Mary Fowler goes back to wearing an easy-to-miss addition to her gameday uniform that has left fans mystified

Mary Fowler left football fans puzzled after wearing black gloves in Manchester City’s impressive 2-0 win over Chelsea in their quarter-final, first leg UEFA Champions League clash.

Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema grabbed a second half brace to stun the Blues, in what was their first defeat this season.

Fowler – gloves and all – was replaced in the 64th minute, with the Citizens now in the box seat to advance to the semi-finals.

The Matildas x-factor previously stated the ‘silly reason’ she donned black gloves during the 2023 Women’s World Cup on home soil.

‘I honestly just wear gloves because I get really fidgety,’ she told Socceroos great Mark Schwarzer.

‘Usually I train with a ring on, but if it’s cold, I wear gloves, and I can’t wear a ring in a match, so I usually wear gloves.’

Mary Fowler left football fans puzzled after wearing black gloves (pictured) in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Chelsea in their quarter-final, first leg UEFA Champions League clash

The Matildas x-factor previously revealed the ‘silly reason’ she occasionally wears black gloves on the pitch is due to constant fidgeting

Mary Fowler recently caught up with her NRL superstar boyfriend Nathan Cleary when he was the US ahead of Penrith’s season opener in Las Vegas

Fellow Aussie athletes – tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt and Aussie cricket superstar Steve Smith – are renowned for their constant fidgeting.

It comes after Fowler recently caught up with her boyfriend – NRL superstar Nathan Cleary – in the US.

The halfback was in Las Vegas ahead of Penrith’s 2025 season opener, with Fowler also in America with the Matildas taking part in the SheBelieves tournament. 

Meanwhile, Sam Kerr’s return date is still unknown, with the striker and Matildas record goal-scorer not among the Chelsea substitutes in Manchester.

Kerr ruptured her ACL at a training camp in Morocco in January of 2024 – and hasn’t played a competitive match since. 

Post match, Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor admitted her team has a mountain to climb following the defeat.

‘I feel a lot of frustration,’ she told reporters. ‘[But] I take responsibility for the performance and the result. 

‘My job now is to make sure we have a positive mindset going into our next few games.

‘We have only lost one game [this] season….it’s a big one, an important one, but it happens.’

The UEFA Champions League quarter-final, second leg is at Stanford Bridge on March 28 from 7am AEDT.