Report: Bristol City 3-7 Brighton and Hove Albion.

City were beaten 7-3 by Brighton & Hove Albion at Ashton Gate.

Goals from Megan Connolly, Brooke Aspin and Amalie Thestrup weren’t enough as The Seagulls took all three points back to East Sussex thanks to a Elisabeth Terland brace, and strikes from Pauline Bremer, Tatiana Pinto, Madison Haley, Vicky Losada and Katie Robinson.

Lauren Smith made three changes to the side which was beaten by Leicester City last time out, with Liv Clark, Emily Syme and Lisa Evans replacing Shae Yanez, the suspended Jamie-Lee Napier and Naomi Layzell who picked up an injury while on international duty.

City started the game brightly, with Ffion Morgan latching on to a couple loose balls and crossing into good areas on a few occasions.

Terland had an effort from range saved comfortably by Clark as the game began to open up.

Veatriki Sarri squandered a golden opportunity to give The Seagulls the lead, but fired just wide of Clark’s goal from the edge of the six-yard box.

The visitors did take the lead when Terland tucked home from close range after Bremer’s corner was flicked into her path.

Carrie Jones then saw her curling effort saved by Sophie Baggaley as City went searching for an instant response.

Brighton’s lead was doubled when Bremer poked home at the second attempt after her initial shot hit the post.

Jones combined well with Ella Powell on the left before beating two players and winning her side a corner. Connolly’s resulting corner was into a dangerous area but no one in red was able to get on the end of it.

Evans capitalised on a loose pass and found herself one-on-one with Baggaley, but she dragged her shot narrowly wide as City began to create some good chances.

The Scot was then involved again, this time getting to the byline and cutting back for Jones, but her goalbound effort was well blocked.

City came flying out of the blocks in the second half and got their reward when Connolly whipped a lovely free-kick into the top corner against her former side to halve the deficit just over a minute after the restart.

Terland restored the visitors two-goal advantage when she fired past Clark after a scramble in the area.

Clark made a fantastic save to deny Terland a hat-trick when the Welsh shot-stopper turned her effort behind for a corner.

The visitors did get their fourth from the resulting set piece however, as Pinto headed home.

Aspin reduced the deficit when she headed Morgan’s corner home, leaving Baggaley no chance in the opposing net.

Minutes later, City pulled another one back with just over a quarter of an hour to play when Morgan beat her marker with a burst of pace, before teeing up Thestrup to fire home her ninth of the season, 3-4.

With City in search of an equaliser, the Seagulls got their fifth when substitute Haley bundled home from close range.

Robinson went down under the challenge of Connolly and won the visitors a penalty as we entered ten additional minutes. Losada tucked home from the spot.

Robinson got Brighton’s seventh of the afternoon deep into stoppage time, rounding Clark and finishing into the empty net after being found in space by Guemmin Lee.

TEAM: Clark, Aspin, Connolly ©, Struck, Powell (Slocombe 90’), Syme (Bull 63’), Rodgers (Ward 90’), Morgan, Jones, Evans (Hayles 63’), Thestrup (Kendall 90’). Substitutes: Yanez (GK), Bentley (GK), Pearce

ATT: 3,468

Words by Kory Cook