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Here’s the winning goal …
Stina Blackstenius with a big goal! 🤩@ArsenalWFC #BarclaysWSL @SBlackstenius pic.twitter.com/Lx2Nhc6sVg
— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) November 5, 2023
City were the better team overall throughout but they were not clinical in front of goal. Arsenal are now level on points with City.
Keating is in tears after her mistake cost her side a point at least. Her teammates run to comfort the 19-year-old.
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Full time! Arsenal 2-1 Man City
A lucky victory for the Gunners.
90+17 mins: Keating gathers a shot from Maanum and whacks the ball down the pitch but it comes straight back at City.
90+16 mins: It does not look like City will get an equaliser here. Although Arsenal try to help with some indecision in defence but Zinsberger clears in the end.
90+14 mins: City need to speed things up here. It is all a touch slow.
90+12 mins: Fowler cuts in from the left and pings a shot at goal which Zinsberger does well to tip over.
90+10 mins: We could have another 10 minutes or so by my reckoning.
McCabe is booked for late foul.
Keating comes out to collect a long ball and does so successfully.
90+8 mins: We will restart with the kick-off after the goal more than 10 minutes ago.
90+6 mins: The referee is speaking to someone from security at the stadium as information is relayed.
90+4 mins: The referee speaks to both captains about what is going on. I do not think we will be getting a restart soon after all. The players are giving some balls to keep warm with.
90+3 mins: The delay is giving Keating plenty of time to think about her error. She does not seem to have recovered. We are closing on a restart.
90+2 mins: We will have 10 minutes added on but the game is still stopped.
90+1 mins: Castellanos is on too, with Kelly off.
90 mins: There is a medical emergency in the crowd and we have a delay.
89 mins: Late changes … Beattie and Maritz, on for Catley and Foord. Park is on for City in place of Hemp.
87 mins: McCabe pings a long ball over the top and Keating comes rushing out but misjudges the bounce. The ball flicks off her head – and her arm, I think – allowing Blackstenius to rush onto it and knock into a very empty. Keating looks absolutely gutted.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Man City (Blackstenius, 87)
A horrific error from Keating allows Blackstenius to knock into an empty net.
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86 mins: Another poor Zinsberger clearance goes straight to Kelly, who is around 25 yards out and aims to stick the ball into the net but sends her effort high and wide.
84 mins: Kelly has a quiet word with referee Welch about the penalty appeal. Kelly irks the referee by clearing away her disappearing foam before taking a free-kick. It’s all very pantomime.
82 mins: Hemp chips a ball to the back post for Shaw but she finds herself on the deck after a classic push in the back from Catley. The referee does not see it as an infringement but it should be a penalty.
Arsenal still have the option to bring on Miedema …
80 mins: Foord gets into the box but Casparij nicks it off her feet with the perfect tackle.
78 mins: Arsenal are looking a touch pedestrian here. There is little pressing or movement off the ball to get things going.
Hemp gets down the left but falls over the ball and then grabs it with her hand to give away a free-kick.
76 mins: City have been the far better side since the break. They look the more likely to win this.
75 mins: Blackstenius comes on for Russo who has been incredibly quiet.
74 mins: Keating comes through a crowd to claim a Maanum cross but leaves her captain Aleixandri on the deck. Good goalkeeping.
72 mins: Hemp smart run into the box earns her space to cross. The original shot is blocked but Shaw receives a pass and lays the ball into the path of Kelly who fires home via a slight deflection.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Man City (Kelly, 72)
City are level!
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70 mins: Plenty of possession in the middle of the park but not much happening in either box. City on top at the moment.
67 mins: Zinsberger has caught every cross that is sent into the box. Kelly’s chips one and the goalkeeper, under pressure from Shaw, claims the ball. City need to be better with their delivery.
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64 mins: Mead starts a counter but few players are quick enough to keep up with her, which slows things down. They do eventually make it into the City box but Maanum’s cross is collected by Keating.
62 mins: City have done some defensive rejigging with those subs. Blakstad, traditionally a midfielder is at left-back.
61 mins: And some City changes: Morgan and Ouahabi off, Blackstad and Casparij on.
60 mins: Hemp chips a cross for Shaw to attack, she gets a head on it but watches her effort hit the post.
Arsenal changes: Mead and Maanum on, Lacasse and Pelova off.
58 mins: Foord gets down the left and pulls the ball back to Little but she cannot get a shot away and City retrieve and eventually clear.
The second half has been pretty even. It’s a good game.
57 mins: Kelly sends a dangerous cross along the six-yard line. It is just ahead of Shaw and then Hemp completely miscues at the back post as City fail to make the most of the chance.
55 mins: She seems to be unable to move her shoulder, which makes one wonder if it is dislocated. She makes it back onto the pitch but is not moving well at all.
54 mins: It looks like Shaw has hurt her shoulder. The medics are on and doing a few tests. It would be a loss if she had to go off.
53 mins: Arsenal counter on City but Foord’s cross into the box is pretty wayward and the defence clear.
Shaw is taken down from behind by Foord, who adds herself to the list of players cautioned. It is a cynical challenge to stop a counter and it leaves Shaw in some pain.
51 mins: Shaw beats the offside trap and drives into the box but she is at difficult angle and can only fire into the sidenetting.
She gets another chance soon after but once again cannot find the target, this time from the edge of the box.
Arsenal have realised they just need to whack goal-kicks as far down the pitch as possible. A sensible policy.
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49 mins: Not much quality in the early stages of the second half.
47 mins: Roord dissects the Arsenal defence, Kelly latches onto the pass but takes it a little too wide and drags her shot past the far post.
Second half
Here we go again!
Half time! Arsenal 1-0 Man City
After a promising start for City, they have struggled to get into the match since Arsenal scored. It was a fine goal from Catley but Arsenal will think they should be two up after Little failed from the spot.
45+2 mins: Little drives down the right flank, avoiding a couple of challenges before pinging a cross into the box but it takes a deflection and Keating gobbles it up.
45 mins: Hemp pops up on the right and swings in a cross for Shaw to attack but she is on her heels and cannot reach it with an outstretched leg.
Four minutes added on.
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43 mins: An Arsenal corner is sent into the box and flicked towards the back post. There is a plenty of panic but, after a delay, City manage to whack it clear.
40 mins: BBC kindly clear up that Lacasse was booked earlier. So we have … Lacasse, Pelova and Walti booked for Arsenal with Keating, Ouahabi and Hemp for City.
38 mins: Roord shoots from the edge of the box and Zinsberger does well to palm it away because it takes a deflection on the way. Kelly picks up the ball on the right and chips a cross to the back post where Hemp heads it up and onto the bar. Somehow Arsenal clear soon after.
Zinsberger ends up on the deck and needs treatment.
36 mins: City have a rare attack. Kelly breaks free down the right and whips in a cross but Zinsberger claims uncontested.
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35 mins: For clarity, Pelova was booked for dissent.
34 mins: Arsenal’s press is far more effective than in the early stages and City are really struggling to get the ball out of their defensive third.
The referee has handed another booking for dissent. Not a clue who to, mind.
Then Ouahabi goes into the book soon after for a foul. That’s the sixth caution of the match.
32 mins: After a pretty slow start for Arsenal, I think it would be fair to say this has been their best performance of the season.
30 mins: A lovely flick from Foord almost finds Russo but Morgan reacts quickly to intercept and clear. City have barely been out of their half since Arsenal scored.
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28 mins: Keating pings a clearance straight out of play to put her team under pressure. Arsenal take a quick throw and earn a corner that comes to nothing.
26 mins: The ‘Shall we sing a song for you?’ chant is going around Meadow Park. I’ve not heard it for a while.
24 mins: Arsenal are now the team on top and looking likely to add to their lead.
There are plenty of challenges flying in from both sides. It’s pretty entertaining stuff.
22 mins: It’s been a lively start, that’s for sure.
Foord takes aim from around 25 yards, the shot looks to be looping towards the top corner but Keating plucks the ball out of the sky.
MISSED PEN! Arsenal 1-0 Man City
20 mins: Keating makes amends with a fine save to her left, tipping Little’s spot-kick onto the post.
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18 mins: PENALTY TO ARSENAL! Morgan sends the ball back to Keating but it is a little short and the goalkeeper takes out Lacasse rather than clearing the ball. The goalkeeper is booked for her foul. All City’s good work looks to have been wasted in the space of five minutes.
17 mins: Zinsberger pings the ball straight out of play. I am not sure she is suited to the role of playmaking goalkeeper.
16 mins: City need hold their nerve and get back to playing how they were before the goal because Arsenal look vulnerable at the back. There are more goals in this game.
14 mins: City had been utterly dominant but they failed to clear their lines and Arsenal made them pay. Foord receives the ball with her back to goal and slips a pass to Catley in space inside the area and she whacks a shot across Keating into the top corner.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Man City (Catley, 14)
Catley pings a shot into the top corner.
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13 mins: A third booking of the match as Hemp takes a swipe at McCabe after losing the ball.
12 mins: Shaw turns Wubben-Moy inside and out before taking aim from 15 yards but her shot lacks pace and Zinsberger saves comfortably.
City get another chance almost immediately when a poor clearance lands at Kelly’s feet inside the box but she can’t direct her shot on target.
10 mins: Arsenal are inviting pressure on themselves because their attempts to play out from the back are backfiring as they repeatedly give the ball away to City in dangerous areas. City are certainly on top here.
8 mins: Gareth Taylor is shown on the screen. He is sat next to his former strike partner Shaun Goater, who was a helluva lot better than him.
Pelova is the latest to go in the book for taking down Shaw.
Zinsberger is not as good as Keating with the ball at her feet and pings a clearance straight at Kelly closing down. Thankfully for Arsenal it does not result in a goal but it is a warning.
6 mins: 19-year-old goalkeeper Keating is enjoying plenty of the ball. She has earned her spot as No 1 and her ability with the ball at her feet is a key reason.
Walti goes into the book for a poor challenge on Kelly.
4 mins: Wubben-Moy pings a clearance straight at Hemp on the edge of the box but she is quickly crowded out by Arsenal defenders.
The Gunners are eager to pass out from the back but it is not getting them up the pitch.
2 mins: City with some patient buildup and the ball eventually reaches Shaw in the box, she shifts it onto her left foot but fires a shot wide.
Kick-off!
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
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Jonas Eidevall on making changes: “I think that is going to change during the season, we have a very competitive squad.”
Gareth Taylor on replacing Greenwood: “She is an important player for us but we are really confident with the players we have. We are pretty comfortable with the players we have.”
It is good to see Lauren Hemp back in the City starting lineup after injury. She came off the bench in the most recent league match against Leicester before playing for England in the break.
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There was some pretty big WSL news yesterday …
Arsenal are aiming to improve their diversity after having it laid bare how they are currently lacking.
Starting lineups
Arsenal: Zinsberger, Wubben-Moy, Catley, Little, Walti, McCabe, Foord, Pelova, Russo, Lacasse, Ilestedt.
Subs: D’Angelo, Beattie, Martinez, Cooney-Cross, Maanum, Mead, Miedema, Hurtig, Blackstenius.
Manchester City: Keating, Aleixandri, Fowler, Kelly, Hemp, Morgan, Ouahabi, Roord, Shaw, Hasegawa, Kennedy.
Subs: MacIver, Houghton, Coombs, Castellanos, Angeldahl, Park, Casparij, Mace, Blakstad.
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Preamble
Arsenal find themselves in the strange position of seventh in the table. They are out of the Champions League and have not convinced even in their victories this season, so the thought of an unbeaten Manchester City arriving in Borehamwood is a concerning one.
This is the sort of fixture that could kickstart start a season if Arsenal win but if they lose, it would do serious damage to the Gunners’ title ambitions even though this is the fifth game of the campaign.
City will be without Alex Greenwood who suffered a head injury on international duty with England. The defender required lengthy treatment on the pitch in Belgium but is recovering well. “It was a scary and uncomfortable moment, but she’s very brave and determined and so brave in all she does and plays,” City manager Gareth Taylor said. “She’s frustrated because she’ll miss the weekend, but excited by what we’ve done so far this season, and she’s played a big part in that. But of course her welfare is the most important thing. The handover with England was really good, she’s now back in our camp.”
Here’s to a cracker!
Kick-off: 12.30pm GMT
