Matildas centurion Alanna Kennedy was surprised to be handed a late stand-in role for Manchester City but made the best of her opportunity to then star in their crucial 3-1 derby triumph over Manchester United in the Women's Super League.
The Australian international, who had only seen nine minutes of action for City in 2024 after recovering from an Achilles problem, was on the bench again on Saturday only to be given a call-up to the starting XI after an injury in the warm-up to her Spanish teammate Laia Aleixandri.
The 29-year-old Kennedy, starting her first match for City since November, then marshalled their defence expertly while also assisting on one of their goals in a victory that puts them three points clear at the top of the WSL.
