Sunderland Ladies 0-1 Man City Women

Nikita Parris is on a season-long loan at Manchester City from WSL 2 side Everton

Nikita Parris scored the only goal of the game as Manchester City beat Sunderland to claim their first win of the Women's Super League season.

Parris headed in from a corner on 17 minutes while Sarah Wiltshire and Toni Duggan went close to adding a second.

Alex Brooks, in for suspended keeper Karen Bardsley, denied Beth Mead, Brooke Chaplen and Sarah McFadden.

City's Natasha Harding hit the woodwork late on and Rachel Lawes tipped the follow-up effort onto the bar.

Defeat for newly promoted Sunderland, in their first first top-flight match at Hetton Park, came a week after beating defending champions Liverpool on their WSL 1 debut.

Parris's first-half effort for the visitors was the on-loan Everton striker's first Women's Super League goal for City. She also netted a brace on her debut in the fifth round of the FA Cup last month.

Sunderland: Laws; Holmes, Bannon, Sharp, V Williams; Furness, Chaplen, McFadden; Ramshaw, Mead, S Williams (Kelly 46).

Substitutes not used: Black, Greenwell, Gutteridge, McDougall, Wilson, Bass.

Bookings: Furness (45), Bannon (66), V Williams (68).

Manchester City: Brooks; McManus (Lipman 82), Nightingale, Radtke, Stokes; Christiansen, Scott, Beattie; Parris, Duggan (Johnston 71), Wiltshire (Harding 67).

Substitutes not used: Seasman.

Attendance: 1, 433.

Referee: Lucy May.