City claim pre-season win over Liverpool

Manchester City came from behind to beat Liverpool 2-1 in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Melwood Training Ground.

The hosts took a lead in at half-time through Marie Hobinger, but Gareth Taylor’s side responded with quickfire goals from Lauren Hemp and Jess Park after the restart.

City started the brighter of the two, but neither side was really able to trouble the net in the opening exchanges.

But in an evenly matched first half it was the hosts who struck first around the 40-minute mark.

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City’s attempt to play out from the back was intercepted, allowing Hobinger to rifle a vicious effort into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

It was harsh on Gareth Taylor’s side who had been the equal of Liverpool in a 45 of few clear cut chances.

City’s best fell on the stroke of half-time when, after brilliant work on the counter, Hemp stung the palms of Teagan Micah at her near-post.

But the Blues responded in style within minutes of the restart when Hemp tapped home on the rebound after smart work by Aoba Fujino.

Gareth Taylor’s side were in the ascendancy, with Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw the next to trouble the goal, forcing a smart save from Micah down to her right around the hour mark.

We made our pressure tell soon after though, with Park tapping home from close-range after the lively Fujino had snuck in behind, squaring for the England international.

It was almost three with 20 to play when Laura Blindkilde Brown called Micah into action once again with a first-time effort from Kerstin Casparij’s cutback, before Hemp whistled an ambitious effort just over the bar.

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Substitute Leila Ouahabi was next to try her luck from distance, forcing another save from the Liverpool stopper as City continued to turn the screw.

The final sight of goal fell to Hemp, who curled just wide of the far post, meaning we had to settle for a one-goal victory on Merseyside.

But with an additional friendly to follow against Aston Villa next week, City will have another chance for final preparations ahead of the 2024/25 campaign getting under way.

Line-ups

City XI: Yamashita (Keating 58’), Casparij (Thomas 81’), Kennedy, Greenwood, Aleixandri (Ouahabi 61’), Hasegawa, Park (O’Carroll 87’), Blindkilde Brown, Fujino (Fowler 61’), Shaw (Kelly 61’), Hemp

Subs: Startup, Layzell, Prior, Murphy, Lewis

Liverpool XI: Micah, Parry (, Evans, Kapocs (Enderby 66’), Nagano, Roman Haug (Lundgaard 66’), Hinds (Fahey 61’), Hobinger (Daniels 61’), Clark, Holland (Shaw 75’), Bonner (Kiernan 66’)

Subs: Laws, Spencer, Matthews