Our Gunners pulled off a stunning comeback to beat Manchester City and keep our WSL title hopes alive.
City went ahead in the tie after only five minutes played, but an equaliser and a screamer from Katie McCabe turned our fortunes around in the second half.
What happened
Katie McCabe, last seen on crutches and a protective boot after the Champions League quarter-final in midweek, was a surprise on the starting line-up. Kim Little, however, was absent from the teamsheet following the injury she sustained against Bayern Munich and Leah Williamson took the armband in her place.
Goalkeeper Sabina D'Angelo earned back-to-back WSL starts after her showing in our 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
We conceded early from Khadija Shaw - her 15th goal in the WSL season. The league’s top scorer rose to meet Chloe Kelly’s cross and headed decisively into the top left corner past D’Angelo’s outstretched glove.
After a lethargic start, we began to fight our way back into the tie and our press started to bear fruit. A slide tackle from Leah Williamson to win the ball back deep in our own half led to Stina Blackstenius finding Caitlin Foord breaking down the left wing in an incredible switch of play. Our Aussie winger got a shot away under pressure but the angle proved too tight and Roebuck collected comfortably.
Blackstenius then had a 50-50 chance through on goal and Frida Maanum blazed over following a goalmouth scramble, but the final ball was missing in our attempts for an equaliser.
We were dealt another blow forced when Foord pulled up with an injury in the 35th minute and Eidevall was forced to make a first-half change. Foord was replaced by Laura Wienroither, causing McCabe to shift into the right-wing position.
Sabrina D'Angelo made a series of vital stops when City looked sure to double their advantage before the break but it remained 1-0 as the teams headed down the tunnel.
We came out for the second half with renewed energy, getting an early chance through a beautifully weighted cross from McCabe that Williamson nearly got a head to.
Our breakthrough came after the hour mark after some good work down the wing from Noelle Maritz. The ball fell to Blackstenius in the box and when her shot was scrambled away, Maanum was there to tap home.
With our team in the ascendancy, we capitalised on the pendulum swing in our favour with a moment of brilliance from Katie McCabe. As the ball was played short from a corner, our winger drove into the box and let an absolute screamer fly into the roof of the net.
The visitors never made their way back into the game after that and despite six long minutes of added time, we switched to a back five and held onto our nerve for the win. This victory is our fourth straight win in the WSL and puts us in a strong position heading into the international break.
What it means
We move into second place in the WSL table, three points and a game in hand behind Manchester United.
Our Gunners head into the international break full of positivity. Our next two WSL fixtures against United and Everton will be scheduled now that we have qualified for the Champions League semi-final.
Team news
Arsenal starting XI: D'Angelo (GK), Maritz (Beattie, 68), Wubben-Moy, Rafaelle, McCabe, Williamson (C), Walti, Maanum, Pelova (Kuhl, 68), Foord (Wienroither, 35), Blackstenius (Taylor, 68)
Subs not used: Zinsberger (GK), Marckese (GK), Reid, Gio
Man City starting XI: Roebuck (GK), Aleixandri (Casparij, 81), Greenwood, Houghton (C), Morgan, Angeldahl (Fowler, 88), Hasegawa, Coombs (Castellanos, 81), Kelly (Raso, 81), Hemp, Shaw
Subs not used: McIver (GK), Ouahabi, Dahou
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