Proud Houghton marks milestone in fine style as City hit seven again
Weir 12, 16, Houghton 41, 61, White 58, Kelly 73, Beckie 77
On the day she became the first player to reach 150 Women’s Super League appearances, England captain Steph Houghton fittingly scored the pick of her Manchester City side’s seven goals in a world-class performance.
Houghton’s perfectly executed free-kick was her second goal of the game and City’s fifth, as they scored seven times in a WSL match for the second Sunday in succession. The 32-year-old’s inch-perfect set-piece bounced in off the underside of the bar after curling over the Brighton wall. It was hard to imagine how any goalkeeper could have kept it out and Houghton – a set-piece specialist – knew it was among her best.
“It’s up there. I believe in myself to take those sort of free-kicks and it just seemed a nice range to get one in,” she said, before adding she was “massively proud” to reach the 150-game landmark.
“Remembering the first game in the WSL, compared to now, it’s come such a long way,” Houghton said. “To have been a part of women’s football and how much it’s grown, but also to represent two amazing clubs in Arsenal and Man
City, it is a real honour. To have played that many games and to be the first person, it’s a special moment. Hopefully there’s a lot more to come.”
Houghton’s career began long before the WSL started in 2011. Her Sunderland debut came aged 14 in 2002 before spells at Leeds and Arsenal, with whom she won the WSL twice in its first two years. Since joining City in 2014, she has led them to seven major domestic trophies, including the WSL in 2016.
She had been set to reach the 150-game mark on the same day as another stalwart of the WSL era, her England team-mate Jill Scott, who returned to Everton on loan from City this week. But Everton’s match at Tottenham was postponed because of snow. With the early seasons of the WSL involving just eight teams, players have needed to be all but ever-present since 2011, to reach 150 games.
“She’s a great ambassador for the game and also for us at Manchester City,” Gareth Taylor, the manager, added. “She is right in there [among the WSL’S greats] and rightly so, for what she’s done for the game and the way she’s carried the team in good moments and in difficult moments. It’s a great achievement and one she thoroughly deserves.”
To say City thoroughly deserved yesterday’s victory would be a huge understatement. In truth, the contest was a mismatch, in stark contrast to the 0-0 draw between the sides in September.
Scotland midfielder Caroline Weir struck twice from close range in the first half before Houghton made it 3-0 when she bundled home at the far post from a corner. The visitors – whose winger, Chloe Kelly, was in unstoppable form – tormented Hope Powell’s Albion side further after half-time, as Ellen White made it 4-0 with a first-time finish from Kelly’s low ball and then Houghton doubled her tally with her special free-kick.
Rianna Jarrett briefly pulled one back for Brighton, but Kelly made it 6-1 after a neat team move and then got her third assist when she crossed for Janine Beckie.
The result lifted City into a Champions League qualification place, a point above fourth-placed Arsenal, whose game at home to West Ham United was also postponed because of snow. Taylor’s side are five points behind leaders Manchester United, with a game in hand, and he feels they have “title deciders” awaiting them.
“We just want to stay in the mix, because we know that when it really is crunch time, as long as we’re in contention, I still feel teams will take points off one another,” Taylor said. “The games when we play against the top three or top four, they are going to be really important and potential title deciders.”
Powell admitted her side had not been good enough, adding: “They were far better than us. They were clinical, moved the ball well and we couldn’t match it. The players recognise it wasn’t good enough.”
Brighton and Hove Albion (4-4-2) Fiskerstrand; Green, Kerkdijk (Bance 77), Le Tissier, Connolly; Brazil, Whelan, Bowman, Kaagman; Jarrett (Simpkins 87), Heroum.
Subs Walsh (g), Roe, Williams.
Manchester City (4-3-3) Roebuck; Bronze, Houghton (Davies 81), Greenwood, Morgan; Stanway, Walsh, Weir (Coombs h-t); Kelly, White (Park 67), Hemp (Beckie h-t). Bardsley (g), Window, Phillips, Ravening.
Lisa Benn (Berkshire).