London City Lionesses bounced back from their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City with an emphatic 4-1 victory over newly promoted Birmingham City at the Copperjax Community Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Goals from Poppy Pattinson, Delphine Cascarino, Grace Geyoro and Kadidiatou Diani secured all three points for Eder Maestre’s side, who produced an impressive attacking display to climb into third place in the Women’s Super League table with 19 points.
The Lionesses were particularly impressive in the first half, establishing a two-goal advantage before Birmingham showed greater attacking intent after the interval. Although Oceane Hurtre briefly gave the visitors hope, Geyoro’s spectacular long-range effort restored London’s control before Diani added a fourth in stoppage time.
Reflecting on his side’s response following their defeat to Manchester City, Maestre was pleased with the consistency his players demonstrated.
“The way we can make up for the defeat and move forward, in terms of staying focused on winning the points today, I think shows how this game is connected to the consistency we are building every day,” he said.
“These long competitions are all about consistency, and you’re looking for three points every weekend.”
Pattinson and Cascarino Put Lionesses in Control
London City started on the front foot and looked determined to make an early statement against a Birmingham side they had previously faced in a closely contested 2-2 draw on the final day of the WSL2 campaign two seasons ago.
That result had secured promotion to the top flight for the Lionesses at Birmingham’s expense, but there was little sign of a repeat contest as the hosts took control.
Nicole Anyomi drove into the penalty area in the 10th minute, with Birmingham struggling to clear their lines following the resulting attempts on goal. Full-back Pattinson was on hand to capitalise, unleashing a superb strike into the top-left corner to open the scoring.
The goal was a significant moment for the 26-year-old, marking her first in the top flight after 128 appearances.
Speaking after the match, Pattinson admitted she was determined to make the most of her opportunity in a competitive squad.
“The competition is high, and we have world-class players. But today, I wanted to take my chance and show what I can do as well,” she said.
“I think every one of us believes what we can add to this team and the success that we can have with this team.”
The hosts doubled their advantage just six minutes later through another moment of individual quality. Cascarino worked her way into the penalty area, holding off the pressure of Marie Levasseur before firing an emphatic finish into the roof of the net with her right foot.
Pattinson Reflects on City’s Attacking Quality
Pattinson was delighted with the overall performance, particularly the way her side dealt with Birmingham’s attacking threat.
“These are the games that count the most for us. I think we already suffered one against West Ham earlier in the season, and that stuck with us. We didn’t want a repeat of that ever again in this league,” she explained.
“We knew the threats they had on the counter-attack, and we needed to nullify that with the game plan. And I mean… some amazing strikes today.”
Attacking Adjustments Gave Hope
Birmingham returned from the interval with greater purpose and began to put the hosts under pressure, with Amy Merricks’ half-time adjustments providing an improved attacking display.
Their efforts were rewarded five minutes into the second half when Hurtre continued her impressive goalscoring form. The French forward collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area before curling a superb left-footed effort into the net in the 50th minute, registering her seventh league goal of the campaign.
However, any hopes of a Birmingham comeback were quickly dealt a blow as London City restored their two-goal cushion.
Geyoro, who was later named Player of the Match, produced another spectacular finish, unleashing a powerful effort from distance to score her first WSL goal and put the hosts firmly back in control.
The visitors continued to battle, but London City remained a threat going forward and put the result beyond doubt in stoppage time. Godfrey delivered a pinpoint low cross into the penalty area, allowing Diani to bundle the ball home and complete an impressive afternoon for the hosts.
Merricks Takes Positives Despite Birmingham Defeat
Despite the scoreline, Birmingham head coach Amy Merricks was keen to highlight the determination and character shown by her players, particularly after making changes at the break.
“The courage and the relentlessness they showed. I think we made it hard for them to beat us,” she said.
“Arguably, at two-nil down at half-time, people maybe thought the game was away from us, but we made some tweaks, and I thought it looked far brighter in that next block of the game.”
Merricks also insisted there were positives to take from the performance as Birmingham look to continue their development in the WSL.
“There are a lot of positives that we can take to make sure that we continue to build in the right direction. So despite the scoreline, really proud of areas of performance that I saw today, and how I saw the team apply themselves.”
Hurtre’s Development Impresses Boss
Hurtre’s contribution was another positive for the Birmingham boss, who was particularly impressed with the forward’s work rate alongside her goalscoring ability.
“What a fantastic finish! We know she’s got that in her game. She keeps growing and developing,” Merricks added.
“I think what’s brilliant about Océane is that there’s absolutely no ego there. She will run through brick walls for this team and do whatever it takes. I thought she was brilliant again today.”
Maestre Highlights Growing Identity of London City
For London City, the victory provided an ideal response to their defeat against Manchester City and further evidence of the attacking quality within Maestre’s squad.
The head coach also believes his side are continuing to develop their identity, particularly in their approach to possession and defensive organisation.
“I think we are improving a lot on the ball, having control and trying to defend through possession,” Maestre explained.
“It’s about using the ball not just to create actions or chances, but to defend as well. That’s a very good way to defend. I think we are bringing together the best of different cultures and trying to become a more unpredictable team.”
With 19 points from their opening fixtures, London City now sit third in the WSL table, firmly establishing themselves among the early contenders for European qualification.
Birmingham, meanwhile, will look to take the positives from their improved second-half performance into their next league assignment as they take on Arsenal next Sunday. The Blues sit in 13th, one off the bottom, with a midweek clash against Sunderland in the League Cup before an away league meeting with Aston Villa next Sunday.
