An Emily Syme brace as well as a goal for each of Lexi Lloyd-Smith and Maria Farrugia saw Bristol City Women beat Sheffield UnitedBristol City Women celebrate after Emily Syme’s early goal against Sheffield United(Image: Photo by Eddie Keogh – WSL/WSL Football via Getty Images)

Bristol City Women produced an “outstanding” second-half display to claim a “really big three points” against Sheffield United, according to Charlotte Healy, with the Robins boss now targeting progress in the Women’s FA Cup.

The Reds closed the gap to the automatic promotion places as they ran out 4-0 winners over the Blades at Ashton Gate on Sunday afternoon. An Emily Syme brace, as well as second-half strikes from Lexi Lloyd-Smith and Maria Farrugia, were enough to see City come out on top.

Syme gave the Robins the lead after four minutes when she brilliantly curled into the top left corner from the edge of the penalty area. Not one to be outdone, Lloyd-Smith was able to double the Reds’ advantage when she found the opposite top corner from some 30 yards out early in the second period.

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Less than 10 minutes on from Healy’s side’s second, Syme headed home Farrugia’s cross from the left flank, before the Maltese winger got on the scoresheet herself when she slotted beyond Sian Rogers late on. Although it wasn’t always easy for her team, Healy was delighted with the Reds’ display, particularly after the break.

“A really big three points,” the City boss told the Robins’ media team at full-time. “I thought [it was] a really good second half performance. It was great to get some of our long-term injured players back too, and a clean sheet against a team that was unbeaten in five.

“To go unbeaten in five games in this league shows how good you are, and they caused us some problems in the first half, but we made a couple of changes at half-time, and we really saw the benefit of that in the second half.

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“I thought we were outstanding in the second-half; I thought we created some really good chances and you see the importance and how big that result is when you look at results elsewhere, so a really pleasing day for us today.”

The three points gained against the Blades are enough to see City pull level with second-placed Birmingham City in the WSL 2, who were beaten by Crystal Palace on Sunday. Just goal difference sees the Blues remain above the Reds and in the automatic promotion places.

The Robins will have another chance to leapfrog Birmingham when they host Palace in their final league game before Christmas. Before the Eagles make the trip to the West Country, however, City have the small matter of an FA Cup clash with Portsmouth at the High Performance Centre this weekend.

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While everyone in and around Healy’s side’s primary aim is to win promotion to the WSL this term, there is also, currently, a desire to put together a bit of a cup run, starting this weekend.

“We’re going to need them,” Healy said on the importance of supporters leading up to Christmas. “It’s an exciting league [and] you’ve seen today, with the results, anything can happen.

“We want to get through in the FA Cup next week. Portsmouth are again on a good run of form; they’ve had a great result today against Charlton, so they’re going to be tails high, and it’s going to be a tough game next week in the FA Cup.

“[That’s] followed by Palace here at home and they’ve beaten Birmingham today, so again, another team that’s in a good run of form and we’re going to have to be at our best.”

OPINION

OPINION