Brilliant Shaw hat trick helps City crush Spurs

LONDON, England (CMC):

Jamaica international Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw buried a magnificent first-half hat trick as Manchester City crushed Tottenham 7-0 in the Women’s Super League.

The 26-year-old struck three times in the space of 15 minutes to put City 3-0 up at half-time at Manchester City Joie Stadium on Sunday, before Laura Coombs (59th, 90+) scored twice and Lauren Hemp (48th) and Jill Roord (53rd) added strikes of their own.

With the hat trick, Shaw took her tally for the season to a joint league-leading six goals, alongside Chelsea’s Lauren James and Tottenham’s Martha Thomas.

“Yeah, I’m pleased for Bunny,” said manager Gareth Taylor.

“Apart from the goals, her performance was good as well. [She] held it up well and put them under pressure at the top end and getting an assist as well.

“She’s a big player for us and that will have given her a lot of confidence tonight.”

Shaw’s opening goal came in the 23rd minute, the tall striker racing into the box and outleaping the Spurs defence to head Leila Ouahabi’s cross powerfully past Reggae Girlz goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer.

City’s 2022-23 player-of-the-season, Shaw doubled the hosts’ lead in the 32nd, this time producing a clinical stooping header to convert Roord’s low cross.

And Shaw capped off a scintillating first-half display by netting her third in the 38th, full back Laia Aleixandri putting a ball into the box where she found space between defenders to pivot and finish from 17 yards.

Hemp curled in a fourth from the end of the box after a rebound fell to her, and Roord added a fifth when she headed in Hemp’s looping cross from the goal line.

There was no let-up from City, however, and Coombs came off the bench in the 55th minute to net her brace, helping to send City third on 16 points and six points off leaders Chelsea.