LCFC Women 0 Manchester City 2: Gloves for sale (well-worn)
When a club sends a goalkeeper out on loan, they probably want them to be kept busy. So Bayern Munich will be delighted with the amount of work dished out to Janina Leitzig when Manchester City visited Filbert Way.
Leitzig had already equalled her own record for the most saves made in a WSL game by a Leicester goalkeeper this season, set in the recent 3-0 win over Brighton, after 20 minutes here. That record was 6. In its place, she eventually ended up with the all-time WSL record at 15.
Those are her only two league games for the club so far. She must be hoping for a quieter time next weekend at Liverpool.
Wing wizards
It was always going to be a tough assignment keeping Manchester City’s wingers quiet. Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly terrorised Leicester all game, drifting infield at will and wreaking havoc.
This was partly due to the bold approach employed by Willie Kirk as the pressing at the other end of the pitch left gaps for the visitors to exploit.
It was a baptism of fire for new signing Courtney Nevin, thrown in at left-back to face Euros star Kelly. On the back foot, Leicester needed Sophie Howard to make a number of vital interceptions in the opening minutes - not to mention the imposing presence of Leitzig to deny Kelly, Hemp and striker Bunny Shaw in quick succession.
Leicester had one fine opportunity in the midst of the barrage, Hannah Cain‘s header from an excellent Aileen Whelan cross forcing a save from Ellie Roebuck after the risky pressing game paid off with a chance.
Young stars
Leicester’s best period of the game came in the run-up to half time when some of our younger players got the opportunity to show their ability on the ball.
Georgia Eaton-Collins, another new signing making her debut at the base of the midfield, displayed some neat touches and Missy Goodwin was able to relieve some of the pressure by advancing down the left byline. It says everything about Leicester’s afternoon that Goodwin’s best contribution came soon after - a fantastic block when tracking back to deny Filippa Angeldahl.
A couple of minutes before half time, Cain enjoyed a rare chance to run with the ball but the underlapping Nevin couldn’t quite gather her pass.
Despite the odd glimpse of Roebuck’s goal, Leicester were indebted to their opponents’ wastefulness and Leitzig’s stature and composure for being level at the break.
More of the same
The chances kept coming for Manchester City. Just 20 seconds after the interval, Kelly’s cross was turned wide by Hemp at the back post.
Leitzig then showed excellent reflexes with one of her best saves of the day, flicking an arm out to deflect a Shaw header over the bar.
Another good Leitzig save soon denied Hemp but after an hour, the German was finally beaten. She stood no chance, Shaw looping a header into the top corner from close range.
There was little Leicester response as Gareth Taylor’s side continued to dominate. With 20 minutes remaining, Kirk made a double substitution to bring Josie Green and Ava Baker on for Howard and Goodwin who had both worked extremely hard to contain their opponents.
The main Manchester City threat all afternoon had come from their wingers shifting the ball and exploiting the spaces inside Leicester’s full-backs. That’s exactly how the game became safe. This time it was Kelly who moved in from the right and struck a fierce shot into the far corner well beyond Leitzig’s despairing dive.
There was still time for more Leitzig excellence, the highlight an acrobatic tip over the bar from a Laura Coombs shot. Cain almost nabbed a consolation when put through on goal but Roebuck saved and the final whistle soon brought an end to a busy afternoon for Leicester’s hard-working players.
Leicester’s WSL safety will not be decided by games like this but they do offer an indication of the mentality within the club. Whereas some games against the biggest clubs in the league have previously been surrendered, this was instead a battling effort that deserves a lot of credit.
Kirk encouraged the press, allowed the space and took risks. That’s how these players will get the confidence to take the game to less illustrious opponents. The club appears to have done excellently in the transfer window - now it’s time to see exactly how well.
Elsewhere in the WSL
In contrast to the men’s game, there was disappointing Aston Villa-related news later in the afternoon as Brighton equalised towards the end to snatch a point. That moves the Seagulls 5 points above Leicester with a game in hand.
The main team in our sights remains Reading, 4 points better off ahead of a trip to Liverpool tomorrow. By the time that’s played, Leicester will have two games in hand on the Royals.
Liverpool away is also Leicester’s next WSL outing and it will be interesting to see what our exciting young players can do with a bit more possession and hopefully a little less pressure on Janina Leitzig.
