Manchester City's dreams of becoming WSL title holders may suffer a huge blow after star-striker Khadija Shaw is set to miss the remaining fixtures of the season, due to a broken foot.
Manchester City claimed a comfortable 5-0 win over West Ham on Sunday, with Shaw adding two more goals to her never ending tally, finishing the first half with her 50th WSL goal after only 57 WSL games. A cross from Hemp found Shaw on the receiving end of the ball in the penalty area, who was able to send the ball soaring into the top of the net. This goal saw Shaw become the eleventh woman in history to achieve 50 WSL goals, and she did it in the second-fewest number of games, after Arsenal's Vivianne Miedema, who was the first to score 50 goals in an astonishing 50 games.
However, Shaw's success suffered a dampener after she was subbed off during half-time. She was later seen on the bench donning a protective boot and a pair of crutches, with an injury we now know to be a broken foot.
Gareth Taylor was questioned about Shaw's substitution and state of injury in the post-match conference, and he stated:
"We decided not to take the risk, it was touch and go as to whether she was going to come back on the pitch. We'll get a bit more of an assessment tomorrow. She's on crutches, which looks bad, but most of the players end up being offloaded in that situation. We'll just have to assess it. If it's more serious than we anticipate, then we'll deal with it."
However, the Daily Mail have since reported that Shaw's season is set to be cut short. Manchester City will feel the absence of Shaw in their final few games, as they battle it out against Chelsea in the hopes of claiming the title. Currently, Manchester City sit top of the table with 49 points, and Chelsea trail behind in second place with 46 points. However, Chelsea have a game in hand.
City not only need to win all three remaining games to remain at the top, but they also need to ensure they have a large goal difference - one thing Bunny Shaw was excellent at doing. In just her third season at the club, the Jamaican International has scored an outstanding 69 goals in 81 matches, setting a new club record.
With just three games remaining against Bristol City, Arsenal and Aston Villa, City's options of replacement for Shaw are looking sparse. Mary Fowler is a potential candidate, however her goal statistics are yet to match those of Shaw.
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