Gareth Taylor’s side find ourselves in the thick of a rapidly developing Barclays Women’s Super League title race after reaching the halfway point in the campaign.
We sit just three points off the summit, boasting the best defensive record in the top flight so far.
City return to competitive action on Sunday 14 January 2023 when we face Durham in the FA Cup, while our progress in the Continental Cup will be decided ten days later when we host Manchester United at the Joie Stadium.
Look back on our season so far, including some impressive results, stats, goals and performances, below…
At the sharp end
Across our 13 competitive fixtures so far in 2023/24, City have found the net an impressive 34 times, and there were some real standout strikes among that list.
Chloe Kelly has enjoyed an excellent calendar year, with efforts against Chelsea and Liverpool in particular catching the eye.
The winger opened the scoring with an unstoppable drive off the bar against Emma Hayes’ side in October, but her outrageous half-volley from distance against Liverpool in the Continental Cup was a goal worthy of winning any game.
Her fellow England international Lauren Hemp curled home a beauty against Manchester United 11 days later. Picking up play from Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, the winger found the top corner of Mary Earps’ net with a delightful left-footed effort to hand City the lead en route to an eventual 3-1 win.
Although City had to settle for a point against Leicester in the Conti Cup Group stages, Deyna Castellanos’ impressive solo effort caught the eye. The Venezuelan raced onto Mary Fowler’s ball in behind, firing in a vicious strike off the woodwork to draw us level at the Joie Stadium.
And what goals list would be complete without Bunny Shaw, our top scorer for 2023 with 30 strikes to her name?
The pick of the bunch came in our final match of the year, when the Jamaican spotted Everton goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan off her line with a deft lob at Walton Hall Park
Leading the way
As previously alluded to, one of City’s major strengths is that there are players capable of finding the net across the entire squad.
And that point is reinforced by the fact four of our stars feature in the top ten for combined goal involvements across 2023/24 so far.
Shaw leads the way on 11 (nine goals, two assists), with Roord’s haul of six goals and two assists seeing her match both Chelsea’s Lauren James and Spurs’ Martha Thomas (seven goals, one assist each) in the rankings.
In joint-fifth on the list with seven goal involvements is Hemp with five goals and two assists, while Kelly’s tally of six (three goals, three assists) also sees her place in the top ten.
Defensive solidity
For all of City’s prowess going forward, Gareth Taylor has also assembled a steely defence, conceding just 13 times in as many matches across the campaign so far.
We’ve also kept four clean sheets as part of a strong first half of the season, with Khiara Keating boasting the joint-most shutouts in the WSL so far as a result, alongside her United counterpart, Earps.
But that’s not to say that our staunch rearguard hasn’t also had a say in forward positions, with our defenders having a hand in nine of our 34 goals so far this season, either by scoring or assisting.
Our free-flowing style requires confidence on the ball from deep areas of the pitch, with City’s defensive line often starting moves which eventually lead to a goal, as exemplified by Jill Roord’s spectacular strike against Everton in our final match of 2023.
And this is demonstrated by the fact that three of our defenders, Alex Greenwood (573), Laia Aleixandri (564) and Alanna Kennedy (518) as well as defensive midfielder Yui Hasegawa (545) are among the top ten players in the WSL for successful passes so far in 2023/24.
Aleixandri and Greenwood have both grabbed three WSL assists this season as well, with only Arsenal’s Victoria Pelova (four) able to better that tally.
Memorable results
There have been some performances and results for City to savour as we reach the half-way point in the season.
While we weren’t able to hold on for all three points against Chelsea in our first home match of the campaign, Gareth Taylor’s side put in a display to remember against the odds in the 1-1 draw.
Indeed, but for a 96th-minute equaliser from Guro Reiten, City would have earned a memorable three points at the Joie Stadium, despite being reduced to nine players for the final 15 minutes after Greenwood and Hemp both received their marching orders.
No such hard luck a week later though, when five headed goals in the first half saw Taylor’s side cruise to a 5-0 win over newly promoted Bristol City.
And another memorable home display would follow in late November, when a Shaw hat-trick, Laura Coombs brace and further strikes from Roord and Hemp earned a 7-0 triumph over Spurs.
There were some equally impressive performances on the road, with an unforgettable 3-1 win at Old Trafford perhaps the pick of the bunch.
City were full value for the win, with Roord, Hemp and Shaw among the goals as City became the first team to record a WSL win against United at Old Trafford in the first derby to be played there.
Another imperious away display rounded off 2023, with a dominant 4-1 win over Everton at Walton Hall Park.
Ballon d’Or
Three members of Gareth Taylor’s squad also had their outstanding performances recognised as part of the Ballon d’Or shortlist for 2023.
Hasegawa’s remarkable start to life at City has continued, with the Japan international an essential cog in our well-oiled machine.
Our number 25 has completed more passes (545) than any other midfielder in the WSL so far this season, with an outstanding success rate of 87.06%.
Jill Roord, meanwhile, has more than hit the ground running since joining City from VfL Wolfsburg in the summer.
The Dutch international has grabbed six goals and three assists across 13 appearances this season, and is our only ever-present alongside Chloe Kelly.
And Shaw completed our trio of nominees, being recognised for her ruthless streak in front of goal.
The Jamaican, who grabbed 31 goals for City last season, has already found the net 10 times in as many appearances, while also setting up her team-mates on three occasions so far in 2023/24.
200 Club
In November, Demi Stokes became only the third player since our professional relaunch to reach a double century of appearances for City.
The defender, who joined the Club in January 2015, came off the bench in our 1-1 draw with Leicester City in the Continental Cup to a rapturous applause from the home crowd.
Only Steph Houghton (239) and Keira Walsh (211) can better Stokes’ tally in a City shirt, with her legacy as legendary figure at the Joie Stadium already secured.
Speaking on her remarkable milestone, she added: “It’s been a long journey and I probably didn’t think I’d be here as long as I have, but I’m glad that I made the decision to come here. I feel like this is my home.
“I’m just enjoying the crazy ride, but I think we can go on to do even more great things. That’s what we’re pushing for and that’s what we want to do.”
