Early errors from Laia Aleixandri and Khiara Keating set the tone for a difficult day out for Manchester City on Sunday, as they succumbed to a costly 4-3 loss which allowed the Gunners to leapfrog them into the Women’s Super League’s Champions League qualification places. Chelsea’s closest contender for the WSL title as the festive period approached, the Cityzens now look set for a fight for European football and nothing more, after losing four of their last six league games.
More frustrating for City on Sunday was that they regularly got themselves back into the game. Even after Aleixandri’s sloppiness in possession allowed Mariona Caldentey to score in the first minute and Keating’s misjudgement of a cross allowed Lotte Wubben-Moy to head home quickly afterwards, the hosts grew into the game at the other end, with Mary Fowler halving the deficit in the first half before Vivianne Miedema equalised shortly after the break. There was even some luck on their side, when the referee awarded a penalty that Fowler converted, despite Steph Catley clearly fouling Aoba Fujino outside the box.
However, City continued to crumble at the back, with Caldentey slipping Frida Maanum in to score just seconds after Miedema’s equaliser and Stina Blackstenius able to stride ahead of Aleixandri and convert Beth Mead’s sublime cross in the latter stages, to give Arsenal a 4-3 lead that, this time, they did not let slip. It leaves Gareth Taylor’s side with it all to do in the second half of this season and places significant emphasis the analysis of this opponent ahead of Thursday’s rematch, in the League Cup semi-finals.
GOAL rates Man City’s players from the Joie Stadium…