Naomi Layzell, the 20-year-old defender signed from Bristol City in the summer, put the hosts in front with a 36th-minute finish, the first goal of her career to date. Layzell then added an assist to her memorable evening as she set up Khadija Shaw to score the second with 13 minutes of normal time to go.
It was City’s first game in the competition proper since 2020-21, when they had beaten Barcelona 2-1 in a quarter-final second leg at the same venue but lost 4-2 on aggregate.
Barca went on to lift the trophy for the first time that season and have appeared in each of the three finals since, winning the last two.
Taylor had spoken before this meeting of his excitement at seeing his side test themselves against the team he had no doubt are the best in the women’s game, and will have been delighted at the performance that followed.
City might have had more goals, with Lauren Hemp sending a shot against the post early in the contest.
This story is from the October 10, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the October 10, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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