YEOVIL Town Ladies gave FA Women’s Super League giants Manchester City a major scare before succumbing 2-1 to the Cityzens at the Academy Stadium.

The Glovers blasted off from the kick-off with a terrific goal as Liv Fergusson found space inside the area to hand bottom side Yeovil a shock lead inside 25 seconds.

However, an initially stunned City gradually grew back into the game and equalised courtesy of Nikita Parris’ penalty on 30 minutes.

Parris was involved again after the break when her cross was met with a fine header by Lauren Hemp, who powered the ball past the outstanding Megan Walsh on 65 minutes as Yeovil slipped to an agonising eighth 2-1 defeat of the season.

Yeovil began in the best possible fashion when Megan Alexander’s surging run on the left produced a cross that the City defence failed to deal with.

Rachel McLauchlan was able to control and pass coolly to Fergusson who swivelled and shot in one motion to plunder a shot through the grasp of diving keeper Ellie Roebuck.

Yeovil had Walsh to thank in the sixth minute as the visiting goalkeeper denied Parris after an incisive ball from Pauline Bremer.

City maintained their push and were rewarded when Hemp was upended in the box, allowing Parris to fire past Walsh from 12 yards.

Walsh appeared in a typically astonishing vein of form and another mesmerising save, clawing out Hemp’s seemingly goalbound effort inches from the line, kept the scores level at half-time.

Yeovil began on the backfoot in the second half as Bremer tested Walsh before City’s Keira Walsh blazed over.

But the Glovers’ stopper saw her resistance broken with 25 minutes left as Hemp nodded home from Parris’ delivery to complete the turnaround.

Hemp was denied once more by Walsh in the closing stages as a spirited Yeovil kept themselves in it, only to see City close the game out with relative ease.

Speaking post-match, Yeovil boss Lee Burch said: “I’m very pleased with the team’s performance.

“We had to dig deep to compete against a very strong side. We can hold our heads high and look forward to the remaining two games.”

Relegated Yeovil remain bottom ahead of hosting champions Chelsea next Tuesday (7.45pm).

Yeovil: Walsh, Buxton (Heatherson 56), Short, Mason, Alexander, McLauchlan, Evans, Horwood, Donovan (Fischer 69), Syme (Taylor 84), Fergusson. Subs not used: Goddard, Cousins, Howard, Bloomfield

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