Australian winger Hayley Raso clinched the winning goal on Sunday for Manchester City ’s fourth back-to-back win, only six minutes after replacing teammate Chloe Kelly. Until then, City were being held to a 1-1 draw by newly promoted Liverpool after Katie Stengel cancelled out Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw’s goal in the first half.
While possessing great goal-scoring ability, Raso also gets involved with the attacks securing just as many assists. Against Blackburn Rovers, in the Continental cup, she netted one early on but was also involved with three other goals. A cheeky flick of the ball over the defender's head by Raso gave Mary Fowler her second goal of the game, she then went on to assist both of Julie Blakstad’s goals in the closing minutes of the game to seal the 6-0 win.
Now she must be wondering what else she has to do to find herself in the starting XI for Manchester City. Since her arrival in 2021, Raso has started in eight games out of 29 for her club and scored six and a goal tally of nine in 50 games for her country, respectively.
Speaking after the Liverpool game on Sunday, Raso said: "As a player I am competitive and I want to start games. I am contributing as much as possible and hopefully, that start will come soon.
"It was important for me to play my part. If I am on the bench I need to contribute in some way.
"I was hoping to make an impact and I just want to do my job whether that is scoring, assisting or defending from the front."
It is Raso’s second season in sky blue, with her first taste of WSL action coming at Everton in the 2020-21 season where she scored five goals in 24 games. Before travelling to England, she returned to Brisbane Roar for the third time, in 2019 after a three-year stint at Portland Thorns in the NWSL.
In 2013 Raso played for Brisbane Roar and left for American soil only to return to Brisbane on loan for the 2017-18 season. She played in 47 games for the Australian side, netting 16 goals in total as a wide midfield player.
For her English side, Raso replaced Chloe Kelly in a like-for-like against Liverpool in keeping with Gareth Taylor’s preferred attacking style up top, with his WSL starting top three of Lauren Hemp, Bunny Shaw and Kelly out on the right.
Kelly who also came to City from Everton back in 2020 has scored 14 goals in 44 games but is yet to find the net for her club this season. She has been involved with 21 attempts on goal - the most of the three-player attacking line-up in only five games. She had a fantastic summer with the England Lionesses scoring the winning goal at the Wembley final. Since then, she has beamed with confidence, her footwork around the box is evermore dangerous, mirroring Hemp’s attacking style on the left-hand side.
The two wide attackers often swap sides mid-play, so Raso could start over either Kelly or Hemp, but after a triumphant summer with the Lionesses, Hemp has also levelled up from last season. She currently has two goals and two assists in five games, but her runs and attacking play, through balls and shots on target are too on point to ignore.
Starting over Shaw is the third option, as both Kelly and Hemp are comfortable in the number nine role too so a player position shuffle is a potential choice for Taylor. However, the Jamaican is also in top form; she remains the top scorer in the WSL with six goals and is effective when recovering possession deep in her own half to then initiate an attack.
Shaw has grown into the starting role, following Ellen White's retirement in the summer, where her goal-scoring capabilities are predicted to break records this season, so why would Taylor interrupt her momentum?
Regardless of others’ performances, Raso’s hard work has not gone unnoticed as Taylor dedicated ‘special praise’ for Raso during the post-match team talk against Liverpool which she believes put her in contention for her first start of the season.
It leaves Taylor facing the sort of conundrum many managers like to have, and Raso wondering what more she can to do to overtake one of her teammates in the pecking order.
