Arsenal put the Women’s Super League title race on a knife-edge and handed Emma Hayes’s Chelsea a lifeline, coming from behind to earn a thrilling 2-1 win away at Manchester City.
Stina Blackstenius’s double cancelled out Lauren Hemp’s first-half opener to leave the home team –hoping for their first league title since 2016 – six points clear of Chelsea, who have two games in hand. Goal difference will come into play should Chelsea win their three remaining games and City beat Aston Villa on the final day.
Meanwhile, the visiting side will be left wondering what if, with nine points from their games against City and Chelsea the best record of the three against each other this season. Defeats to West Ham, Chelsea and Tottenham have cost them a serious title challenge.
At a sold-out Joie Stadium the pyrotechnics were rolled out, fireworks readied, and music blared ahead of kick off. There was a party atmosphere and fears that a somewhat staggering Arsenal could spoil it seemed surprisingly absent. Win and City would move nine points clear of second-placed Chelsea before the Blues welcomed Bristol City to Kingsmeadow in the evening kick-off.
Gareth Taylor’s side had met Arsenal twice this season already, suffering a 2-1 away defeat in the reverse fixture in November before earning a 1-0 win over the Gunners to knock them out of the FA Cup fifth round. Since the league defeat, City have been flying, not conceding more than once in any of their 15 games. Defeat to Arsenal was followed by a 1-0 loss to Brighton, but they regrouped and have won every league game since.
Despite the loss of Jill Roord to injury and, at the season close, star striker Khadija Shaw, Taylor’s side have looked cohesive, clinical and have pressed with an intensity that few teams can handle. It was no different on Sunday, the home team pressing aggressively and high from the off, forcing mistakes from the underwhelming Gunners.
The opening goal came in the 17th minute. Emily Fox headed away Mary Fowler’s cross but only as far as Leila Ouahabi, the full-back laying it off to Hemp who twisted before lashing a low shot past Manuela Zinsberger. The England forward raced towards the dugout to embrace substitute and club captain Steph Houghton, featuring in her final home game before her retirement at the end of the season.
It was not completely one-way traffic, Frida Maanum had forced a smart save from Khiara Keating moments beforehand, but the chances for the visiting team were rare.
Jonas Eidevall withdrew Maanum at the break in favour of the midfielder Kim Little and Arsenal would go agonisingly close to equalising within two minutes of the restart but the centre-back Laia Codina nudged the ball wide of the near post from a few yards out.
City should have put the game to bed immediately, Fowler pouncing on to the ball on the right after Arsenal failed to clear before cutting inside and firing goalwards, but Zinsberger saved acrobatically with her outstretched foot.
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City’s press eased off in the second half and it gave Arsenal a foothold in the game, but they struggled to create clearcut chances, set-pieces providing their most dangerous moments. That easing off though, would prove costly.
As the clock ticked down, the players in red seemed to increasingly feel they could get something from the game. With a huge travelling contingent roaring them on behind the City goal, they poured forward. The equaliser came from a set-piece in the 89th minute, the ball pinballing around the box before the substitute Blackstenius stuck out a toe to poke beyond Keating.
The winner arrived four minutes later, Little’s ball over the top nodded in by Blackstenius to complete the most audacious smash-and-grab and to stymie City’s title charge.