That’s it for tonight’s blog, but we’ll have a match report on the site shortly. Thanks for your company and emails, goodnight!
Full time: Arsenal 5-0 Man City
Peep peep! Arsenal go back to the top of the table after a thumping win over Manchester City. Kim Little scored twice, with Vivianne Miedema, Katie McCabe and Leah Williamson also on the scoresheet. City did not play particularly badly but lacked a cutting edge. Arsenal, by contrast, were terrifyingly ruthless.
GOAL! Arsenal 5-0 Man City (Williamson 90+4)
Leah Williamson completes the rout! It was an excellent header, steered into the bottom corner from Wubben-Moy’s flighted cross.
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90 min Four minutes of added time.
89 min Bunny Shaw almost gets a consolation for City, spanking a half-volley just over the bar.
85 min It’s a truple substitution for Arsenal: Lotte Wubben-Moy, Tobin Heath and Mana Iwabuchi replace Jen Beattie, Beth Mead and Lia Walti.
85 min Tobin Heath is about to come on for her Arsenal debut. “Thoughts are with the Manchester City defenders at this difficult time,” deadpans the Sky commentator Jacqui Oatley.
82 min This result leaves City in eighth, already six points behind Arsenal. In a short season (22 games), that’s a big problem.
80 min The scoreline is harsh on City, though the Arsenal coach Jonas Eidevall will be thrilled with the ruthlessness of his team.
GOAL! Arsenal 4-0 Man City (Little 78 pen)
Kim Little rams the penalty into the top corner!
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78 min A couple of substitutions before the penalty is taken: Jill Scott is on for Vicky Losada, and Vivianne Miedema is replaced by Caitlin Foord.
77 min: Penalty to Arsenal! Greenwood is penalised for a foul on Little. It looked a bit soft, but what can you do.
74 min At the other end, Beattie’s looping header is scrambled off the line!
73 min: White hits the bar! That was delightful play from City. Losada scooped a glorious pass over the defence to find White, who lobbed it over Zinsberger and onto the top of the bar.
72 min Miedema misses a good chance, blasting wide of the near post after a strong run from the halfway line.
70 min It looks like Hemp was taken off as a precaution - she is having an icepack wrapped round her left thigh.
69 min A double change for City: Jess Park and Bunny Shaw replace Janine Beckie and Lauren Hemp.
68 min One of the few plusses for City has been another thrilling performance from Hemp. She has the ability to become one of the best players in the world.
67 min Maritz is booked for flattening Hemp, who has given her a chasing all night.
65 min Parris almost scores with her first touch, stretching to head Little’s wicked cross over the bar.
65 min “Given that Chelsea and Man City were the two teams above them that Arsenal couldn’t beat last season, this looks like a pretty firm statement of intent,” says Charles Antaki. “Marvellous.”
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64 min A change for Arsenal: Nikita Parris replaces Katie McCabe.
62 min Beckie misses a great chance, nodding just wide from eight yards after a game of head tennis in the Arsenal area.
The goal came from a City corner. Walti raked a 60-yard pass to McCabe, who made an excellent run infield from the left. She got a lucky ricochet off Stanway but took full advantage, ramming the ball into the roof the net.
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GOAL! Arsenal 3-0 Man City (McCabe 60)
Arsenal pick City off on the break again!
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58 min Angeldahl’s long-range shot is pushed away by Zinsberger, diving to her left.
56 min Arsenal are destroying City on the break. Miedema has a good chance to put Mead through on goal but overhits her pass.
55 min A change for City: Filippa Angeldahl replaces Laura Coombs in midfield.
53 min Two excellent chances for Arsenal in the space of 20 seconds. First Maanum shoots wide from eight yards, then Little volleys past the far post after another mistake from Greenwood.
51 min Another loose backpass, this time by Alex Greenwood, almost gives Little a second goal. Taieb did well to slide in front of Little and boot the ball out of play.
48 min Lauren Hemp picks up where she left off in the first half. She charges past Maritz, this time on the outside, and curls a dangerous cross that is put behind for a corner by Zinsberger. Weir swings it deep towards Greenwood, whose downward header is scrambled away by the diving Zinsberger. That was a good save.
46 min Peep peep! City begin the second half.
I take it back, Taieb was at fault for Little’s goal.
Half-time reading
Half time: Arsenal 2-0 Manchester City
Peep peep! Arsenal are on course to go top of the table after a ruthless first-half performance. City had plenty of the ball but were punished for some imperfect defending by Vivianne Miedema and Kim Little
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45+3 min Stokes is booked for a tactical foul on Miedema.
45 min Three minutes of added time.
45 min Greenwood threads a nice through pass towards Hemp, who is just beaten to the ball by the diving Zinsberger.
42 min Hemp goes on another thrilling run from the left, beating Maritz and Williamson before her low cross is blocked at the near post by Zinsberger. The resulting corner bounces around dangerously. City keep the ball alive and Zinsberger saves instinctively from Greenwood after spilling a cross at her feet.
40 min Arsenal break from that City corner, with Little running straight through on goal from the halfway line. Stokes, who started a few yards behind Little, catches her up and makes a fine last-ditch tackle.
40 min Corner to City on the right. Weir’s inswinger is headed away with authority by Beattie.
38 min Williamson curls a pass over the defence towards Little. Taieb comes out of her area and humps the ball to safety.
35 min This is Arsenal’s best spell, which is an odd thing to say when they are 2-0 up. Their two goals came against the run of play, but they have dominated possession in the last few minutes.
32 min Walti’s snapshot is headed away, then Taieb plunges to her left to save Mead’s curling shot.
29 min Miedema takes a short corner, gets it back and slides a low shot that is kicked away at the near post by Taieb.
28 min Little’s cross from the right takes a deflection off Coombs and loops onto the top of the crossbar!
27 min Taieb did get a hand to Little’s shot, and there are some who think she should have done better. It was a cracking strike, though, which was always veering away from her.
26 min City are staring at a third straight defeat in all competitions, which doesn’t happen very often. Indeed the last time they lost consecutive WSL games was May 2018.
Walti fed a straight pass into Miedema, who stabbed it cleverly round the corner to Little. She wriggled away from Greenwood and Coombs, just inside the area, and blasted a rising drive past Taieb.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Man City (Little 23)
Two Arsenal attacks, two goals!
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21 min A quiet period. City are still dominating possession, though they could do with getting the ball to Hemp more often. She has the beating of Maritz.
17 min White is okay to continue.
16 min White stays down after a forceful challenge from behind by Williamson. The referee didn’t give a free-kick, but White is in a fair bit of pain.
15 min Weir plays it short to Hemp, whose cross is cleared.
14 min The goal aside, City’s under-strength team have started really well. Beckie wins a corner on the right, which Weir will take...
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12 min Losada flicks a shot with the outside of the boot that is blocked by Williamson.
The goal stemmed from a short backpass by Kennedy. Taieb charged out of her area to meet Mead, who rode the challenge and gave the ball to Miedema on the edge of the area. She turned smartly and rammed the ball into the net with her left foot. There were a couple of City players between her and the goal but Miedema beat them with ease. Kennedy holds up her hands in apology; it was a bad mistake.
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GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Man City (Miedema 10)
Vivianne Miedema gives Arsenal the lead!
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8 min Hemp charges past Maritz and stabs a good pass to Weir, whose cross deflects dangerously across the six-yard box before McCabe clears. City have started well, Hemp in particular.
7 min White, back to goal, tees up Weir for a long-range drive. She doesn’t connect properly and Zinsberger makes a comfortable save.
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6 min Hemp has her first run at Maritz and wins a corner for City. Losada takes and Mead heads clear.
5 min It’s been a slow start to the game, with lots of City possession in their own half.
3 min Stanway, filling in at right-back, is penalised for a high challenge on McCabe. Their duel could be all sorts of fun.
1 min Peep peep! Arsenal kick off from left to right.
Kim Little and Ellen White lead their teams onto the field. It’s a bright, blustery evening in Boreham Wood, with a decent crowd in attendance.
The teams in formation
Arsenal (4-3-3) Zinsberger; Maritz, Williamson, Beattie, Catley; Walti, Little, Maanum; Mead, Miedema, McCabe.
Substitutes: Williams, Wubben-Moy, Patten, Schnaderbeck, Nobbs, Heath, Parris, Iwabuchi, Foord.
Manchester City (4-3-3) Taieb; Stanway, Kennedy, Greenwood, Stokes; Coombs, Losada, Weir; Beckie, White, Hemp.
Substitutes: Keating, Park, Angeldahl, Shaw, Scott, Mace.
The teams
Arsenal are unchanged from the 4-0 win over Reading a fortnight ago, but their new signing Tobin Heath is on the bench. City make two changes, both enforced, from that defeat to Spurs. The injured pair of Esme Morgan and Steph Houghton are replaced by Caroline Weir and Demi Stokes. With City short in defence, Georgia Stanway will play at right-back.
Introducing our starting XI ✊
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) September 26, 2021
COME ON YOU GUNNERS! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/nuQ8MJ19sJ
Your City XI to take on the Gunners! 💪
— Man City Women (@ManCityWomen) September 26, 2021
XI | Taieb, Stanway, Kennedy, Greenwood, Stokes, Coombs, Losada, Weir, Beckie, Hemp, White (C)
SUBS | Keating, Park, Angeldahl, Shaw, Scott, Mace
🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/HkTzfLv0HJ pic.twitter.com/7ykQTjNb6d
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Arsenal v Manchester City from Meadow Park. This is a huge game, even this early in the season, between two of the three teams with a realistic chance of winning the title. Arsenal have already beaten the champions Chelsea, and a win tonight would give them a chance to control the title race from the off.
City lost that opportunity when they were surprisingly beaten at home by Spurs a fortnight ago, though they were almost comically unfortunate. They’ve had equally bad luck with injuries, and their makeshift defence have a job on against an Arsenal team who have scored 21 goals in six games this season. The tougher the challenge, the greater the reward. If City win they will be level on points with Chelsea and Arsenal, and all will be well with the world.
Kick off 6.45pm.
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