Match Report: London City Lionesses come unstuck by late free-kick in Lewes

Lewes came from behind to defeat London City Lionesses 2-1 at the Dripping Pan on Sunday [19 November].

Paige Satchell fired the Pride into an early lead, pinching possession in the penalty area and hitting a driven shot beyond the reach of Sophie Whitehouse.

However, the Rooks pulled level through Hollie Olding, before Anna Grey scored a stunning 79th minute free-kick to ensure victory for the hosts.

“I felt that we could have scored a second or third goal in the first-half but we complicated our lives instead because we could not manage the game,” explained head coach Carolina Morace.

“Between the first half and the second half, I asked the players to play a little bit closer and to focus on managing the ball better – we wanted to control the ball. Since the start of the season, it has been clear that we do not take enough of our chances to score. I feel that we panicked because we lost control of the ball.

“I am sorry that we couldn’t score again and be more secure because the problem we have is that if we don’t have a good result, like the performance at Blackburn, we go backwards. We need to work again on understanding what we are looking for.”

London City had a handful of chances to increase their lead before the break, with Danielle Carter, Lucy Fitzgerald, and Lois Joel closest to finding the back of the net.

After the interval, the hosts enjoyed the majority of possession and created the greater share of chances, with Sarah Brasero-Carreira rattling the crossbar just after the hour mark.

The Pride return to the Dripping Pan on Wednesday, visiting Lewes with a point to prove in the Continental Tyres League Cup.