Less than four days after being seen in a protective boot and on crutches, Katie McCabe put in a Player of the Match performance and struck a faultless strike to sink Manchester City at Meadow Park
McCabe was forced off in our Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich after a heavy collision, but it wasn't enough to keep our Irish winger down.
"Obviously, I'm happy the scan came back clear!" said McCabe after the game. "And then the fantastic medical team did a quick turnaround. I think I've been icing my foot for the last four days so it was worth it in the end!"
Her performance, versatile and full of conviction as always, helped galvanise our Gunners in the second half, after going behind to City in the fifth minute. Yet it was her 74th-minute goal, beautifully struck through traffic in the area, that defined the game with a moment of magic.
"It's unbelievable. Not just for me personally: it's obviously nice to score but I'm proud of how the team reacted, especially in the second half. We didn't start the game the way we wanted to, so then to come out and show that character and the resilience throughout the whole second half to turn the game around to collect the three points was unbelievable."
This afternoon's turnaround was reminiscent of our recent comebacks against Chelsea in the Conti Cup and Bayern Munich in the Champions League and to McCabe, it says a lot about our squad's mentality.
"For me, I think we take everything in stride. We've got an unbelievable squad to do that and we're always focused on the next game and taking each game as it comes. I think the character was what it was about today. Going one-nil down, not playing very well but turning it around and yeah, I'm super proud of the girls and I'm happy we can take the three points."
Beating Manchester City, who came into this game in fearsome form and without a league loss since September 2022, could prove to be monumental in the final stretch of the WSL season. While McCabe and the team continue to take each game as it comes, the belief that we can win trophies is powerful fuel.
"Look, we're Arsenal. We always have that belief to compete and win trophies. We won the Conti Cup final so we've got a taste of it now and we want more. When you represent a club like Arsenal, you're always going to be competing for the top trophies and I think we've shown that in our performances recently.
"Especially making the semi-final in the Champions League and collecting another three points in a very tight title race. That's what we're all about and we take them in stride."
Click play on the video above for the full interview with Katie McCabe.
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