Mary Fowler's Triumphant Return After Nine-Month Injury Layoff
To the cheers of her adoring fans and with beaming smiles all around, Mary Fowler has finally made her long-awaited return to competitive football. The Australian international came off the bench for Manchester City in their spectacular 5-1 victory over reigning champions Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, marking a day of huge celebration for the club and their supporters.
Emotional Comeback After ACL Nightmare
Fowler's return comes after nine-and-a-half gruelling months on the sidelines, following an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered during last season's Women's FA Cup semi-final. The 22-year-old striker entered the fray in the 75th minute, replacing Vivianne Miedema, with City already coasting at 5-1 against the ailing champions.
The home crowd rose as one to celebrate Fowler's return, creating an electric atmosphere at what proved to be a landmark day for Manchester City. Both Miedema and Khadija Shaw – who had each scored earlier in the game – embraced the young Australian on the touchline as they made way, highlighting the squad's unity and support for their returning teammate.
Changing of the Guard in Women's Super League
City's comprehensive victory felt like a significant changing-of-the-guard moment in English women's football. The result handed Chelsea one of their worst ever WSL defeats and positioned City as serious title contenders, now sitting 11 points clear of neighbours Manchester United and 12 clear of the champions.
Star of the day proved to be City's Brazilian international Kerolin, who netted a superb hat-trick by the 54th minute. Her second goal was particularly spectacular, involving a near-length-of-the-pitch run, bursting away from midfielder Keira Walsh before expertly chipping England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.
Long-Distance Support from Partner Nathan Cleary
Back in Australia, Fowler's partner Nathan Cleary watched intently as the Matildas striker made her emotional return to the pitch. The Penrith Panthers superstar, who had been pictured watching Alex Volkanovski defend his featherweight belt at UFC 325 in Sydney earlier that day, stayed up into the early hours to cheer Fowler on from his couch.
Cleary paid tribute to his partner on Instagram, sharing a video of Fowler stepping back onto the pitch with the caption: "She's back!!!" adding a heart-eyes emoji. The couple, who began dating during the 2023 Women's World Cup, have maintained their long-distance relationship despite living on opposite sides of the planet.
Rehabilitation and Relationship Challenges
Fowler has been sidelined for almost a year with the ACL injury, requiring surgery and extensive rehabilitation. Speaking about her recovery process, Cleary told NewsWire: "With such a long rehab, you don't want to rush it when it gets to the end. She's done her due diligence and she's not far off, so I'm excited for her."
The couple managed to spend quality time together in October when Cleary jetted over to the UK for the Kangaroos Rugby League Ashes tour against England. "I was based in Manchester because that's where Mary is," Cleary explained. "She was training at the time and I didn't want to leave too often. It was really nice to spend an extended period of time with Mary."
Asian Cup Boost for Australia
The timing of Fowler's return provides a significant boost for Australia's Women's Asian Cup hopes, with the home tournament beginning on March 1 with a fixture against Philippines in Perth. Both of Australia's key attacking threats – Fowler and captain Sam Kerr – should now be available for selection, though Kerr proved largely ineffective for Chelsea in Sunday's match after being introduced early in the second half with her side already 3-0 down.
Elsewhere in the WSL
In other WSL action, Lisa Naalsund scored a second-half double as Manchester United beat Liverpool 3-1, while Clare Hunt's Tottenham moved to within one point of the top three after coming from behind to beat Katrina Gorry's struggling West Ham 2-1.
Brighton suffered a 2-1 home defeat to London City Lionesses on an emotional day at the club. They were overseen again by assistant manager Chris Roberts in the absence of their Australian boss Dario Vidosic, whose father Rado – a coach with the Seagulls – had died earlier in the week at age 64.
Fowler's return represents not just a personal triumph over adversity but signals Manchester City's serious intentions in this season's Women's Super League title race. As she shakes off the inevitable rustiness from her lengthy absence, her presence adds significant firepower to a City side that appears determined to end Chelsea's six-year dominance of English women's football.
