I’ll leave you with Suzanne Wrack’s report on an excellent win for City. Thanks for your company, bye!
Gareth Taylor’s verdict
"Today was all about ENERGY!" 🔋
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) February 11, 2023
Gareth Taylor's Man City move above Arsenal 🔃 pic.twitter.com/1ig5e48bzB
Chloe Kelly speaks
It was a brilliant day and a brilliant performance. We know that at home no one can play against us. We set the tone with our pressing, and when we win the ball back we knows the class we have.
[On Lauren Hemp] What a girl, what a player. She’s unbelievable for us. When you have that link-up with such a special player, it’s great. I’m incredibly pleased to share a pitch with her.
[On her current form] Gaz just gives me confidence. He lets me play free and I’m just enjoying myself. That’s when I play best. I’m having fun really, it’s like I’m a little girl again, playing football.
Lisa, our kit lady is leaving us, so that win’s for her.
Updated
xG department Man City 2.31-0.29 Arsenal
“I hate to say it,” says Zach Neeley, “but without Mead and Mediema, Arsenal aren’t winning silverware this season. They should prioritise league games over Europe to fight for the top three.”
Full time: Man City 2-1 Arsenal
Peep peep! City move above Arsenal into third after an impressive victory at the Academy Stadium. They overwhelmed Arsenal in the first half, with Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly getting the goals, and withstood a decent Arsenal fightback in the second half. Rafaelle’s precise header gave Arsenal hope, but City kept them at arm’s length for the last half-hour.
Arsenal – who knew – are desperately missing Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema, and there must be some concern that a promising season is starting to peter out. City’s fine league form continues – that’s 29 points from the last 11 games – and they are still in the title race.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea Women | 12 | 24 | 31 |
| 2 | Man Utd Women | 12 | 25 | 29 |
| 3 | Man City Women | 13 | 15 | 29 |
| 4 | Arsenal Women | 12 | 19 | 26 |
| 5 | Everton Women | 12 | 4 | 19 |
Updated
90+3 min Greenwood and McCabe, who have both been booked, go head to head. Rebecca Welch settles for a final warning.
90 min: City substitution The player of the match, Chloe Kelly, is replaced by Hayley Raso. There will be three minutes of added time.
89 min: Great defending from Greenwood! Maanum clips a cute short-range pass over the defence towards Gio, who is about to shoot from 12 yards when Greenwood twists her left leg around Gio to make a brilliant tackle.
Updated
89 min City have parked the bus now, which is understandable in the circumstances. Arsenal, despite an improved second-half performance, haven’t done enough in the final third.
87 min Williamson clips a ball over top towards Maanum (I think). Roebuck doesn’t come, when she probably should have done, but Greenwood sweeps up without too much alarm.
Updated
84 min Kelly’s corner is headed away to Greenwood, who launches it into the crowd from distance.
83 min Arsenal are struggling to get the ball off City, and they lose a bit more precious time when Kelly wins a corner on the right.
82 min The indefatigable Angeldahl surges through midfield and finds Hemp, but she runs into trouble in the Arsenal area.
81 min: Double substitution for Arsenal: Gio Queiroz and Laura Wienroither replace Stina Blackstenius and Noelle Maritz.
79 min This is a good spell for City, their best of the second half. Arsenal struggle to get out following a City corner until eventually Kelly shoots well wide from 25 yards.
78 min Maritz is booked for fouling Kelly, who turned her majestically on the left. Kelly is playing with the confidence of somebody who, well, you know.
75 min It’s starting to feel like City have weathered the storm either side of Rafaelle’s goal. They’ve certainly been more comfortable in the last 7-8 minutes.
74 min Arsenal have had 52 per cent of the possession in the second half. I’m surprised it’s that low, as it has felt more one-sided (in terms of possession if not chances).
72 min They’re both okay to continue.
70 min There’s a break in play after a clash of heads between Blackstenius and Houghton.
69 min Kelly charges at the Arsenal defence and finds Hemp, who shoots straight at Zinsberger from the edge of the area. Kelly has been fantastic today.
69 min: Arsenal substitution The exciting Danish teenager Kathrine Kuhl replaces Victoria Pelova, who had a quiet game.
68 min: Hasegawa hits the bar! Kelly’s corner from the left is scuffed clear at the near post. Hasegawa collects, 25 yards out, and crashes a dipping drive against the crossbar! I think the leaping Zinsberger had it covered, but I wouldn’t bet my last Rolo on it.
Updated
66 min Kelly releases Angeldahl, whose flat cross is headed away well by Maritz, diving bravely in front of Hemp at the far post.
64 min Suddenly City, who were so good in the first half, are looking nervous. Arsenal are dominating possession, albeit with City’s possibly unconscious consent, at this precise moment they look more likely to get the next goal. Mind you so did England against Romania at France 98.
61 min Arsenal have been much better going forward since half-time. I don’t know whether that’s because of the change of system, the change of personnel or simply a progression towards the mean. They still look susceptible to City’s counter-attack, so all scorelines are possible here.
Arsenal are back in it! Maanum’s free-kick from deep on the right was met by Rafaelle, 12 yards out. She steered a precise header back across goal that beat Roebuck – who didn’t dive – and nestled in the corner. It was superbly placed, but it looked like Roebuck thought it was going wide.
ARSENAL PULL ONE BACK! 🚨
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) February 11, 2023
Rafaelle heads in and it's game on 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/JBSWLMHzFv
Updated
GOAL! Man City 2-1 Arsenal (Rafaelle 59)
Now then!
Updated
58 min In a surprising development, Katie McCabe has been booked for an off-the-ball incident with Hemp.
57 min After an excellent break from City, Zinsberger just beats Kelly to Shaw’s through ball. There are goals to be had on the counter for City.
56 min Greenwood is booked for a late challenge on McCabe.
53 min Coombs robs the dithering Walti 30 yards from goal. Shaw collects and gives it back to Coombs, whose first-time shot from the edge of the area is blocked by Williamson.
53 min Kelly’s driven corner from the right is helped across goal by Greenwood, but no City player can get to it in the six-yard box. That was half a chance.
52 min Little has a cut mouth, so there’s a break in play while she receives treatment.
50 min: Blackstenius hits the post! How the flip did that not go in. Williamson curled a brilliant long pass down the inside-right channel towards Blackstenius, who got the wrong side of the last defender Steph Houghton and charged into the area. She resisted Houghton’s challenge and sidefooted a shot from 12 yards that hit the near post, ricocheted onto the left leg of the keeper Roebuck and dribbled just wide.
47 min Arsenal have switched to a 4-2-3-1, with Maanum behind Blackstenius, McCabe on the right and PElova to the left.
46 min Arsenal kick off, having made a double change at half-time. Katie McCabe and Lia Walti replace Caitlin Foord and Lotte Wubben-Moy.
Interestingly, Karen Carney, who is in the Sky studio, thinks Zinsberger was to blame for the first goal rather than Wubben-Moy or Maritz. Her argument, which is pretty persuasive, is that Zinsberger should “take ownership” of the six-yard box. See what you think.
🔵 MAN CITY STRIKE FIRST! 🔵
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) February 11, 2023
Chloe Kelly 🤝 Lauren Hemp 🔗 pic.twitter.com/z1AmgLcSvm
Half-time reading (compulsory)
Half time: Man City 2-0 Arsenal
Manchester City have been terrific, Arsenal almost bewilderingly wretched. Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly terrorised Arsenal’s wing-backs and scored a goal apiece, though both were enabled by some really shoddy defending. While we knew Arsenal might be toothless without Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema, nobody expected them to defend like this. Were it not for errant finishing and good goalkeeping from Manuela Zinsberger, the match would already be over.
🌟 𝐂𝐇𝐋𝐎𝐄 𝐊𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐘 🌟
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) February 11, 2023
Provider turns scorer for City! 🔷 pic.twitter.com/qTmDlNPWaO
Updated
45+5 min Arsenal have switched to a back four.
45+3 min Coombs wins the ball off Williamson and leads a four-on-two break. She has Hemp in acres to her left but doesn’t see her and instead plays a through ball towards Shaw, who goes too early and is offside. That was really wasteful from both Coombs and Shaw.
45+2 min “Well, that didn’t seem to escalate at all,” says Charles Antaki. “It started out appallingly for Arsenal and carried on in much the same way. It’s not just Miedema and Mead who seem to be missing, but most of the rest of the team, including those who are actually on the pitch at the moment.”
45 min Four minutes of added time. I can’t remember the last time I saw Arsenal defend this badly.
Yet again, the chance came from an Arsenal error. Wubben-Moy dithered on the ball, 40 yards out, and was muscled off it by Shaw. She charged down the inside-left channel and threaded a low cross towards Hemp, Kelly or both. Kelly got there just before Hemp and the covering Catley to sidefoot the ball past Zinsberger from six yards.
GOAL! Man City 2-0 Arsenal (Kelly 43)
The best player on the pitch makes it 2-0!
Updated
41 min This is a slightly better spell for Arsenal. Little finds Maritz, whose early cross hits the shoulder of Blackstenius at the near post and goes well wide. It wasn’t an easy chance as she was stooping away from goal in an attempt to head the ball.
39 min Catley’s free-kick from the right is inadvertently headed towards her own goal by a City defender, Aleixandri I think, and Roebuck drives bravely in front of Rafaelle to claim.
37 min The rampant Kelly wins another corner for City. She takes it short and City faff around for an age until Kim Little wins the ball.
Updated
35 min Shaw is okay to continue. Arsenal will be thrilled if this is 1-0 at half-time, because they are getting hammered.
Updated
33 min Shaw is down after the collision with Zinsberger.
32 min: Another chance for City! Kelly wanders infield and pokes a terrific through pass to Shaw, who tries to go round the outrushing Zinsberger but it’s a bit too tight and instead she runs the ball straight into her. It’s a brave save, though Shaw probably should have scored.
Updated
31 min As Charles Antaki wrote before the game, Arsenal are desperately missing Mead and Miedema. It’s the most obvious point in the world but it doesn’t make it any less relevant.
29 min City are all over Arsenal at the moment. Angeldahl hits a drive from 20 yards that is pushed behind by Zinsberger, diving to her left. Good save.
28 min Arsenal are again caught playing out from the back. This time Williamson gives it to Kelly, who swerves away from Rafaelle and hits a low cross-shot that is kicked away by Zinsberger.
26 min: What a chance for City! Not only is Zinsberger okay to continue, she has just made a vital save. Wubben-Moy played a wretched square pass, straight to Shaw on the edge of the area. She moved into the area and belted a low drive that the falling Zinsberger saved with her legs. It’s a fine stop – but a pretty poor finish from Shaw, who had so much to aim at.
26 min She’s okay to continue.
25 min There’s a break in play while Zinsberger receives treatment. Not sure what the problem is.
23 min: Chance for City! Greenwood’s free-kick from the left is mishit by Hemp and bounces towards Aleixandri, who cracks it over the bar from eight yards. That was a decent chance, even though the bounce of the ball made it slightly more awkward.
Updated
19 min At the moment, City’s wingers are emphatically winning the battle against Arsenal’s wing-backs.
19 min Coombs plays a terrific ball inside Maritz to release Hemp, whose dangerous early cross is claimed at full stretch by Zinsberger. Kelly was waiting behind her to score.
18 min The corner is headed away to the edge of the area, where Hasegawa shoots over the bar.
17 min City play confidently through midfield, with Kelly’s cross eventually going behind off Rafaelle.
15 min Having seen the replay, that might have been a penalty for City anyway. Hemp got to the ball first and was caught by Wubben-Moy, with the ball then hitting Wubben-Moy’s trailing leg. Is that a penalty these days? I’ve no clue.
13 min A woeful square pass from the keeper Zinsberger runs towards Hemp, which forces Wubben-Moy to make a desperate lunging tackle. She had to get that right or it would have been a penalty to City.
12 min Kelly hits the post, though it wouldn’t have counted as she was offside. Hemp’s cross was headed across goal by Shaw, and the offside Kelly stretched to volley against the right-hand post.
10 min Little wins the ball high up the field and pings a rising drive from distance that is comfortably saved by Roebuck.
8 min Here’s Lauren Hemp’s early goal.
🔵 MAN CITY STRIKE FIRST! 🔵
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) February 11, 2023
Chloe Kelly 🤝 Lauren Hemp 🔗 pic.twitter.com/z1AmgLcSvm
8 min This has been a cracking start, with both teams pressing really aggressively.
7 min Williamson steps into midfield to win the ball with authority and finds Pelova on the right side of the area. Her lofted cross just evades the stretching Foord at the far post.
6 min I’m sorry, but I’m going to do it. I’m going to bloody do it. I’m going to show you the as-it-stands league table.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea Women | 12 | 24 | 31 |
| 2 | Man Utd Women | 12 | 25 | 29 |
| 3 | Man City Women | 13 | 15 | 29 |
| 4 | Arsenal Women | 12 | 19 | 26 |
| 5 | Everton Women | 12 | 4 | 19 |
The two wingers combined to give City the lead. Hasegawa won the ball up the field, played a one-two and then gave the ball to Kelly on the right. She slid a devastating low cross into the six-yard box, which was left by Wubben-Moy and turned into the net by Hemp at the far post. Both Maritz, who let Hemp run off her, and Wubben-Moy were culpable there. That said, it was a brilliant ball in from Kelly.
Updated
GOAL! Man City 1-0 Arsenal (Hemp 4)
City score with their first attack!
Updated
2 min: So close from Maanum! Hasegawa’s loose pass goes straight to the in-form Maanum, 25 yards from goal. She takes a touch and whistles a superb drive that flashes just wide of the near post with Roebuck scrambling desperately across her line.
2 min Arsenal have indeed started with a back three of Rafaelle, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Leah WIlliamson.
1 min After a particularly sombre minute’s silence in memory of the tens of thousands who died in Turkey and Syria this week, Bunny Shaw gets the game under way.
Jonas Eidevall’s pre-match thoughts
Cheer up son, you’re living the dream.
🗣️ 'Every game can be decisive.'
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) February 11, 2023
Jonas Eidevall looks ahead to Arsenal's clash with Man City 🔴 pic.twitter.com/ymHaMjaj5O
Harry Nilsson department
“Leaving aside the cup mismatch with Leeds United, where the team managed nine past the semi-pros, recent Arsenal matches have shown up how blunt the team is without Mead and Miedema,” writes Charles Antaki. “All the usual prayers, votive candles and animal sacrifices won’t get them back in time, so it’s down to dumb hope that the other sides will slip up.Unfortunately, in Chelsea’s case especially, that seems on the unlikely side. Perhaps a bid of £500,001 for Russo might help?”
Chelsea are winning the league again, aren’t they.
The teams in (possible) formation
Manchester City (4-3-3) Roebuck; Casaparij, Houghton, Greenwood, Aleixandri; Coombs, Hasegawa, Angeldahl; Kelly, Shaw, Hemp.
Substitutes: MacIver, Castellanos, Fowler, Raso, Ouahabi, Blakstad.
Arsenal (3-4-3) Zinsberger; Williamson, Wubben-Moy, Rafaelle; Maritz, Little, Maanum, Catley; Pelova, Blackstenius, Foord.
Substitutes: D’Angelo, Marckese, Beattie, Wienroither, McCabe, Walti, Kuhl, Gio, Hurtig.
Updated
Suzanne Wrack’s preview
This is the second meeting in four days between City and Arsenal. I’m sure you know this, but I’m contractually obliged to remind you. Stina Blackstenius’s goal in extra-time gave Arsenal a 1-0 win over City in the Continental Cup semi-final; they will play Chelsea at Selhurst Park next month as a result.
Team news
Both teams make one change from their last WSL games a week ago (the Continental Cup XIs were much changed). City bring in Laura Coombs for Deyna Castellanos; Arsenal prefer Victoria Pelova to Lina Hurtig.
We don’t know yet whether the Arsenal captain Leah Williamson will play in midfield (back four) or defence (back three). The latter worked pretty well on Wednesday night.
🔵 TEAM NEWS 🔵
— Man City Women (@ManCityWomen) February 11, 2023
XI | Roebuck, Casparij, Houghton (C), Greenwood, Aleixandri, Hasegawa, Angeldahl, Coombs, Kelly, Hemp, Shaw
SUBS | MacIver, Castellanos, Fowler, Raso, Ouahabi, Blakstad#ManCity | @HaysWorldwide pic.twitter.com/OIoahAlzJ0
OUR STARTING XI 🖤 pic.twitter.com/xQiakggOhh
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) February 11, 2023
Updated
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Manchester City v Arsenal at the Academy Stadium. It’s a multi-context game, relevant to both the title race and the battle for Champions League places. Both teams still have ambitions to take Chelsea’s WSL title, though City in particular really can’t afford to drop points today. More importantly, perhaps, both teams want a piece of next season’s Champions League pie.
In recent years that’s been a given, but Manchester United have turned a Big Three into a Big Four, so one of these teams could miss out. Both have had frustrating seasons: Arsenal because of the long-term injuries to Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema, not to mention Sam Kerr’s late equaliser at the Emirates last month; City because they lost five points to Aston Villa. Had they won both those games, they’d be level with the leaders Chelsea.
Kick off 12.30pm.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea Women | 12 | 24 | 31 |
| 2 | Man Utd Women | 12 | 25 | 29 |
| 3 | Arsenal Women | 11 | 20 | 26 |
| 4 | Man City Women | 12 | 14 | 26 |
| 5 | Everton Women | 12 | 4 | 19 |
Updated
