Ella Toone scored a hat-trick on her return to WSL action as Manchester United Women punished Manchester City Women's sloppy mistakes with a 4-2 win in a pulsating Manchester derby.
Toone missed games in November and December with a calf injury and continued his return to form with a remarkable hat-trick at the Etihad Stadium.
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Ella Toone previously favored Manchester United over Man City
Man Utd were sharper from the start and Toone made it count with their 14th minute opener. Elisabeth Terland miscued her shot but the England midfielder pounced to head home. Leah Galton (21) then doubled the lead soon after, turning home from close range as Man City failed to clear a corner.
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Manchester City failed to clear a corner and Leah Galton headed home from two yards
Gareth Taylor's side continued to fight back, with a poorly placed pass from the back – just seconds after another saw Terland almost score – allowing Toone to score her second (36). She latched on to a loose pass before slotting home past England team-mate Khiara Keating.
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Ella Toone scored her second goal of the game after some sloppy play from Manchester City
But it looked like the recovery was at the end of the first half as Man City struck twice to make it 3-2. Vivianne Miedema (40) – herself returning to the league from injury – nodded home Mary Fowler's cross, before Rebecca Knaak (45+3) scored her first WSL goal since joining the club a few weeks ago.
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Vivianne Miedema nodded Mary Fowler over Phallon Tullis-Joyce
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Rebecca Knaak beat both Manchester United players to the ball and headed into the far corner
However, 10 seconds after the restart, another forgettable moment for Keating allowed Toone to complete his hat-trick. The keeper hung on to the ball too long from the spot-kick, with the deflection falling into Toone's path. She won the race against Keating and slotted into the open net.
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Ella Toone completed her Manchester derby hat-trick straight from the kick-off in the second half
For all their mistakes at one end, Man City mustered the shots and chances in a dominant second half. However, some inspired moments from Phallon Tullis-Joyce prevented them from making a real comeback.
It's Manchester's first away win in a Manchester derby, and it sends them above Manchester City into third place in the WSL table. Taylor's side – who have now lost back-to-back games in the WSL – drop to fourth place, two points off a Champions League spot.