Manchester City came from behind twice to beat Arsenal 4-2 in the Women’s Super League at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, 4 October, and now sit 10 points clear of the London side after five games. Lauren Hemp scored twice and Khadija Shaw added the fourth in a game that kicked off at 11.30pm Singapore time on Sunday.
It was City’s fifth league win in five. Arsenal have one.
Arsenal led twice and lost
The first half belonged to the goalkeepers for long spells. Anneke Borbe kept out Shaw after the Jamaican had gone past Leah Williamson and Lotte Wubben-Moy in the 25th minute, and Shaw’s header from a Carlotta Wamser cross was ruled out for a foul on the Arsenal keeper. At the other end Ayaka Yamashita got down to her right to stop Emily Fox’s low shot.
Arsenal broke through on the brink of half-time. Alessia Russo crossed, Wubben-Moy headed it back across goal and Yamashita could only push the ball onto Lisa Baum, who bundled it over the line for 1-0.
The lead lasted minutes. In added time City worked the ball left to Hemp inside the box, and her shot went in off Fox for 1-1. Mariona Caldentey went down injured in the aftermath and was replaced by Caitlin Foord before the break.
Shaw should have put City ahead four minutes after the restart. Aoba Fujino slipped her through, and Borbe came out and took the ball off her toes before she could shoot.
Arsenal punished the miss a minute later. Foord pressed Yui Hasegawa into giving the ball away, and Russo struck it high into the top right corner for 2-1.
Casparij and Hemp turned it
City’s equaliser came from outside the box. Beth Mead had just curled one over for City when the ball dropped to substitute Kerstin Casparij, who with her first touch bent it past Borbe for 2-2.
Arsenal coach Renée Slegers sent on Stina Blackstenius and Olivia Smith for Georgia Stanway and Baum. It was City who scored next. In the 72nd minute a cross from the right ran all the way through to Hemp at the back post, and she slotted it in for 3-2, City’s first lead of the afternoon.
Smith had a chance to level from a narrow angle soon after, but her shot was straight at Yamashita. Shaw then settled it in the 84th minute, played through by Aoba Fujino, for 4-2.
Hemp finished with two goals and an assist. “It’s important that we came back, and I think that shows the character of our team,” she told BBC Sport.
What the result means for the table
City have won all five league games under Andrée Jeglertz and are unbeaten in all competitions this season. They did it less than three days after a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Arsenal are 10th, 10 points off the top, with five of 26 league games played.
The league now breaks for international matches, including World Cup qualifiers. Arsenal return at home to Birmingham City on Saturday, 17 October, at 12.45pm UK time, which is 7.45pm in Singapore, before the first north London derby of the season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 24 October.
