Manchester City secure comeback victory in five-goal thriller against St Polten

Mary Fowler headed Manchester City to Champions League victory at St Polten as they left it late to snatch the points in a five-goal Group D thriller.

City, who dispatched champions Barcelona in their opening fixture, led through Australia international defender Alanna Kennedy’s early piledriver at the Generali Arena in Vienna, but found themselves trailing after Melanie Brunnthaler levelled and Kamila Dubcova put the hosts ahead.

Japan international Aoba Fujino dragged Gareth Taylor’s side back into it with her first goal for the club, but it was Kennedy’s Matildas team-mate Fowler who secured the win with an 80th-minute header to maintain their 100 per cent start to the group stage.

Taylor handed 18-year-old full-back Codie Thomas a senior debut in one of six changes to the side which started Sunday’s 2-1 Women’s Super League victory at Liverpool, but there was no place in the squad for striker Vivianne Miedema as she continued to work her way back from injury.

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However if there were any fears a new-look side might not gel initially, they were dispelled within five minutes as the visitors took the lead in spectacular style.

After Thomas had surged forward into enemy territory, Chloe Kelly crossed for Fujino to set up the fast-arriving Kennedy, who blasted past goalkeeper Carina Schluter from the edge of the box.

Schluter did well to prevent further damage when skipper Jennifer Klein almost diverted Jessica Park’s cross into her own net, and then clawed away the England international’s 11th-minute shot, but opposite number Khiara Keating denied Dubcova after Alex Greenwood had blocked her initial attempt at the other end.

Mateja Zver almost caught Keating off her line with an audacious free-kick from just inside the City half with the Austrian champions responding to the early setback, although Laura Blindkilde Brown and Kennedy both went close to a second for the visitors as the half-hour mark came and went.

Blindkilde Brown forced a fine save from Schluter, who then parried a second attempt from the midfielder to Fujino, who hit the woodwork after dragging the ball back, and the goal frame came to St Polten’s rescue once again eight minutes before the break when Fowler’s shot was deflected on to the crossbar by Brunnthaler.

However, the Austrian striker was in the right place at the right time at the other end to stab home a 40th-minute equaliser after City had failed to deal with a corner.

Kelly passed up an early second-half opportunity to restore City’s lead when she stabbed wide from a Fujino cross and Schluter tipped a Fowler effort over, and the Austrian side took the lead when Dubcova dispatched a 53rd-minute volley after Melike Pekel had helped on Maria Mikolajova’s cross.

The WSL leaders had been behind for just four minutes when Fujino swept home Kelly’s cross but they had to wait until 10 minutes from time to restore their advantage, Fowler heading substitute Lauren Hemp’s corner home to snatch victory.