Gilly Flaherty, becoming West Ham’s first player to make 100 appearances, made a handful of essential tackles in the box, Lucy Parker kept Lauren Hemp quiet and striker Adriana Leon piled the pressure on City’s backline off the ball. She came closest to an equaliser in the first half from a Yui Hasegawa cross, one of many contributions from the Japan international who was a menace in midfield.
Another West Ham header seconds after the break should have been their equaliser, when unmarked substitute Claudia Walker sent the ball way over the bar with her first touch of the match. Not long after, her breakaway goal was ruled out for offside.
In the end, City doubled their lead after the hour-mark thanks to Shaw’s goal from a corner, and the match was thereafter out of West Ham’s reach.
Match details
West Ham (5-3-2): Arnold; Longhurst (Wyne 83), Cissoko, Flaherty, Fisk, Evans (Snerle 76); Parker, Brynjarsdottir, Hasegawa; Yallop (Walker 46), Leon
Subs: Stringer, Filis, Leat, Joel, Garrad, Houssein
Manchester City (4-3-3): Roebuck; Bronze, Kennedy, Greenwood, Stokes; Walsh, Stanway (Coombs 59), Weir (Angeldal 83); Raso (Kelly 59), Shaw (White 76), Hemp
Subs: Park, Mace, Keating, Blakstad
Referee: Lucy May
Attendance: 1475
