Nick Cushing, the City boss, still has his City players in an intense-looking post-match huddle. He’ll be telling them not to ease up from hereon, no doubt. It does mean that I don’t think we have any post-match quotes for you just now – but I do believe there’ll be a match report from our own Suzanne Wrack in due course. So I’ll leave you there: thanks very much for your company this afternoon!
Don’t forget to catch Arsenal v Spurs in the Premier League here:
Stanway was the matchwinner there, but City defended so well too. Beattie, Bonner and Houghton were rocks at the back too and Arsenal, for all their pressure, rarely worked Roebuck all that much. To me that looked like a game too far for the stretched, injury-ravaged leaders. They need to get players back sharpish because this is now a title fight.
Full-time: Manchester City 2-0 Arsenal
It’s well deserved and it’s made the WSL season a whole lot more interesting – the gap at the top is, all of a sudden, down to three points!
90+1 min: We will have four added minutes here.
89 min: As for this one, City are showing very little sign of offering Arsenal any encouragement. Walti becomes the fifth visiting player to be booked after fouling Walsh.
87 min: In better news for those of an Arsenal stripe, the men are leading Spurs 1-0 at the Emirates – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang firing in a deserved early goal from the spot.
86 min: Off comes Wullaert for City, to be replaced by Abbie McManus.
85 min: The crowd numbers more than 2,000 this afternoon, apparently – that’s pretty encouraging. City are very good at getting punters in and emphasising the importance of their women’s team. They also have a much better facility for it than most.
83 min: Stanway would love a hat-trick and sees her chance, a good 30 yards out. Peyraud-Magnin dives upon her low, bouncing shot so it’s just a brace for now.
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82 min: Arsenal are enjoying all the territory but creating very little. City just need to avoid doing anything stupid now.
79 min: Roebuck has had some trouble with backpasses and misses another one, giving Arsenal a corner. Miedema takes it, a bit unusually, and the delivery is fine but Roebuck makes amends with a good punch.
78 min: Bailey-Gayle, who has done well on a tough afternoon, is replaced with young debutant Amelia Hazard. That surname bodes well!
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76 min: Evans, who gets forward from right-back very well, slides to reach a Van de Donk pass but can’t get enough purchase to trouble Roebuck. They need a goal in the next few minutes really. City stall things further by bringing Parris off, introducing Janine Beckie.
75 min: Now McCabe is booked, the fourth Arsenal player to suffer that fate. They’re a bit tetchy. Everton have beaten Liverpool 2-1 in that derby, by the way.
73 min: City look really assured at the moment. Arsenal look leggy and quizzical. I’d hazard a guess that this one is pretty much done.
70 min: This is a new situation for Arsenal and, should the score stay this way, you wonder how it might affect them. The squad is threadbare, the bounce gained by that long winning run will have gone ...
67 min: Bloodworth’s cross finds Miedema at the far post but nobody can latch onto her inviting header across. City will have a lot of defending to do now.
66 min: Arsenal aren’t done yet. Van de Donk places a sidefooted volley inches wide. But they’ll need their best showing of the season so far to get anything out of this now.
Goal! Manchester City 2-0 Arsenal (Stanway 64)
There’s that threat on the counter! It’s Stanway’s ninth goal of the season, her second of the afternoon, and it might just have blown the title race wide open. She’s found by a glorious 60-yard pass from Walsh but, out on the right, there’s still a lot to do. She carries the ball infield past two players and, perhaps surprised by the lack of a real challenge, enters the box. She has time to size up a finish, which is curled superbly into the far corner. What a turnup!
63 min: Van de Donk sets her sights on the edge of the D and Roebuck watches her effort fly a yard wide.
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62 min: For all Arsenal’s positive start to the half, they haven’t scored and City definitely pose a threat on the break here.
59 min: Parris, with little support as she latches onto a long pass, lashes wildly over from an impossible position for City.
58 min: McCabe sees a shot blocked before Bailey-Gayle is thwarted by a fine Scott tackle. City are on the ropes here, it’s all a bit last-ditch.
57 min: Now Williamson is booked for fouling Emslie, who was looking to counter. There’s an edge to this as we approach the hour.
56 min: Houghton, solid as ever, heads behind for an Arsenal corner. They are piling on the pressure currently. But, once again, they waste the set-piece.
54 min: Oh, another big chance for Miedema! Wullaert gifts the ball to McCabe and she quickly puts Miedema away into the box. She doesn’t quite seem on her game today and allows Beattie to get across and tackle before she gets a shot away. Bailey-Gayle shoots off target from an angle moments later.
52 min: Van de Donk, who is a chippy character in the very best Dutch tradition, is booked for a foul on Parris.
51 min: An Evans clearance ricochets off the tireless Stanway and wide, causing Peyraud-Magnin enough worry that she has to dive. Her opposite number, Roebuck, then undercooks a clearance but Miedema can’t make anything of it.
48 min: Chance for Miedema! She’s put these away before. Van de Donk finds her with a neat pass and she’s on her way into the box ... but lashes well wide with her left foot.
47 min: Emslie takes a swipe through Walti, who winces in pain, immediately. Arsenal have a useful-looking free-kick on the right as a result and it’s a fine delivery from Mead. Beattie appears to put it behind at the back stick with Bloodworth looking to convert – in fact she definitely does – but a goal kick is mystifyingly given.
Peeeeep! We are back underway
Let’s see what Arsenal can respond with here ...
Man City will make a half-time change. Claire Emslie is on for Weir, who got a knock in a challenge with Mead.
Also in men’s football, the *other* Arsenal team have a slightly important game this afternoon against a team called Tottenham. Ben Fisher has it:
If you have any emails, by the way, I’ll publish them. I will! So send them in.
In men’s football, the Euro 2020 qualifying draw has been made! Paul MacInnes was there for us:
Half-time: Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
All to play for – both today and in the title race! City started fairly slowly but Stanway’s goal transformed them and they might have added another. Arsenal do not look anywhere near their best but have still had chances of their own – particularly when McCabe hit the woodwork. It’s tight, this, so join me for the second half in 15!
45 min: ... but Bloodworth curls harmlessly over.
44 min: McCabe, via a fortunate assist off the referee, shapes to shoot and is fouled in a very interesting position to the right of the D ...
42 min: Mead is looking very lively down the left for Arsenal and is miffed not to have won a corner off Bonner there. We’re approaching the interval; can she inspire an equaliser?
40 min: Should be 2-0 there after a terrible mistake by the Arsenal keeper Peyraud-Magnin, who completely slices a clearance from a bouncing backpass and presents it to Parris 18 yards out. Parris perhaps has more time than she thinks and slices wide when she might have set herself. At the other end a Mead centre causes brief panic with Bailey-Gayle and Miedema lurking ... and then Roebuck is forced into a smart save by Mead’s angled drive! There’s a lot going on here!
37 min: Miedema plays Van de Donk through and Stokes has to smuggle the ball out for a corner, a little unconvincingly. City again defend it well.
36 min: Spectacular attempt by Mead! Arsenal need more of that. She rolls her marker and, from fully 35 yards, unleashes one at a surprised Roebuck, who tips it over. It was going in! The corner results in a rather more harmless effort from distance by Van de Donk.
34 min: Evans gets down the right and slides in a cross that Houghton belts out for a throw. Then they’re forced back to halfway and any momentum evaporates.
32 min: Bonner wastefully crosses into the stand after fine approach play from an increasingly confident City.
31 min: Decent response to the goal by Arsenal, in fairness. City’s Weir has to go off for treatment after a kick from Mead but she is now OK. The next goal is crucial here.
27 min: Another City corner and you feel we really have a game here now. It’s worked short, and patiently, but Arsenal shut off the angle and eventually a delivery from Parris on the other side is hacked away.
26 min: Off the bar from McCabe! Arsenal are well in this and here’s a reminder. Miedema finds Mead, who loses control, but City clear only as far as McCabe and she thwacks a 20-yarder onto the frame and behind!
25 min: Corner to City after Wullaert leads a smart move down the right. They are overloading down those flanks, when possible, and causing trouble. The set-piece sees Beattie flick on and Arsenal clear panickily ahead of the lurking Scott.
23 min: Walti is floored by a late challenge from the heavily involved Stanway. She’ll be OK but City have really upped the intensity here.
22 min: Poor touch from Evans as she charges forward for Arsenal. There’s a chance to make something inside the box but she runs the ball out of play.
20 min: Now what do Arsenal have? Is there enough of a goal threat out there beyond Miedema?
Goal! Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal (Stanway 18)
Now then! City had just started to step the tempo up in the previous couple of minutes and now Stokes, overlapping superbly down the left, gets away and fires in a cross that Parris can’t get on the end of. It strikes a surprised Bloodworth and falls for Stanway, who reacts quickly and pokes into the corner! The title race is alive!
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16 min: Now another threat from City, though, and Stanway comes pretty close. Parris turns Williamson well, showing great strength and tenacity to poke the ball back to her team-mate, and Stanway blast wide from 16 yards when she might have hit the target.
15 min: The visitors really are dominating the ball, even if they’re not doing too many ultra-ambitious things with it. City need to string a few moves together if they’re going to damage them. A point would be perfect for Montemurro and company, even if it finally scuppers the 100% record.
13 min: On the balance of play, Arsenal will probably be happier with the opening exchanges – although City have had the best opening.
10 min: Walti has started very well in midfield for Arsenal and slides Miedema in on the inside right. She finds Mead, who sets her sights on floating one into the far corner, but her contact isn’t very good and there’s no real danger to Roebuck.
9 min: Arsenal win a corner after Houghton intercepts a Miedema pass intended for Bloodworth. It’s aimed low towards the near post and cleared; then a second delivery from Evans is headed away too.
7 min: Bailey-Gayle, who is just 17, has her first involvement with a pass inside to Van de Donk. It’s a circumspect start from the away side.
5 min: Chance for Stanway! The City forward gets in behind the Arsenal back line and appears to be away ... but she can’t quite get the shot away early enough and Williamson is back to make a crucial block as she pulls the trigger.
4 min: Feels like a big game, this, atmosphere and crowd-wise. The league needs more of this. City now press and are looking particularly to target Arsenal’s left flank, it seems.
2 min: Slow, calm, early possession from the back by Arsenal early on. This could well turn into a game of cat and mouse ... although the City keeper Roebuck is out smartly to cut out a Walti through ball.
Peeeeep! This one is underway!
Huddles have been had, words have been said, the whistle has been blown ... and City, kicking right to left, get us going.
My sense before this one: it’s a golden chance for City against an Arsenal side that’s pretty much stretched to the limit injury-wise. Think they might just sneak it ...
The teams are stepping out at Man City’s modern, swanky facility. Manchester City have just honoured some members of their first-ever women’s team, and now Steph Houghton leads the modern-day hosts onto the pitch against her old club – and it’s a very healthy-sized crowd out there.
Montemurro speaks: “There’s a long way to go, its the halfway mark in the ladder. There are some difficult games to go and that will tell a story, I don’t think one game is going to define a season.”
No, but let’s not beat about the bush – this one is huge ...
In the men’s Premier League it is already Chelsea 1-0 Fulham, and Daniel Harris is around to tell you the story of it:
It’s derby day all over the shop today – Everton v Liverpool is taking place as we speak ... the WSL version, not the men’s one, which kicks off at 4.30pm.
That Arsenal team includes a first start in the WSL, I think, for Paige Bailey-Gayle. They’re a bit weakened through injury here but she is quite a fine talent and looked good off the bench when I watched them a couple of weeks ago.
Team news!
Manchester City: Roebuck, Stokes, Beattie, Houghton, Bonner, Walsh, Scott, Weir, Wullaert, Stanway, Parris. Subs: Bardsley, Leth Jans, Beckie, Morgan, Emslie, McManus.
Arsenal: Peyraud-Magnin, Evans, Williamson, Quinn, Bloodworth, Walti, van de Donk, McCabe, Bailey-Gayle, Mead, Miedema. Subs: van Veenendaal, Kuyken, Grant, Mitchell, Hazard.
Good day
Is this a title decider? It might just be a title decider. If that sounds daft in December then bear in mind that, after today, we’ll be at the halfway point in the WSL season – meaning the drama kicks in quickly. And Arsenal are on the verge of something special.
That’s because Joe Montemurro’s side have won nine out of nine so far, shrugging off a number of long-term injuries – the latest, to Jordan Nobbs, is a huge blow – to sweep aside all before them. Nobody quite envisaged this level of dominance from last season’s third-placed team, but they have been spectacular this season and it would take something quite special to stop them now.
In fact it would take something special from, specifically, Manchester City. They finished second last term, a point ahead of the Gunners. This time around they sit six points behind and if that stretches to nine this lunchtime then you’d think it’s pretty much goodnight. But if they can push it back to three, it’s very much game on – and they have such good players that you would not bet against them doing it, particularly with a fast start. Arsenal haven’t always begun games spectacularly of late. If City can catch them cold ...
If, if, if. We’ll find out the reality soon enough! Get your emails and tweets in – addresses above – and let’s settle in for what should be one of the matches of the WSL season.
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