Chloe Kelly strikes to sink Leicester and take Manchester City top of WSL

Manchester City continued their unbeaten start to the season after edging past Leicester in a competitive, high-octane encounter. Chloe Kelly’s first-half strike was enough to give them the three points in an end-to-end game in front of an expectant crowd at the King Power.

The visitors were looking for an immediate return to the top of the table after a whirlwind start to the season. They have caught the eye with their clinical and dynamic attack, spearheaded by the goalscoring prowess of Khadija Shaw and Jill Roord. The latter has made an impressive impact since arriving in the north-west in the summer with three goals in as many games.

The Manchester City manager, Gareth Taylor, favours stability and he named the same lineup that had served him so well in the 5-0 win over Bristol City, with Lauren Hemp and Leila Ouahabi returning to the bench from injury and suspension respectively.

They were facing a buoyant Leicester fresh from securing a confidence-boosting point at Manchester United. Despite Willie Kirk’s displeasure with the first half in Leigh, they had built on their unbeaten start to the season with a gritty, hard-working display. Seeking a higher-energy start, the manager made three changes. The France defender Julie Thibaud started in a back three, while Hannah Cain and Jutta Rantala came in to boost the attack.

The hosts lined up in a narrow 3-2-2-3 formation – a high-risk, high-reward strategy. It is a system that has potential in attack and they started strongly, finding spaces as Manchester City pushed forward. However, when the visitors were able to break through the press, it left Leicester’s defence overexposed.

It was through this that the opener came after a series of warning signs. England’s Kelly was full of energy and in the 10th minute broke with Roord to turn a low shot through the legs of Janina Leitzig. The German keeper slammed the ground in frustration, clearly feeling that she should have done better.

The visitors had their tails up and threatened to add to the scoreline as they sliced through Leicester’s defence. Shaw had a header saved while Esme Morgan was also denied.

The hosts persisted with their system and created chances of their own. The summer signing Lena Petermann had an effort blocked well by Khiara Keating. The young goalkeeper, who received her first England call-up this week, was also on hand to keep out a fizzing shot from Rantala.

As the half drew to a close there was another chance for the visitors to double their lead. Filippa Angeldahl was denied by the body of Leitzig to ensure the deficit remained narrow at the break.

The players returned to a raucous reception from a crowd that had been highly entertained. Shannon O’Brien was denied a leveller by Morgan while Shaw was becoming increasingly frustrated with Sophie Howard constantly tracking her. The Leicester stalwart is in fine form and put in another imperious performance at the heart of the defence.

The introduction of Hemp with half an hour left added a new dimension to the visitors’ play, with her speed on the break causing immediate problems. Leitzig was required to make another strong save, proving once again why Kirk was so eager to secure her signature in the summer.

Both sides continued to trade chances but the hosts were unable to make them count. It was Kirk’s 13th career loss to Manchester City but he will be encouraged by the character on display. Taylor, meanwhile, will have returned to Manchester comfortable in the knowledge that his unbeaten side will go into the international break top of the table, unless Chelsea rack up a high-scoring victory at home to Brighton tomorrow.