City sailed into the Fifth Round of the Women's FA Cup with a thumping 8-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

A Georgia Stanway hat-trick, a brace for Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, plus goals from Caroline Weir, Filippa Angeldahl and Lauren Hemp claimed a comprehensive victory at the City Ground on what proved to be a record-breaking afternoon for Gareth Taylor‘s side.

Stanway’s treble moved the forward top of the Club’s goalscoring charts, overtaking Nikita Parris’ previous high, while the visitors also bagged our 600th goal as a professional outfit and Academy stars Ginny Lackey and Jemima Dahou were also handed their debuts, introduced from the bench for their first tastes of senior action.

The triumph - a thoroughly comprehensive performance from start to finish - also yielded the perfect birthday present for Laura Coombs, while there was further cause for celebration as Ellie Roebuck made her return between the sticks for her first action of the 2021/22 campaign, preserving a comfortable clean sheet.

The draw for the Fifth Round takes place on Monday 31 January on talkSPORT2’s Women’s Football Weekly show at approximately 19:30.

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What happened

Taylor had called upon his side to produce a ‘professional’ display against the Women’s National League North side and City dominated from the off, opening the scoring inside two minutes to set the tone.

Weir, making her first start since December, broke the deadlock, drilling Lauren Hemp‘s cutback into the nearpost for her sixth goal of the season.

From then on, it was one-way traffic as the visitors laid siege to the Forest goal. Shaw and Janine Beckie forced Emily Batty into smart stops, while Demi Stokes saw a looping cross-shot just clear the far post.

Shaw doubled the advantage, heading home an Angeldahl corner on 35 minutes to continue her excellent purple patch, increasing her tally for the campaign to 10 goals in 16 games.

It was three before the break as the Swedish international turned goalscorer, beating the offside trap to latch onto Alex Greenwood‘s floated pass before poking into the bottom corner.

Chasing her goalscoring record, Stanway was introduced at the break from the bench and netted the record-equalling goal just five minutes later, rifling home our 600th goal as a professionial side from a seemingly impossible angle.

Hemp then made it five with a typically mazy run before finishing well into the far corner, and Shaw doubled her personal tally with a goal of her own making, capitalising on a goalkeeper error and smashing home.

Stanway then made it seven with her eighth goal in as many games, converting from close range to spark jubilant scenes.

The forward celebrated her achievement in style, bagging a second-half hat-trick with a goal in injury-time, cutting inside and smashing home to cap an unforgettable day all round.

How we lined up...

Taylor made six changes to the side that drew with Arsenal on Sunday, as Roebuck, Ruby Mace, Coombs, Angeldahl, Weir and Beckie came in for Khiara Keating, captain Steph Houghton, Keira Walsh, Vicky Losada, Stanway and Jess Park.

Roebuck took her place in goal, shielded by a backline of Stokes, Greenwood, Mace and Lucy Bronze.

Coombs protected the back four in defensive midfield, employed behind Weir and Angeldahl, while Hemp and Beckie occupied the wings and Shaw led the line upfront.

Hayley Raso and Alanna Kennedy remain on international duty with Australia, while the game came too soon for new recruit Julie Blakstad.

CITY XI | Roebuck, Bronze, Mace, Greenwood (C) (Stanway 46’), Stokes, Coombs (Losada 62’), Angeldahl, Weir (Dahou 75’), Beckie, Hemp (Park 60’), Shaw (Lackey 75’).

SUBS | Keating.

FOREST XI | Batty, Harkin (C), Hewitt, Brown (Walters 74’), Cook, Steggles (Higginbottom 89’), West, Anderson, James (Moncaster 74’), Greengrass (Arber 60’), Powell (Axten 60’).

SUBS | Aguirre, Reynolds, Middleton, Bonser.

Attendance: 3,994

Player of the Match: Georgia Stanway

Though she may have only featured for 45 minutes, Stanway produced a typically memorable impact, netting a single-half hat-trick!

Once described by Taylor as a ‘wind-up toy’, she entered the fray hungry for the brace that would write her name into the history books - and she took her opportunity emphatically.

After netting after just five minutes with a well-taken effort from the cutest of angles, she once again arrived in the right place at the right time for her second and sealed a stunning individual performance with lovely feet and a trademark rocket for her third.

A deserved achievement for a sensational six years of stunning goals.

 

Stat zone

With her brace, Stanway moved top of the goalscoring charts with 64 goals in 170 appearances.

Stanway’s opening goal marked our 600th goal as a professional outfit in all competitions.

Jess Park made her 50th appearance for the Club.

What’s next...

It’s a big one at the Academy Stadium, as City host Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals of the Continental Cup.

The two sides lock horns for a place in the Final on Thursday 3 February in a 19:00.

Tickets for all home games are now on sale.

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