Charlton 0-1 Manchester City: Greenwood free-kick keeps champions perfect

Alex Greenwood’s first-half free-kick gave Manchester City a 1-0 win at Charlton, keeping the champions perfect in the Women’s Super League after four games.

Main image: DSN graphic. Photo: James Boyes / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Greenwood’s moment of quality

For more than half an hour at The Valley, the newly promoted hosts gave as good as they got. Jodie Hutton’s crossing caused problems, and City goalkeeper Eartha Cumings had to palm one delivery behind midway through the half.

Then City’s captain settled it. In the 36th minute Greenwood curled a left-footed free-kick over the wall and beyond the dive of Sophie Whitehouse. It was harsh on Charlton, but it was the kind of set-piece that separates title contenders from the rest.

Charlton lost Australia midfielder Emily van Egmond to an early knock, with Lucy Fitzgerald replacing her. Sam Coffey was booked in first-half stoppage time for a late challenge on Hutton.

Rotation and a debut

City made plenty of changes with Champions League football to manage, and they never quite dominated. On the hour they brought on Yui Hasegawa, Khadija Shaw and Niamh Charles for Laura Blindkilde Brown, Aoba Fujino and Greenwood. It was Charles’s first appearance for City since her move from Chelsea.

Charlton nearly equalised on 64 minutes. Hutton picked out Cassandra Korhonen with another fine cross, but her effort went straight at Cumings. Manager Karen Hills sent on Gillian Kenney for Lorena Azzaro as the hosts pushed.

City should have made it safe late on. Whitehouse made a sharp save from a header after a corner, Shaw dragged a shot wide from a good position, and then headed a lovely Carlotta Wamser cross off target.

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Our sister site DGBN has also covered Osinachi Ohale retiring from the Super Falcons after 16 years.

What it means

City stay top with four wins from four. They were not at their best, but they found a way. For Charlton, a competitive display against the champions will give Hills plenty of encouragement in their first WSL campaign.

	Charlton	Man City
Goals	0	1 (Greenwood 36′)
Yellow cards	0	1 (Coffey 45+2′)
Substitutions	Fitzgerald for Van Egmond (25′), Kenney for Azzaro (62′)	Hasegawa, Shaw, Charles (60′), Wamser for Casparij (79′)
Goalkeepers	Whitehouse	Cumings
WSL record	Newly promoted	P4 W4, top of table