- Citizens far too strong on home soil
- Never had to get out of first gear
- Jamaican striker opens account for 23-24
TELL ME MORE: The Citizens never had to get out of first gear against newly-promoted opponents, with Gareth Taylor’s side five goals to the good before half-time.
It took less than nine minutes for the deadlock to be broken, with club-record summer signing Jill Roord bundling home after a Shaw effort cannoned back off the crossbar. Chloe Kelly then had a shot cleared off the line while a brave header from Shaw was ruled out for offside before Laixa Aleixandri glanced in a second with 33 minutes on the clock.
Shaw got her first of the season five minutes later, when rising between two defenders to nod into the net, and there were two more headed goals before the break – with Roord getting the first of those in first-half stoppage-time and Shaw the second, following good work down the right by Kelly.
With three points already safely wrapped up, City were happy to take their foot off the gas after the break. Opportunities did continue to come their way - with Roord and Shaw going close to completing their hat-tricks, while Steph Houghton stepped off the bench to add another victory to her remarkable CV - but it was a case of going through the motions until the final whistle blew.
THE MVP: Having hit 20 WSL goals for City last season, Shaw clearly has her sights set on another Golden Boot bid this time around. The Jamaica international was a handful for the Bristol City defence throughout, and they were unable to contain the obvious threat that she poses. Shaw was too big and strong for the Robins, while her movement caused all sorts of problems for a backline that often found itself chasing shadows.
THE BIG LOSER: It feels slightly harsh to brand Kaylan Marckese a “loser”, but any day in which you pick the ball out of the back of your net on five occasions is a bad day. The American goalkeeper, who is on loan at Bristol City from Arsenal, was left hopelessly exposed at times. She did her best to keep the score down, with a couple of smart saves completed, but the Florida has been given a baptism of fire in the WSL after conceding on three occasions last time out against Tottenham.
MATCH IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT? Having faced fellow City stars from Bristol this weekend, those from Manchester will line up against another on October 21 when taking in a trip to Leicester. Meanwhile, things are not about to get any easier for the Robins as their next outings is set to see them play host to star-studded Arsenal.
MATCH RATING (OUT OF FIVE): ⭐⭐⭐⭐