, into

a transition into when we were

professional. We thank him for that.

Is there a feeling that as players

you have underperformed since he

came in?

I have to shoulder some

responsibility as the captain of the

club. Maybe somebody who knows the

values and standards, I haven't

driven that into all the players

coming through the door in the last

three years. We need three points

today, and that will reignite our

season. Not over.

His assistant was placed in

temporary charge today, hoping to

get back to winning ways against

Everton. Commentary from Tom Gale.

Arsenal on the attack. She has

signed an opening, that is in off

the ball! What a finish! Miedema.

Just enough room and she put the

ball over the helpless Durack in the

Everton goal. She goes for the power

and that was a good save, Lizzie

Durack. Everton clear the lines.

Arsenal being patient, looking to

close out space. That is a neat run.

Walker, that was a great play and

save from Van Veenendaal. The ball

is in the back the net and

unfortunately the referee blew her

whistle well in advance. I think

that was for a little bit of

pushing. Quick pressure by Arsenal.

George closes it down. A great save

from Durack.

It was tipped over, another great

save from Lizzie Durack. That is

ago! What a goal that was! One touch

to control it and the keeper looked

to grasp it but unfortunately was

unable to.

I am happy for the

players because they have been

working with them from preseason and

they have shown a huge

professionalism this week, I am very

happy for the performance and we are

looking forward to the next match

because we want to play again and

play better.

I am still seeing lots

of things that give me great belief

that we are going in the right

direction but we only can go so far,

we want to convert those into

results and we have to be ruthless.

A good result for Arsenal on the

pitch after a difficult week off the

pitch, what do you make of the

decision to sack Pedro?

I think it

is the right decision to move

Arsenal forward, he had three years

at the club and although he has want

two trophies, they have not

progressed at the same speed as his

rivals, Man City, Chelsea, and there

has been a number of players he has

brought in and there has been a

revolving door, senior players have

been moved on and new players have

not settled. They have not had a

settled team. I heard this

discontent in the pace of the

training, it was not up to scratch

and honestly, I don't think the

girls look as fit as they could be.

Fantastic group of players on paper,

players who were part of that

European championship win for

Holland, Jodie Taylor, a player by

new manager could convince to sign

another contract. What count of

calibre of manager do you think

Arsenal should be looking for?

There

will be good candidates in this

country but the nature of WSL, it

probably will be a full-time

professional league, it could draw

some of the very best managers from

across the world.

One player who

will not be there is Alex Scott,

usually with us, she is retiring,

what a career.

She has been through

the highs and lows with England, the

most decorated in the FA Cup for

Arsenal. A glittering career and it

is looking good for her on the media

front so we welcome her on board.

A

quick word on Everton, a tough start

to the season, will they be

disappointed?

They have not been

absolutely blown away by any team.

Andy Spence has a young team and if

you look at the teams they have

played, it is the next three

fixtures that are very important.

They have not got points on the

board this season.

We can look

around the rest of the WSL 1.

Chelsea were looking to maintain

their 100% start to the season

against Yeovil, still looking for

their first point. Yeovil made the

journey in the hopes of cost and

upset against an unbeaten Chelsea.

The hopes were dented after seven

minutes when this dazzling run from

Cuthbert left a simple finish for

Crystal Dunn. The neat pass find Eni

Aluko, who doubled the lead. Anna

Hay signed a new three-year deal at

Chelsea this week and so on her side

had three goals. Carney heading

home. Chelsea were 6-0 winners last

they met and Yeovil will have

studied different the worst when a

minute later, there was a second run

at Dunn, with only 23 minutes

played. Yeovil proved more resilient

in defence in the second half and it

needed a moment of brilliance to

reignite the Chelsea attack as Karen

Carney took aim from distance to

make it five in style. This was

Aluko's for a start for Chelsea this

season and she proved her worth.

Cementing another convincing

victory.

We have played against one

of the best sides in Europe and have

created more today than in the

previous three games, shots on

target, we have caused problems and

whether people will say Chelsea have

taken their foot off the gas, we

have to do what is in front of us.

Some need more recovery, returning

from international camp, it is a

team game and for us as a squad

game, we want to compete for four

trophies this year.

Sunderland

welcomed Liverpool on Saturday and

it was a promising start for the

home side. The floating free kick

from Elie Stewart denied. Early

pressure from Sunderland and

Staniforth had this long range

effort that soared past Chamberlain.

An early contender for goal of the

season. Liverpool suffered

back-to-back defeats before the

international break but responded

quickly. A powerful run by Alex

Greenwood with the lovely ball to

the Natasha Harding soccer around

Rachael Laws to level the score and

stunned the home side. The

conditions in the north-east were

challenging and the corner from

Green would find its way to the back

of the net with the help of the wind

and perhaps Casey Stoney. Harding

had just returned from 12 years in

Russia and showed no signs of

tiredness, chipping over the rushing

laws and put daylight between the

sides. -- 12 days. Liverpool has

scored four on each of the previous

meetings of Sunderland and the

confidence high, Harding capped an

impressive performance, sealing the

hat-trick with five minutes to go.

The girls did well and if it was not

my team-mates I could not have

scored those goals. It is down to

their hard work.

Reading were

looking for their second win of the

season against Bristol City. Fara

Williams been an instant impact,

firing Reading ahead in the opening

three minutes. Like Reading, Bristol

were looking for their second

victory, having beating Yeovil in

the opening, game but they found

themselves two behind when Rowe

bounced in off the post. With barely

time to compose themselves Bristol

but under pressure, leading

relentless attack as Fara Williams

set up Allen to slot home her second

of the season. It went from bad to

worse for Bristol when Remi Allen

was brought down after half an hour

and the referee immediately pointed

to the spot. Chapman stepped up but

the effort came off the crossbar.

City were resolute against Arsenal

last time, earning an impressive

drop but their result was broken as

Jade Moore added a fourth with 20

minutes remaining. Reading have

continued to improve in the top flag

and a dominant display was finished

by Rachel Rowe, wagging her second

of the match as Reading took all

three points to stay in third, ahead

of Arsenal in the table. We know we

have goal-scorers and we're making

sure to score goals, whether it is

in training, working technically.

It

is nice to have that range and

variety of players on the

scoresheet.

Chelsea still top of the

pile through superior goal

difference but Man City are keeping

pace, Reading's redstart sees them

reading the rest of the chasing pack

while Everton and Yeovil are yet to

pick up their first points of the

season. You can set goal alerts for

all ten WSL 1 teams in the BBC Sport

up. WSL 2 and Millwall lead the way

after winning at the London Bees and

Doncaster with the performance of

the weekend in the second tier with

that 6-0 win over Aston Villa. We

are joined by Nick Cushing. You must

be extra pleased that despite not

being at your best, you could grind

that light and that is maybe a

different side of Manchester City?

I

say all the time that to win the

league you have to have every side

of the game, to come from behind, to

win when you play poorly and have

resilience and be able to poor

performances on and play well at

times so from 2016 we have had that

side of the game.

Another win by a

sales but elsewhere, another good

win for Reading but having seen

Bristol City weeks back at Arsenal,

it is a setback?

It is but Reading

have been playing fantastic football

this season. They are starting to

really get what they deserve from

their full-time programme and the

players they have recruited in the

Spring Series and the season, they

are quality outfit.

And that fourth

goal from Staniforth? Early

contender?

Arsenal playing Everton

this weekend, there is no Losa. What

are your thoughts on him leaving and

does this show that with the

professionalism of the women's game,

managers have to deliver?

Every club

has their desires and their goals of

what they want and ours is to win

and that brings pressure and

expectation and I can only comment

on my job, there is an expectation

to win but that is from myself and I

expect to win and I put myself under

pressure and I enjoy that pressure,

the fact that for 70 minutes I have

to find a way to win and today we

had Megan Campbell with the

throw-in. There is pressure and the

league is supercompetitive, anybody

can beat anybody. Today's game shows

that.

Champions League,

expectations? They are very good

team, in the competition every year

we have been a team, they are at the

level, Champions League is difficult

and they are the Norwegian

champions, just like the Austrian

champions. We have to put on a

performance and be the best version

of us, we have to improve from

today. If we play the way we can and

control the game and we create

chances and convert them, we will

give ourselves every chance.

We wish

you all the very best. Chelsea also

have Champions League at the back of

their minds, and hey's side have

been free in 2017 and Pat Nevin has

been taking a look at what makes

their forward line so formidable.

Kirby! Chelsea rampant.

Precise

finish. The top scorers in the WSL

are at it again.

What a fantastic 12

months it has been for Chelsea

Ladies, an amazing amount of goals

to score. Why are the scoring so

many goals? It helps if you have a

lot of very good players,

international and world-class

players. And it helps if you have a

good manager as well and they have

that with Emily Hayes. Real quality

but also she encourages them to get

forward. This is what they do, they

get the ball forward as often as

possible, often getting it wide to

the quality players, this time it is

Davison and in the box, they have a

bunch of players wanting to get in

there, five or six sometimes. And

they will make sure that of the

chance arises, they will take it.

There is a willingness to attack and

attack in numbers so that is an

important point. Real quality

players have something else and

their armoury and that is being calm

under pressure. Chelsea players,

when they get into the box, seem to

be very calm, time and again in

position, they do not panic. Don't

smash this, password, side foot into

the corner, the best goal-scorers

can do that and it is all over the

pitch. Are they good enough? They

are. And it doesn't need to be the

low pass into the corner, if you

have quality, just curl it into the

top corner and that is a fabulous

goal. Not as good as this, lovely

little hold-up play, fantastic

dummy. That is world-class quality.

If you scored that goal at any level

with that skill, into the top

corner, you know that there is

nothing you can do to stop it.

Totally calm when they need to be in

front of goal. You also need the

ability to create with a little bit

of vision and they have more of the

little. They have huge amounts of

vision all the way through the team

and this is a mark of a very good

player.

The Balkans to Eni Aluko, and she

doesn't thump it across. She looks

to see if she can find a mate. --

the ball comes across. When the ball

Landseer, it will be some pass to

get it in there. A beautiful,

cushioned pass. Looking the other

way, a no look shot. Players try no

look passes, that is a no look shot.

The keeper has no idea where the

ball will go. But a class. Fantastic

ability throughout the team. They're

off four players around her, she

takes the tackle, takes the hit, or

does she have the vision to leave

it? She leaves it, another little

dummy and the ball is in the back of

the net once again. Davis and down

the left-hand side. She has great

skills, lovely step over. But the

cross always seems to come in.

Chest, head, hold, or cushion the

header knowing your team-mate has

the capability? That's phenomenal.

My favourite, I love this. Down the

left-hand side with Davison again.

If she shoots to the posts, a 90%

chance of a goal. But if you have

the vision and play that ball, you

have a 100% chance of a goal. It's

about having phenomenal vision, and

these Chelsea players have it. I was

a winger so I'm slightly biased, but

I have always felt the most

dangerous ball to stop in a game of

football is when you get to the

byline and cut it back. It looks

dead easy but you have to have the

pace, skill and willingness to get

to those areas. Chelsea do it time

and time again. You get an amazing

number of tap ins from those areas.

The reasons why Chelsea score so

many goals, that'll be the top

coach, the top players, and a

willingness to get forward all the

time and the manager backing them

all the way. On top of that, it's

not just one or two of them, it's a

whole bunch that are capable of

doing that. That's what they have in

their favour and the problem

everyone else in the league as to

stop them.

Chelsea with another six unanswered

goals today. Eni Aluko with two. As

well as Crystal Dunn and Karen

Carney. How do you stop it?

Liverpool showed the best in a

stretch of how to try to stop them.

Drop off, the compact and narrow

when you don't have the ball. It

makes it frustrating to try to play

through them. But then Chelsea will

play wide with players like Davison

and Karen Carney. They are very

difficult to stop. As far as the job

Emma Hayes is doing managing

players, the likes of Ji So-Yun, Eni

Aluko, Ramona Bachmann,

international players, she's doing a

wonderful job of managing. Not just

tactics, but the management of

players.

Eni Aluko played a big part

today. The FA have apologised to her

and Chelsea team-mate Drew Spence in

the select committee hearing over

the handling of the Mark Sampson

case. The third investigation found

the former England manager may

discriminatory marks. The FA's

handling of the case came under

scrutiny and was condemned by the

committee. So much to go over this.

What can be learned from this

process?

Hopefully it will be a

catalyst for institutional change.

There are a lot of things that have

been unearthed that need to be

changed and have been recognised. I

think Eni Aluko should be commended

for the way she has dealt with this,

such dignity following it through

from start to finish.

Thank you for

joining me today. That's it from us.

We will be back in a fortnight. But

there is plenty more sport to come

on the BBC...

Manchester City maintain their

perfect start to the season, but

there was a bit of a Halloween wake

and scare when Birmingham City came

to town. -- Halloween weekend scare.

.