City bounce back from 50-yard own goal
Manchester City recovered from a bizarre 50-yard own goal to end Birmingham City’s winning start to the Women’s Super League season.
The visitors fell behind in strange fashion after just seven minutes when, under apparently little pressure, Abbie Mcmanus decided to play a long-range backpass that bounced over 19-year-old goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck and found the net.
Roebuck struggled to read the flight of the pass, tried to head it away but the bounce beat her, the ball ending up in the back of the net.
Meaghan Sargeant increased Birmingham’s advantage with a header before half-time, but the visitors to Solihull Moors quickly struck back with a goal from Caroline Weir.
England striker Nikita Parris added a second for City, who were smarting from their midweek Champions League defeat by Atletico Madrid.
They completed the comeback through Tessa Wullaert’s deflected effort on 73 minutes.
Bizarre: a 50-yard back-pass beat the Manchester City goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck
Meanwhile, defending champions Chelsea earned their first victory of the campaign with a comfortable 2-0 home triumph over Brighton.
Chelsea had drawn their first three games 0-0, but finally broke the deadlock just past the halfhour mark when Fran Kirby swept home having been put through by Magda Eriksson.
Erin Cuthbert added Chelsea’s second before the break to leave Brighton searching for their first point and goal of the season.
Brooke Chaplen scored the only goal of the game in the 36th minute as Reading continued their encouraging start to the season with a 1-0 win away to Liverpool.
The hosts were reduced to 10 players with just less than an hour played when Rhiannon Roberts was sent off following her second yellow card.
Rosie Kmita sealed West Ham’s
first top-flight win by volleying a 79th minute victory to sink bottom club Yeovil.
Leanne Kiernan had opened the scoring for the hosts in the second half, but Ellie Mason levelled for Yeovil, who were level for barely a minute before Kmita sealed the win.