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• Taylor pleased with Man City's physical test during Hammarby win

  Manchester City head coach Gareth Taylor was pleased with how his team stood up to the physical challenge of Hammarby in their 2-0 Champions League victory on Tuesday.

  Laura Blindkilde Brown and Aoba Fujino were on target in the second half at the Joie Stadium, moving them three points clear at the top of Group D. 

  City's win extended their unbeaten start to the season, having won every game in all competitions following a 2-2 draw against Arsenal on opening day.

  The hosts dominated for large parts of the encounter, ending with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.75 from their 16 shots, while also accumulating 73.6% possession. 

  But Taylor was happy with his side's display and explained the physical test against the Swedish champions was something his players will benefit from moving forward. 

  “Difficult game for us, physical challenge, a physical team in Hammarby. I think they outnumber us a little bit in terms of size, considering when you look at our midfield. But I thought the girls handled it really well," Taylor said after the game

  “I thought we dominated the game. In the early parts we were just a little bit off in our final action. We just needed to speed up a little bit in terms of being on the end of it, and we spoke about that at half-time, and we score with Laura getting into that type of position we’d been talking about.

  “[The physicality was something] we were prepared for, but dealing with it is a different thing. Having Bunny [Khadija Shaw] and Alanna [Kennedy] on the pitch, two of our more physical players, is really important, particularly for set-plays.

  “At 1-0 we were defending a couple of scenarios like that, Yama [Ayaka Yamashita] making a really good save at one point. Then Aoba [Fujino] got the goal that maybe allowed us to change things up a little bit more, get some people off that we’d like to manage.

  “I think the girls have dealt with it really well tonight. We expected it, we thought it would be difficult, and they rose to the challenge.”

  Taylor had made changes to City's starting XI, with Lauren Hemp among the trio to drop out from the weekend and she did not feature in the squad.

  Ahead of their weekend game against Chelsea, who are second in the Women's Super League, Taylor explained the reasoning behind Hemp's absence.

  “We’ve just got an issue with Lauren that we just need to analyse a little bit further, that’s all," he said.

  “It’s something that potentially happened in the Palace game [on 3 November]. She was able to play in the Tottenham game [last Friday] but wasn’t able to tonight, so we’ll just take a little bit longer to assess and find out more.

  “Hopefully [she can play against Chelsea]. There’s an opportunity there, we’ll just have to take a moment tomorrow, have a good conversation and find out where we’re at with the medical staff.”

• Slegers praises entire team after dominant Arsenal win at Juventus

  Arsenal interim head coach Renee Slegers wanted to spread the credit across the team following their 4-0 win away to Juventus in the Champions League on Tuesday.

  Following other results during the evening, Arsenal are currently second in the group and have opened a three-point gap to third place.

  "We have four different goalscorers and the players up top are performing really well, but I don't want to take out the goalkeeper, our back four and our two sixes as well," Slegers told official club media.

  "We sometimes forget to highlight because the players up top are scoring the goals, but I think the goalkeepers and the back four - they have been doing really well now over time. I think the spaces Wally and Kim covered today in midfield - they've been brilliant. 

  "So I think the whole team today deserves credit, including the game-changers coming on tonight."

  The result maintained Slegers' unbeaten start since taking over from Jonas Eidevall and was her fourth win in five matches in all competitions.

  But she highlighted that the Italian side offered a different challenge to what the Gunners have previously been used to. As a result, they changed their approach.

  "They play a different kind of football, which we haven't really faced yet this season," said Slegers.

  "Coming here for an away game, the travelling and then this type of football, which is very intense from a psychological and physical perspective, I'm very proud of the girls and their performance. And obviously, very happy with the result.

  "The players are always proud to represent the club, so they're happy to be in the group stage and play these European games. But then adding the fans, I could see them from here. We had a beautiful view.

  "I could see them, I could hear them and I'm sure the players also heard them during the games. I think it's massive. I think it's so impressive how much they support us and I think it gives us a couple of extra percentages in the games, I really do."

   

• Manchester City and Bayern Munich maintain 100% records with comfortable wins

  Manchester City maintained their perfect start to their Women's Champions League campaign with a 2-0 victory at home to Hammarby.

  The Citizens sit top of Group D with nine points from their opening three games, with their latest result following up wins over St. Polten and 2023-24 champions, Barcelona. 

  Gareth Taylor's side also extended their unbeaten start to the campaign in all competition, winning every game since drawing with Arsenal on the opening day of the Women's Super League season. 

  Both teams went in at half-time level following a first half in which quality was at a premium, following a couple of half-chances for the home side.

  The hosts went ahead just two minutes into the second half after a finish from Laura Blinkilde Brown, after Aoba Fujino had struck the woodwork earlier.

  Khadija Shaw and Fujino both went close to doubling the lead, with the former having a goal disallowed in the 67th minute for offside after being picked out by Mary Fowler. 

  Fujino sealed a comfortable victory for City, netting their second on 79 minutes to seal a win in the first meeting between the two sides in the competition. 

  And City were worthy winners in the contest. They ended with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.75 from their 16 shots, though only three of their efforts were on target. 

  Elsewhere, Bayern Munich were also comfortable winners with a 3-0 home victory over Valerenga in a game the visitors never looked like taking anything from.

  Bayern went a goal up in 10 minutes, with former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder heading home from inside the box for her fifth strike in three games in the competition. 

  Just seven minutes later, they were firmly in control of the match as Giulia Gwinn doubled their lead with a penalty after Elise Thorsnes had fouled Weronika Zawistowska. 

  The German side dominated the game, with more possession (76% to 24%), more shots (15 to 7) and a higher xG (1.95 to 0.47) than their opponents. 

  Bayern were able to add a third that their performance merited in second-half stoppage time, with Sarah Zadrazil sending a stunning volley beyond Tove Enblom. 

  The result leaves them top of their group with three victories from three matches, three points above second-placed Arsenal.

  Valerenga are bottom of Group C and are still waiting for their first point of the competition.