Reading FC Women fell to a fifth league defeat in six games after three second-half goals from Manchester City Women secured a 3-0 victory for the in-form visitors.
The Royals secured just 23% possession and failed to land a shot on target with City peppering Jacqueline Burns’s goal with 19 attempts over the course of a dominant away performance.
Here are the player ratings for Reading:
Jacqueline Burns – 6 – Not at fault for any of the goals and responded well when called upon. A calm presence between the sticks since becoming Reading’s No. 1
Dianne Caldwell – 6 – Reading’s player of the match. Like her colleagues in the three-player defence, performed admirably against City’s onslaught and made one crucial intervention towards the end with the visitors seeking to extend their lead further
Gemma Evans – 6 – Another strong performance from the Welsh international who is a mainstay of the defence
Emma Mukandi – 6 – A game the Reading captain will want to forget after scoring two own goals but, in truth, they were both unlucky and she gave perhaps her best performance of the season since returning from maternity
Faye Bryson – 5 – Given the unenviable task of keeping Lauren Hemp quiet. Hemp was in irrepressible form, giving Bryson a torrid time on the right of the pitch
Amalie Eikeland – 5 – Toiled energetically but without reward as the City midfield dominated
Justine Vanhaevermaet – 5 – Involved in the thick of the action but too often gave the ball away cheaply with possession at a premium
Lily Woodham – 5 – Quiet game from the left-wing back. Struggled to make any headway going forward and few chances to show her set-piece prowess
Sanne Troelsgaard – 6 – Fought hard up-front, winning several headers and chasing hard with the encouragement of her vocal coach on the sidelines
Rachel Rowe – 6 – A quiet first hour and busy final half-hour as Rowe tried to engineer a Reading comeback from 2-0 down. Nearly scored with an outrageous 35-yard volleyed lob not far from the touchline
Charlie Wellings – 5 – Will have racked up the kilometres chasing the ball but given few opportunities to put her foot on it
Subs:
Tia Primmer – 5 – Initially gave a bit more spark up top for the final half-hour before becoming a bystander like her attacking colleagues for much of the game
Deanna Cooper – 5 – Gave Bryson a breather but couldn’t do much to stop the torrent of attacks Hemp sparked for City
Natasha Dowie and Lauren Wade – N/A – Not enough time on the pitch for either to make their mark
