Park double fires Man City to derby win over United and top of WSL

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Updated: Mar 23, 2024, 05:27 pm

MANCHESTER -- A Jess Park brace helped Manchester City to a 3-1 home win over Manchester United in the Women's Super League derby on Saturday, taking them provisionally three points clear at the top of the table.

The home side's bid to win their first league title since 2016 stayed well on course in the first WSL game at the Etihad Stadium since December 2022, as City racked up their 11th straight win in the league in front of a 40,086 crowd.

City have 43 points, three ahead of Chelsea who are at West Ham on Sunday, while United remain fourth on 28 points, level with Liverpool who play Everton on Sunday and six points behind Arsenal who are away to Aston Villa, also on Sunday.

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City opened the scoring in the 37th minute, when Leila Ouahabi's cross from the left was met by Park's first-time volley into the bottom corner, her first league goal for the club.

Eight minutes later and Park had her second. A short-corner move found Yui Hasegawa who floated a cross into the area, Alanna Kennedy headed the ball on and Park was there again to meet it first time and fire home from close range.

United had chances in the opening half before City broke the deadlock, with Nikita Parris and Geyse forcing Khiara Keating into saves, but immediately after the break the home side all but killed off any hopes of a comeback.

Park turned provider and her through ball found Bunny Shaw who took the ball into the area, got the better of Maya Le Tissier, before striking low into the far corner, making her City's all-time leading scorer with 68 goals.

The intensity went out of the game but United managed to pull one back in the 74th minute when Hannah Blundell's shot from out wide was deflected by City's Kerstin Casparij past Keating, but it was too little too late to spoil City's day. (Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Pritha Sarkar)