Three Takeaways | Glasgow City 0-2 Rangers

An even first half shows that margins remain fine at the top. Her name is Rio and she's scoring all the goals. A third consecutive domestic blank in front of goal for City.

Rangers maintained top spot int the SWPL with a 2-0 victory over Glasgow City thanks to a double from English forward Rio Hardy, in a game that leaves the defending champions eleven points behind the current league leaders.

From Petershill Park, here’s three takeaways:

• An incredibly even opening period shows that margins remain fine at the top of the table.

• Her name is Rio, and she’s scoring all the goals.

• Eleven was the big number of the day, but it was a third successive 0 that will have City fans worried.

Rio Hardy would be the difference maker as Rangers defeated Glasgow City 2-0 to maintain top spot in the table (Credit: SWPL/Colin Poultney).

An incredibly even opening period shows that margins remain fine at the top of the table.

When the sides met earlier in the season, and with the growing pains of a new formation still showing their teeth, Rangers Head Coach Jo Potter reverted to a 4-4-2, matching up with City’s 4-1-4-1 on the day as the points were shared.

On Sunday it would be a battle of the 3-5-2’s. Rangers’ version is now well established in the SWPL and, having watched a bit of rammy away to Hearts in the opening weeks of the season, Potter’s side now seem settled with their new roles and responsibilities. Across the City Leanne Ross has started to deploy a similar shape, which, penalty aside, made for a compelling if not particularly exciting opening forty-five minutes at Petershill Park on Sunday.

However, it wasn’t just the similarities in formation that made for one of the most evenly contested halves of football I have ever seen in a life dedicated to watching the game but it was also the profiles of both personnel and on pitch match ups that meant until Rio Hardy’s opener from the spot neither Lee Gibson or Jenna Fife had found themselves with much to do.

On the flanks Rangers Hay and Arnot cancelled out City’s Davidson and Larkin and vice versa, although the Irish international showed flashes when she began to dart inside. Full backs slotted into back three’s on both sides and even in the middle Kozak v MacLean and Lauder v Rowe were contests that pitted the generations against one another.

After a face paced start the similarities led to a stuffy half of football one which neither side would dominate as the sense that a moment of magic or a mistake was going to be required to make the difference. In the end it would be neither.