City edged out in seven-goal WSL thriller | OneFootball

Manchester City were beaten 4-3 by Arsenal at the Joie Stadium in an enthralling Barclays Women’s Super League encounter.

The Gunners took the lead inside 60 seconds through Mariona Caldentey, with Lotte Wubben-Moy heading home a second before the 10-minute mark.

Goals from Mary Fowler and Vivianne Miedema set up an exciting second half in front of just under 5,000 fans at the Joie Stadium, before Arsenal regained the lead through Maanum.

Fowler made it 3-3 from the spot to make it three second half goals in ten minutes before Stina Blackstenius tapped the visitors ahead again with 12 to play.

And Arsenal held on in a game that could've gone either way to move above City in the WSL ahead of the two teams meeting in a League Cup semi-final on Thursday.

What happened

Just a single point separated the sides ahead of kick-off, but it was the visitors who drew first blood when Caldentey dispossessed Laia Aleixandri and curled home.

It was a shock to the system for the Blues and, despite signs of life with a Jill Roord effort flying just wide of the near post, the visitors added a second in the eighth minute through Wubben-Moy’s powerful header from a Kyra Cooney-Cross free-kick.

Arsenal had lost just once under Renee Slegers ahead of kick-off and were putting City under pressure, with Rebecca Knaak making a vital late challenge to thwart Stina Blackstenius soon after.

But the Blues weren’t down and out, with Leila Ouahabi flashing a first-time effort just wide of the mark after great work down the left flank with Fowler.

And City would halve the deficit soon after as our two wingers combined, as the lively Fujino’s inviting cross to the far post which was met, and duly dispatched, by Fowler.

Fujino continued to trouble the Arsenal defence when her looping ball from a short corner hit the top of the Gunners’ crossbar, before Yui Hasegawa forced an excellent diving save from Daphne Van Domselaar after trying her luck from distance.

Miedema dragged an effort just wide on the turn after Roord had caught Cooney-Cross on the ball soon after as City finished the half the stronger of the two teams, with Fujino testing Van Domselaar when cutting in on her left in stoppage time.

An enthralling clash continued to deliver, with two further goals in the space of six second half minutes.

First, City drew level when Miedema stole back possession deep in the Arsenal half before confidently firing home on her left foot.

The Blues’ hard work was undone almost immediately, with Maanum racing in on goal and firing past Khiara Keating, but parity was restored once again in what was quickly becoming a WSL classic.

Fujino and Fowler, two of City’s standout performers, were at the centre of it again with the former brought down in the area and the latter smashing home what was our 500th WSL goal from the spot.

At the other end, Blackstenius looked destined to make it 4-3 to the visitors when she raced in on goal, but another excellent Knaak block stopped the Swede in her tracks.

There was nothing our centre half could do to prevent the Arsenal forward from getting on the scoresheet with 12 to play though, as she met Beth Mead’s cutback on the counter attack to tap home from close-range.

City continued to battle for the equaliser, but it was a case of too little, too late for the Blues.

However, Thursday's League Cup semi-final provides Gareth Taylor's side with a chance to strike back almost immediately.

What it means

City drop to fourth in the WSL table, two points behind Arsenal, who move up to second ahead of Manchester United's trip to Tottenham.

How we lined up

Gareth Taylor made one change from the side who beat Aston Villa in our most recent encounter, with Khiara Keating returning to the side in place of Ayaka Yamashita.

It meant the goalkeeper was shielded by a back four of Kerstin Casparij, Laia Aleixandri, Rebecca Knaak and Leila Ouahabi, with Yui Hasegawa sat in front at the base of the midfield.

Jill Roord and Jess Park started in the engine room alongside the Japan international, with Aoba Fujino and Mary Fowler on the flanks.

Vivianne Miedema continued to lead the line for City as centre-forward.

City XI: Keating, Casparij, Aleixandri (C), Knaak, Ouahabi, Hasegawa, Roord, Park (Kerolin Nicoli 66’), Fujino, Fowler, Miedema (Shaw 66’)

Substitutes: Yamashita, Layzell, Blindkilde Brown, Prior, Oyama, Murphy, Davies

Arsenal XI: Van Domselaar, Fox, Wubben-Moy, Williamson, Catley, Caldentey, Mead, Maanum, Russo, Blackstenius (Kafaji 88'), Cooney-Cross (Walti 69’)

Substitutes: Zinsberger, Williams, Codina, Nighswonger, Ilestedt, Peacock, Reid

Up next

City face Arsenal once again in our next outing, with the two sides locking horns in the League Cup semi-finals.

The Blues travel down to Boreham Wood’s Meadow Park on Thursday 6 February with kick-off set for 19:00 (UK).