Football / Bristol City Women
Another record crowd sees City beaten by Manchester United
When Mary Earps played for Bristol City almost a decade ago, they were actually called Bristol Academy having recently rebranded from Bristol Rovers.
Earps, now one of England’s most recognisable footballers, returned to face a very different Robins side and kept a clean sheet as Manchester United won 2-0 in front of 14,138 fans – another record crowd for a women’s football match at Ashton Gate.
City held their own through much of this match and could have led in the first half if not for a strong hand from Earps, who dived low to her left to block a powerful header from Amy Rodgers.
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Earps also smothered a Mari Ward shot inside the box as a Mexican wave made its way around the stadium (other than the Atyeo Stand, which remained unoccupied).
At the other end of the pitch, Olivia Clark in goal for City made three top-draw saves in the first half and was desperately unlucky to concede United’s first after a shot from outside the box by Hinata Miyazawa took a wicked deflection off Chloe Mustaki; with Earps’ England colleague Nikita Parris scoring United’s second.
Manchester United sported dark green and white stripes, a throwback to the away jersey work by the team in 1902/03, the first season that the club went by the name of Manchester United after changing from Newton Heath – photo: JMP
Clark called the defeat “frustrating”, saying that a period of five minutes in the second half “cut us apart but I think we can take loads from it going into the international break”.
Robins manager Lauren Smith also expressed her frustration: “We have played so well in the first half, we’ve created probably the best chance of the half, Liv has ensured we stay in it with some great saves and then we get punished in the second half after again creating a really good opportunity and then it goes down the other end and it’s a problem.”
After the full-time whistle went, Earps spent time talking to as many fans as possible, signing shirts, banners and gloves.
While walking down Marina Dolman Way, a young fan spoke to her father: “I can’t wait to go to school tomorrow, dad. I’m going to tell all of my friends that I met Mary Earps.”
Main photo: JMP
Read next:
- Record-breaking turnout for Bristol City Women vs Arsenal
- City lose to Leicester as top flight football returns to Ashton Gate
- A historic night at Ashton Gate as Bristol Bears beat South Africa
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