Suzanne Wrack's match report
Thanks for reading. Suzanne Wrack will be filing later on a momentous day in the WSL.
Gareth Taylor, the Manchester City manager, speaks.
It’s all about the win. I think we can play better. The wind was blowing much harder than people watching at home will realise. An amazing goal from Hempo and a great ball from Kelly. I just heard now [about Chelsea and United results], it just seems a crazy Sunday. We have to control the controllables and make sure we roll on to the next game.
Chloe Kelly, who set up both City goals, speaks.
We knew we had to stick together. We believe in out ability and we got the job done. I have been working on my crosses. I am enjoying playing for this team. It’s really starting to gell. We don’t want to get too far ahead. We will work hard on ourselves.
The City players were delighted to learn the other scorelines in the WSL.
An amazing run and something we are so proud of.
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) February 7, 2021
We will come back stronger. 💙 #CFCW pic.twitter.com/jzrgPGMjTH
Here’s that winning goal, a cracker from Lauren Heap, great work from Chloe Kelly too.
What a header by Lauren Hemp! 😍@Chloe_Kelly98 puts in a pinpoint cross and that's a HUGE goal in the #BarclaysFAWSL title race! 👀 pic.twitter.com/jaG1iJBRz4
— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) February 7, 2021
Manchester City, on 30 points, are within two points of Chelsea and Manchester United, and have played one fewer game than United. Arsenal, in fourth, are now seven points behind City.
Full-time: Arsenal 1-2 Manchester City
City are back in the title race after today’s results, and they owe that to two excellent goals from Ellen White and Lauren Heap. Arsenal were lacking in quality for too much of the game, though did score an excellent equaliser.
90+4 min: Lucy Bronze falls to the floor, her knee seems to be the problem. The collective gasps abate when she soon gets back up to take a throw-in.
Updated
90+3 min: Arsenal’s buildup is not exactly rapid and City are holding them at arm’s length. There must be one more chance to come though.
90+1 min: Four minutes added on. Ellen White vacates the field as Janine Beckie comes on in her stead.
90 min: Miedema is onside and past the City defence but the ball just won’t drop.
89 min: City looking to sit back. Steph Houghton is marshalling her defence as it creeps deeper and deeper.
87 min: Kelly off for Lavelle, and her first action is take part in some defensive work in clearing the ball as Miedema - at last - gets some space, but cannot get a shot in.
86 min: Roebuck almost caught out when the ball is played to Van de Donk but it’s cleared, albeit nervily. The ball did seem to get caught in the wind.
84 min: Roebuck’s kick from Stanway’s backpass is none too convincing. But it goes back to Stanway and City restore some calm.
82 min: City continue to push on and Arsenal cannot get out.
80 min: We are told there has never been an WSL draw between these two. And the decisive moment looks likely to be that excellent goal. Great wing play, great finishing.
Goal! Arsenal 1-2 Manchester City (Hemp, 79)
Great cross from Chloe Kelly and a fine diving header from Lauren Hemp. It had been coming, and City have the lead.
Updated
77 min: McCabe is down again. And surely that’s her game over. On comes Maritz for a first match since October.
75 min: Caroline Weir’s free-kick drifts past everyone and Zinsberger does well to keep her eye on the ball and kick the ball away from the line, Pat Jennings-style.
74 min: Kelly’s cross is headed away. Then she forges on, White has a shot blocked. Kelly is knocked over by Walti. A free-kick is won, a soft one, too.
73 min: Arsenal win some breathing time when City concede a free-kick. They’ll need it too.
71 min: Another scramble. Stanway filches the ball, and then White hits the woodwork and Williamson clears. City piling it on.
70 min: Chelsea were beaten by Brighton. Their first defeat in 34 matches.
69 min: City engaging in something of a push. This game has ebbed and flowed. They have a corner at the moment. Greenwood takes it, and there is a frightful scramble. Bronze has a shot kicked off the line and there are another couple of hacks clear. Then Bronze claims to have been fouled in the area but seemed to have left something on McCabe. Bronze is booked.
67 min: McCabe leaves the field. Her problem appears to be muscular rather than a knock. She does return, as she is made of stern stuff.
66 min: McCabe is down again. One too many whacks from Stanway?
65 min: White swings and misses from a Hemp cross. But Arsenal concede a corner.
64 min: A City attack at last. But Lucy Bronze, who has been pretty quiet, lets herself down with a pass that runs out of play. The conditions continue to be testing but that was very out of of character.
63 min: Arsenal continue to push. Chelsea still losing to Brighton. It’s all happening in the WSL.
61 min: McCabe and Stanway clash again, and McCabe goes down. No yellow card as yet.
58 min: This could be a vital last 30 minutes or so in this WSL season. Arsenal look the likelier team at the moment to pull off a win.
Goal! Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City (Foord, 57)
Suddenly, there’s an Arsenal break. Roord plays in Foord, who has the time and space to beat Roebuck. Game on.
Updated
55 min: City have a free-kick, conceded by Mead. Three balls appear on the field at once before Greenwood’s kick gets lost in the wind. It ends up an easy claim for Zinsberger.
53 min: More shocks in the WSL: Brighton are leading at Chelsea, and that follows Reading beating Manchester United. Well well.
52 min: Arsenal still yet to give Miedema a chance at goal. This time it’s Foord who fails to find her.
51 min: Joe Montemurro is clad in a very thick woolly hat. His flyaway hair is poking out. He has no quiff to break the wind.
50 min: Stanway clatters into McCabe and the Arsenal player goes down in some pain. She will be OK to continue.
49 min: Jill Roord attempts some skill but her fellow Arsenal attackers seem a bit sluggish in their response.
47 min: Steph Houghton misjudges the wind when whacking the ball out wide to Kelly and playing it straight out of play.
46 min: And back away they go. The wind has not dropped at all but the snow has.
The players head back to the pitch, a warm cup of Bovril to the good. City manager Gareth Taylor’s quiff is blown all the way back. Shades of late-1980s Morrissey, just before all the trouble started.
Updated
Half-time: Arsenal 0-1 Manchester City
It’s a game that has perhaps reflected the rotten conditions but one moment of class from Ellen White divides the team. Arsenal have knocked on the door but none too convincingly.
45 min: City close out the half with some territory. And a corner. Greenwood swings it in, and it’s headed over. That’s the last action of the half.
43 min: Arsenal press up against City and win the ball back. They have still to create a great chance yet though. Steph Houghton and co look quite comfortable in City’s defence.
Updated
41 min: Stanway and White link but Kelly’s shot on Arsenal’s goal is not great.
40 min: Did I say the wind was on City’s side? Roebuck’s goal kick gets caught in a gust of wind and can barely reach the halfway line.
38 min: Ellen White’s attempt is neither cross nor shot but she’s been highly dangerous to Arsenal all afternoon.
37 min: City are building up a a head of steam. They have the wind behind them too...Arsenal get the ball in the net through Roord after Miedema’s pass but she is offside.
Updated
36 min: City go close, as Kelly whips in a cross. Hemp just fails to get there.
34 min: White finds space, and then combines with Hemp and Greenwood before Arsenal can clear their lines. It is very windy out there. It’s howling a gale.
32 min: Miedema has a shot blocked and then McCabe, from distance, cannot beat Roebuck. The quality of Arsenal’s chances is not high but they are stacking up.
31 min: City look to be using the counterattack as a weapon. After all, it brought them their winner.
29 min: Arsenal are knocking on the door, but the final pass has so far been lacking.
27 min: Beth Mead shoots from rather too far out. Miedema wanted a pass inside and her facial expression reveals her disappointment.
25 min: What a goal that was. White saw the germ of a chance and took in real style.
Updated
Goal! Arsenal 0-1 Manchester City (White, 24)
It comes from distance, a half-volley which is lashed beyond Zinsberger, rattling satisfyingly off the woodwork as it flies in.
Updated
23 min: Roebuck in the City goal inadvertently sets up an Arsenal attack when her pass to Greenwood falls short. The final pass to Miedema is not incisive enough to set up a chance.
22 min: Those patterns of play seemed to have descended into something of a mess in midfield. Stanway tries to find White but overhits the ball.
19 min: McCabe steps up to whack away the ball when Kelly briefly looked to be a threat on the right-hand side of the Arsenal defence.
17 min: Arsenal stepping it up a little here. As Joe Montemurro said, the game has ebbed and flowed. Two well-matched teams.
16 min: The pace is not relentless, but there is a heavy wind up there in Boreham Wood.
14 min: Glimpse of goal for Arsenal and Roord is played in by Miedema. Steph Houghton puts herself in the way.
12 min: Arsenal gain a bit of territory. They’ve not been at their best so far but then again they’ve not been at their best for much of this season.
10 min: Zinsberger comes out to sweep up some danger and claws the ball into her grasp as White again lurks with intent. City the more likely here, and Hemp escapes down the left and lays it across where White might have been, but wasn’t.
8 min: Katie McCabe is down with an injury but soon gets back up. It’s probably too cold to stay still.
6 min: Almost a serious error from the Arsenal goalkeeper Zinsberger, but Ellen White couldn’t quite get to it.
4 min: Manchester United’s loss to Reading is confirmed and opens up some light for both these teams. The Champions League only goes to three teams, and there are four contenders. It’s still 1-1 between Chelsea and Brighton.
2 min: Lauren Hemp runs the ball out of play just when City had the glimmer of an opening.
1 min: Off they go after taking the knee. The stands at Boreham Wood don’t offer much in the way of cover from the elements. The ground looks soft, heavy in places.
Those teams again.
Arsenal XI: Zinsberger, Evans, Williamson (capt), Wubben-Moy, McCabe, Walti, Roord, Van de Donk, Foord, Miedema, Mead.
Subs: Stenson, Williams, Maritz, Gut, Maier, Patten.
Man City XI: Roebuck, Greenwood, Dahlkemper, Houghton (capt), Bronze, Walsh, Weir, Stanway, Hemp, Kelly, White.
Subs: Bardsley, Taieb, Coombs, Mannion, Park, Lavelle, Beckie, Davies, Morgan.
The players take to the field on what looks a cold day in Hertfordshire.
The Arsenal manager Joe Montemurro speaks.
Historically, it’s always been ebbs and flows. It’s going to be a switching of moments and I looks forward to an exciting game. The Super League is synonymous for these head to head games. That’s what makes this league so unique. You cannot get to this point unless you win all the other games but it is an important game.
It’s Chelsea 1-1 Brighton, as Sam Kerr’s goal has been cancelled out by Fern Whelan. All happening in the WSL.
A shock scoreline in the WSL today. Reading are winning 2-0 at Manchester United with 15 minutes to play. Chelsea have just kicked off against Brighton and look to have a chance to take a firmer hold at the top of the table.
Should be quite a battle.
They both love an assist. 🎁@bmeado9 🆚 @Chloe_Kelly98 @ArsenalWFC 🆚 @ManCityWomen
— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) February 7, 2021
This one is going to be good 😍 pic.twitter.com/cbbWqvaiAS
A lovely first goal from the Japanese player.
Some quotes from the City manager Gareth Taylor from the official club website.
They are a good team. They have got good players. It is always going to be a really highly competitive game. We have shown some decent form. We are scoring goals and they always have the ability to score goals. We have just overtaken them in goals scored. They had a purple patch early in the season of high-scoring games. They are dangerous. We need to be ready for it. We just have to win the game. Staying in the game early on is important. This team has showed real resilience and managing the game in the early parts will be important.
Here are the teams
📋 Today's team news...
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) February 7, 2021
🏴 @LeahCWilliamson starts
🇳🇱 @DanielleDonk in midfield
🇦🇺 @CaitlinFoord on the wing @BarclaysFAWSL 🏆 pic.twitter.com/B4j3XCFd5f
This afternoon's City line-up... 💙
— Man City Women (@ManCityWomen) February 7, 2021
XI | Roebuck, Greenwood, Dahlkemper, Houghton (C), Bronze, Walsh, Weir, Stanway, Hemp, Kelly, White.
SUBS | Bardsley, Taieb, Coombs, Mannion, Park, Lavelle, Beckie, Davies, Morgan.
⚽@HaysWorldwide
🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/HkTzfLdpj9 pic.twitter.com/isdDZhRoEj
Preamble
With Chelsea playing Brighton and Manchester United facing Reading, the team losing this match is likely to lose ground on the leaders. And Arsenal are the team with a lot more to lose, as they are four points behind City in third. They haven’t played a WSL match since since 17 January and that was a 1-1 draw with Reading. And memories of their last meeting with City may be fresh. Caroline Weir’s 90th minute goal separated the teams, and continued a trend which is Arsenal’s problem in picking up points against their rivals. And City are on form, having scored 18 goals in their last three WSL matches.
