Second half comeback helps London City Lionesses to defeat Reading | OneFootball

Newly-appointed London City Lionesses head coach Remi Allen has made an immediate impact with her side recording a 2-1 victory over Reading at The Select Car Leasing Stadium this afternoon.

Paige Satchell and Emma Mukandi got the goals as The Pride claimed their first Barclays Women’s Championship win since November.

The opening 30 minutes of the game saw possession bounce between the two teams as both searched for an opener. The visitors created more chances, one of which saw Lucy Fitzgerald aim to break the deadlock with a well-timed header from a long throw-in. Still, her effort lacked the power to trouble Emily Orman in the Reading goal, who dealt with it comfortably.

Just before the break, Reading captain Brooke Hendrix broke the deadlock with a header from a Lauren Wade free-kick to give the hosts a crucial lead.

Early in the second half, London City Lionesses came close to levelling matters through Nicole Douglas’ low shot. The Pride soon found their equaliser though through Satchell in the 54th minute. The forward drove a low, powerful strike past Orman.

Shortly after netting their opening goal of the afternoon, London City Lionesses took the lead. Satchell found Mukandi and the defender showed her quality, firing a 35-yard shot into the top corner of Orman’s net.

Reading had a chance to respond from a free-kick but Charlie Wellings was unsuccessful in front of goal, sending her powerful volley over the bar. A last-minute chance then fell to Caitlin Smith but she couldn’t get her attempt on target as the visitors claimed all three points.

This afternoon’s victory for London City Lionesses has resulted in them leapfrogging Reading into ninth place in the Barclays Women’s Championship table. Both sides still have work to do to retain their second tier status for 2024/2025.