The second game of the WSL 1 season was a fiercely competitive tie between Birmingham City and Manchester City as both teams looked to kick off their 2015 campaign with maximum points.
There were two major absentees, Karen Carney for the Blues, who is still recovering from a injury, and England and City captain Stephanie Houghton who started on the bench but was unused by Nick Cushing.
Both Birmingham and Manchester City went in to Sunday’s early kick off full of confidence after 3-1 FA Cup victories against Liverpool Ladies and Doncaster Rovers Belles respectively.
Birmingham made just one change to the side who beat the current WSL 1 champions, with Freda Ayisi making her first start in place of Kirsty Linnett.
However the former Arsenal player had a nightmare debut in the WSL when she got sent off seconds before the half time whistle after an altercation with City keeper Karen Bardsley.
Man City made three changes from their cup match bringing in Toni Duggan, Natasha Flint and Chelsea Nightingale, and it was the former that twice called home goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer into action in the Sky Blues’ search for a winner.
The best moment of the first half, however, fell to Birmingham’s Jo Potter who, after scoring an outstanding free-kick last weekend, tried her luck again from range but Bardsley did well to tip the shot over the bar.
Early in the second half City midfielder Keira Walsh was stretchered off the pitch and replaced by Kathleen Radtke, but with Birmingham down to ten players, the visitors applied ample amounts of pressure and looked likely to open the scoring.
In spite of this, Birmingham were hopeful of catching Cushing’s side on the counter and Emily Westwood went close for the Blues in the closing stages of the game.
Deep in to the seven minutes injury time added on, Chelsea Nightingale made a crucial interception to break up a promising Birmingham City move, which looked like it had the potential to steal all three points for the hosts at the death.
As it was, the game finished goalless with both sides still on track for a title challenge although City will be disappointed they couldn’t take advantage of their superior numbers in the second half.
Birmingham Ladies’ next game is a replay of their recent FA Cup fixture, as they travel away to two-time WSL 1 winners Liverpool.
City play newly-promoted Sunderland who beat the Reds in the opening fixture of the season.
