Greenwood makes Chelsea claim as England star admits "I'm not afraid anymore"
If Alex Greenwood believes in her chances, it’s as good a sign as any to listen. And perhaps that's what the rest of the Women's Super League might need to start doing.
The England and Manchester City star knows what it takes to win, and following City’s 1-0 victory over Arsenal in the Women’s FA Cup on Sunday, she believes her side have what it takes not only to claim the FA Cup title off reigning champions Chelsea but to strip them of their league title as well.
“If you turn up thinking you've already lost the game, you probably have. It's a mindset situation for us now," Greenwood told BBC Sport. "We're so strong mentally and go into every game thinking we can win. Why not? We are in a great position in the league and are three points off [leaders Chelsea].
"We look strong from set pieces, we look strong from defending set-pieces and the group is just really confident. We’re a different outfit now.
"We want to win the league. In the past, we've said 'We'll see how it goes, we'll see what happens'. I'm not afraid to say it any more - I want to win the league and I want to go there next week and beat Chelsea.”
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As far as warnings and augurs go, Greenwood has delivered in textbook style, not least in splendid timing. City have two chances to carry out Greenwood's desires, with a Women’s Super League clash scheduled for this Friday between the league’s first and second-placed sides and a semi-final clash in the League Cup following shortly after. If both teams carry on with their current form, a third clash in the FA Cup isn't a far-off possibility.
The proximity of Friday's clash makes it the obvious starting point, not least because of its likely billing as a title decider between the league's first- and second-placed sides revelling in remarkable double-digit unbeaten runs in all competitions (Chelsea are 11 unbeaten, with City on 10).
Just three points separate the sides in the league, which presents an affair riddled with intrigue and jeopardy but also a unique shot at redemption for City. In a league match earlier in the season, City wholly dominated and dictated proceedings before everything devolved into a bizarre series of events as Greenwood was sent off for alleged time-wasting before her teammate Lauren Hemp eventually followed in the second half for dissent.
Referee Emily Heaslip shows a red card to Alex Greenwood of Manchester City (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)Ten-woman City initially did well to fend off Chelsea’s salvos but how impenetrable a nine-woman team can be against reigning champions is a matter of time. And with six minutes of injury time gone, Chelsea eventually bundled an equaliser over the line, keeping their unbeaten run intact.
It was a sucker punch of a result for City, who have not been quiet about their mission of upending the WSL’s status quo. When asked about what success looked like at the start of the season Taylor said: “It means winning the WSL this season. We need to win the league. We’ve looked at it and we feel we can achieve it.”
Without a piece of silverware to tout since claiming the League Cup title in 2022 and having never won the WSL in his City tenure, the pressure on Taylor to buck Chelsea out of their rhythm in Emma Hayes’ final season at the club will only have increased with his comments.
But City’s result against Arsenal will stir belief in City going into Friday. Victory when not at one’s best is the sign of a title challenger. Couple that with the inspired performance of goalkeeper Khiara Keating, and Greenwood’s belief suddenly feels rooted in something tangible.
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