Gareth Taylor's side didn't find things easy, but their stars shone through in the end, with Vivianne Miedema and Mary Fowler both providing assists
Goals from Khadija Shaw and Jess Park allowed Manchester City to sneak past a spirited Aston Villa side and into the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday, thanks to a 2-0 win. Though huge favourites to come out on top, it was not an easy outing for the home side, not helped by some wastefulness in front of goal in the first half. However, City's quality told in the end, with a world-class forward line making the difference in a hard-fought victory.
Gareth Taylor's side were on top from the get-go and should've been ahead before the break, with Shaw unable to convert a flurry of decent chances in particular. Instead, it was thanks to a fantastic save from goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita, an untroubled onlooker for most of the game, that City didn't go in at half time behind, with a strong hand denying Ebony Salmon after the England international burst through on goal just past the half-hour mark.
That perhaps served as a wake-up call for the Cityzens, who were able to break the deadlock just eight minutes after the break. Shaw wasn't going to miss this time, showing remarkable composure to turn and finish Mary Fowler's perfect pass, and Park doubled that lead with less than 20 minutes to go after great work by Vivianne Miedema.
Villa tried to get back into things, and had star quality like Rachel Daly and Jordan Nobbs to turn to from the bench in their bid to do so, but it was goalkeeper Sabrina D'Angelo who remained their busiest player, denying the likes of Park and Fowler late on to keep the scoreline as respectable as the valiant visitors deserved.
GOAL rates Man City's players from the Joie Stadium…
Goalkeeper & Defence
Ayaka Yamashita (7/10):
Made a wonderful save to deny Salmon on the break.
Kerstin Casparij (6/10):
Supported the attack well and played some nice passes in the final third.
Gracie Prior (6/10):
Looked vulnerable when she got her positioning wrong, but grew into the game to be a steady presence. Unlucky to go into the book after winning the ball with a good counter-stopping tackle.
Laia Aleixandri (7/10):
Did her best to support Prior and be the rock in a back line hit by injuries. Didn't cover herself in glory for Villa's big chance in the first half, but that was a rare mishap.
Leila Ouahabi (6/10):
Was a consistent outlet down the left for City and covered well defensively.
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Yui Hasegawa (6/10):
Not quite at her usual level, with a few sloppy passes and iffy moments off the ball, but still showed enough quality to help City dominate.
Jill Roord (6/10):
Probably the quietest of City's front five, though did still play some nice touches in the build-up to attacks. Should've done better with a good chance in the first half.
Vivianne Miedema (7/10):
Was always on the half-turn, looking to get at Villa. Flashed a couple of efforts from range just wide and showed good movement in the central areas. Pounced on the chance to tee up Park to double City's lead.
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Jess Park (7/10):
Faded in and out of the game in spells. When involved, caused Villa some headaches with her tricky footwork and ability to always deliver a cross. Nice finish to convert her only chance of the match.
Khadija Shaw (7/10):
Her movement was superb and meant she was on the receiving end of a few chances, finally converting one just after half-time to give City the lead.
Mary Fowler (7/10):
One of City's most creative players, with some brilliant passes and crosses providing Shaw with most of her best opportunities.
Subs & Manager
Kerolin (N/A):
Brought fresh energy to the attack for the final 10 minutes.
Naomi Layzell (N/A):
Got some valuable minutes under her belt in the closing stages.
Laura Blindkilde Brown (N/A):
Got back on the pitch in the latter stages after missing the midweek trip to West Ham.
Laura Wienroither (N/A):
On as a late sub as City saw the win out.
Gareth Taylor (8/10):
Went perhaps as strong as he could with his XI, bar the choice to play Prior over Layzell at centre-back, which was the right thing to do given City's chances of having a successful season now reside in the cups. It paid dividends, too, in what was a tricky game.
