Confidence is clearly coursing through Georgia Stanway’s veins and the teenager admits Manchester City are ready for all-comers this season after beating Liverpool.
City earned their place in the SSE Women’s FA Cup quarter finals with a 2-0 win at Liverpool and Stanway’s 30-yard strike was the highlight.
Nikita Parris doubled the lead and City saw out the result, and the youngster is already looking forward to their FA WSL season opener against Notts County on Wednesday.
Liverpool 0-2 Man City
SSE Women's FA Cup
Fifth Round
Saturday 19 March
Select Security Stadium
by Sportsbeat
“I don’t think I’ll be scoring many of them,” said Stanway of her goal. “I picked it up outside the area and managed to lob the ‘keeper and get it in the net.
“Hopefully we can maintain what we are doing and take each game as it comes and obviously continue the winning streak.
“It was very important to get the first win. Now we can focus on Notts County on Wednesday, but it’s important we reflect on the game.
“It was a tough win, but we have to focus on the next one and that we are through to the next round.
“I think right now we are able to take on anyone. With the group of girls that we’ve got and the physical shape that we are in, we’ve got the capacity to do what we want to do and take over whoever comes next.”
Stanway, a first-half substitute for Izzy Christiansen, fired an unstoppable right-foot effort into the top corner, with Reds keeper Siobhan Chamberlain unable to get near the audacious attempt.
STRIKE! Check out @StanwayGeorgia's cracker for @MCWFC in their #SSEWomensFACup fifth round win over @LFCladies.https://t.co/bEi1BEgCdC
— The FA (@FA) March 21, 2016
And Parris put the game to bed after the break, rising above the Liverpool defence to head home Toni Duggan’s corner, much to Chamberlain’s frustration.
“It’s always going to be a difficult game against Manchester City,” said the England international. “They are a fantastic side and they are well-established together and they’ve played together a lot of times.
“They’ve had a good pre-season and we have as well, but unfortunately we weren’t quite good enough. Especially in the first half, we stuck to our game plan, but I think we were better in the second half.
“Going forward we have to take a lot of positives from the game. It’s our first game together, with nine new signings. It will take time, but we don’t want that time to be very long.
“And we are obviously gutted to be out of the Cup, but we’ve got a big game to look forward to on Wednesday.”
Liverpool (4-3-3): Siobhan Chamberlain; Martha Harris, Mandy van den Berg, Gemma Bonner, Alex Greenwood; Sophie Ingle, Laura Coombs, Katie Zelem; Natasha Harding, Rosie White, Caroline Weir.
Substitutes: Emma Lundh for White 46, Shanice van de Sanden for Weir 60, Kate Longhurst for Coombs 75.
Substitutes not used: Danielle Gibbons, Ashley Hodson.
Manchester City (4-3-3): Karen Bardsley; Lucy Bronze, Abbie McManus, Steph Houghton, Demi Stokes; Jill Scott, Izzy Christiansen, Daphne Corboz; Kosovare Asllani, Jane Ross, Toni Duggan.
Substitutes: Georgia Stanway for Christiansen 11, Nikita Parris for Asllani 60.
Substitutes not used: Marie Hourihan, Jennifer Beattie, Zoe Tynan.
Goals: Stanway 30, Parris 64
Referee: P Gibbons
Attendance: 743
