Albion cruise into last eight of League Cup

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Albion 6, Bristol City 2: Five different goalscorers as Albion ease past Championship opponents.

Bruce Talbot

2024-12-11T20:50+00:00

Bruna Vilamala celebrates with Bex Rayner and Marisa Olislagers after putting Albion in front. 📷 by Kyle Hemsley.

Albion are through to the quarter-finals of the League Cup after easing past Championship side Bristol City in an entertaining tie at the Broadfield Stadium.

First-half goals from Bruna Vilamala, Rachel McLauchlan and Pauline Bremer had Albion in control although the visitors had equalised through Tianna Teisar shortly after Vilamala’s early opener.

Agyemang got Albion’s fourth just after the break and substitute Nikita Parris became their fifth different goalscorer with 21 minutes to go after Jasmine Bull got City's second. Parris made it 6-2 with five minutes to go.

Bex Rayner made her first start as Albion made four changes from Sunday’s WSL defeat to Chelsea with Melina Loeck, Vilamala and Agyemang also coming into the team.

Bex Rayner made an impressive first start for Albion. 📷 by Kyle Hemsley.

Albion were ahead after seven minutes. City tried to play out, Emily Syme’s pass was intercepted by Vilamala who swept a first-time shot past Jackie Burns.

Three minutes later the visitors drew level, and this time it was Albion who defended poorly. They had several opportunities to clear their lines but didn’t and Teisar threaded the loose ball from ten yards into the far corner.

Albion regrouped and continued to enjoy lots of possession. They worked a good opening for Vilamala on 22 minutes and the Spaniard’s right-foot shot from outside the box was only inches wide of the right-hand post.

Michelle Agyemang made it 4-1 with this shot just after the break. 📷 by Kyle Hemsley.

A second Albion goal came after another fine move six minutes later. Vilamala took Marisa Olislagers’ pass in her path and squared to McLauchlan on the edge of the box and the Scot drove a low shot into the bottom corner. Moments later Burns was scrambling to her right to push out Pauline Bremer’s 25-yarder. The German then hit the side netting after more good work by Olislagers.

Bremer wasn’t to be denied though, and when Vicky Losada found her on the edge of the box she cut onto her left foot and found the top corner with a superb strike.

Pauline Bremer gets Albion's third goal with a powerful shot. 📷 by Kyle Hemsley.

It was 4-1 three minutes into the second half. Guro Bergsvand picked out Vilamala with a pass from inside Albion’s half. She squared it to Agyemang who had time to turn and fire right-footed into the bottom corner.

But City weren’t finished and when substitute Mari Ward shrugged off McLauchlan and Jorelyn Carabali down the left and crossed to the far post substitute Jasmine Bull was in loads of space and found the far corner for 4-2.

Nikita Parris and Jelena Cancovic came on after an hour and Vilamala was denied her second midway through the second half when her shot from just inside the box beat Burns but came back off the crossbar.

Rachel McLauchlan makes it 2-1. 📷 by Kyle Hemsley.

With Leicester in control of the other group game against Birmingham City, Albion needed the security of another goal and it came on 69 minutes. There were seven City players in their box but Parris still found space to control Vilamala’s pass before beating Burns from ten yards.

With the game won Vidosic was able to bring on youngsters Evie Milner, Olivia Johnson and May Balmer in the closing stages and Parris put the seal on an impressive night's work when she got her second in the 85th minute with a shot across Burns into the bottom right corner.

Albion: Loeck, McLauchlan (Milner 77), Bergsvand, Carabali, Pattinson, Losada (Balmer 85), Rayner, Olislagers (Cancovic 60), Vilamala, Bremer (Parris 60), Agyemang (Johnson 77).