Layzell and Shaw stun holders to land statement win for City

Manchester City fired out a strong signal of their potential to go deep into the Women's Champions League this season as they stunned the holders Barcelona with a world-class performance to win their opening group-stage game.

- Tom Garry

On a night when the technical standard of both teams' football was a joy to watch, a goal in each half from Naomi Layzell and Khadija Shaw gave the English side a memorable victory that will go down in the club's history as one of their greatest to date.

After three consecutive seasons of either failing to progress through the qualifying rounds or failing to earn a European place altogether, this was Manchester City's first appearance in the group stages of this competition since the format was tweaked to introduce groups in 2021. The captain Alex Greenwood said on Tuesday that her team belonged here. This performance certainly suggested that statement had merit.

After such a long wait to return to European women's football's top club competition, the task of facing the team that won the title in both of the past two seasons and reached five of the past six European finals had looked a daunting one. Yet Manchester City, rather than looking fazed, came out with a point to prove. The hosts set the tone inside the opening minute, pressing the Barcelona defence so intensely from kick-off that they were forced into conceding a throw-in immediately.