Double brace from City's Kerolin and Knaak secured a 5-2 win on the final day.

Rebecca Knaak | photo taken from @mancitywomen on instagram

Goals from Jill Roord and a brace from Kerolin Nicoli and Rebecca Knaak saw Manchester City win 5-2 on the final day against the already relegated Crystal Palace. 

Crystal Palace opened the scoring just four minutes in, after Mille Gejl crossed the ball from the left side into the feet of Ashleigh Weerden and her shot fired into the back of the net.

Manchester City looked to find an equaliser after chances from Lauren Hemp and Kerstin Casparij but it was Kerolin Nicoli that found the chance with 17 minutes on the clock. Kerolin’s goal came from just inside the 18 yard box with the brazilian curling it into the right side of the goal, smoothing past Shae Yanez in the Crystal Palace net.

After the equaliser, efforts continued to come for Manchester City as they became the dominant side from Alex Greenwood, Kerolin Nicoli, Kerstin Casparij and Lauren Hemp but Shae Yanez in the net for Palace kept them in it.

Crystal Palace went back into the lead with five minutes to go until half time, as Mille Gejl took a strike herself just inside the 18 yard box and the shot was fired past Khiara Keating into the back of the net.

Half-time: Manchester City 1-2 Crystal Palace 

Chances from both sides came in the first 15 minutes of the second half with Manchester City having the majority of the shots. Efforts from Jill Roord, Kerolin Nicoli, Lauren Hemp and Aoba Fujino saw wide of the post and the palace keeper did well to keep her side in it. 

With 64 minutes on the clock, Manchester City found the equaliser through Dutch midfielder Jill Roord. It all started with Lauren Hemp on the left side crossing the ball into Kerolin Nicoli with her effort scrambled in the box. It eventually found Roord and her chance found the back of the net from close range.

Just 3 minutes after the restart, Manchester City found the lead for the first time in the afternoon from German defender Rebecca Knaak. Lauren Hemp was over the corner and her cross found the head of Rebecca Knaak with her shot finding the back of the net. 

Chances continued to come for City after their lead from Rebecca Knaak after efforts from Aoba Fujino, Laura Blindkilde Brown, Alex Greenwood and Jill Roord saw them fail to find a two goal cushion.

With 3 minutes left of the 90, Kerolin Nicoli found the 2 goal cushion after she went on her own, finding the back of the net around 8 yards out giving City a 4-2 scoreline.

In added time, Rebecca Knaak secured the win for Manchester City after a repeat of her first goal. Initially it was an effort from Aoba Fujino which saw a save from Shae Yanez bringing it out for a corner. The corner came swinging in from Fujino and Rebecca Knaak found the end of the cross and headed the ball into the bottom corner.  

Full-time: Manchester City 5-2 Crystal Palace 

Teams: 

Manchester City: Keating, Casparij, Prior, Knaak, Greenwood ©. Hasegawa, Aleixandri, Coombs (Roord 46’), Park (Fujino 46’), Hemp (Blindkilde Brown 68’), Kerolin Nicoli.

Unused Subs: Annets, Layzell, Weinroither, Oyama, Thomas, Murphy. 

Scorers: Kerolin Nicoli (17’, 86’), Knaak (67’, 90+4’), Roord (64’)

Crystal Palace: Yanez, Sharpe, Weerden (Cato 90+3’), Nolan, Oling (Gibbons 79’), Potter, Gejl, Woodham, Larkin (Larisey 79’), Stengel (Arthur 90+3’), Swaby. 

Unused Subs: Majasaari, Hughes, Atkinson. 

Scorers: Weerden (4’), Gejl (40’)