Manchester City Women 1-2 Arsenal Women: Stina Blackstenius double stuns Gareth Taylor's side in latest WSL title twist
Manchester City missed the opportunity to create a nine-point lead in the Women's Super League championship race. They couldn't keep up with Arsenal's amazing comeback towards the end and lost 2-1 at the Academy Stadium.
Gareth Taylor's team was close to winning the trophy, thanks to Lauren Hemp's excellent goal in the first half. However, Stina Blackstenius, a forward for the Arsenal team, made a significant impact in the game's final moments and drastically altered the outcome.
Substituted in during the middle of the second half, Blackstenius scored two goals in rapid succession to save the match for Arsenal. The team had wasted several opportunities to score before finally managing to find the back of the net twice in just three minutes.
In the last minute of the game, Blackstenius scored a goal by quickly reacting to Foord's pass from a corner. Then, Arsenal won a surprising victory by scoring a fantastic header in the stoppage time.
The city team is currently leading the competition by a significant margin of six points, with closest rivals Chelsea set to play against Bristol City on Sky Sports later in the day. If Chelsea win, they will be able to reduce the gap to just three points, despite having played one less game than the city team.
Arsenal Hindered City's Title Pursuit
For 85 minutes, Man City had complete control over the WSL championship. They were passing with precision and moving with ease on the field. Their quickness and skill in possession outshone their opponents from London.
Afterward, there was a downturn.
The beginning of the game was set by Hemp. The team from the city were passing the ball confidently and quickly, and in the 17th minute, Ouahabi found Hemp in the box. She quickly turned and hit a great shot for a goal.
The team that was playing at home kept up their momentum, getting chances but not always being able to take advantage of them. Arsenal appeared sluggish and struggled to create a good flow. However, everything changed once Blackstenius entered the game.
The Arsenal team started to become a serious threat to their opponents, but players Beth Mead and Foord failed to score due to their poor accuracy. However, luck was on their side as Blackstenius was in a less merciful state and managed to score.
In the game, she displayed her quick-wittedness by making her first move count. When Foord passed the ball to her, she skillfully looped it over Keating's reach. Soon after, she struck again with a precise nod into the far corner, from Kim Little's skilful pass.
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It's hard to come to a clear understanding of how this affects the race for the title. Arsenal has given Chelsea a chance to stay in it. When Chelsea didn't do well against Liverpool during the week, City had a great chance to secure their position in the race, but now there's a possibility for others to catch up.
Everyone is focusing on Emma Hayes' team later on Sunday, as they have the opportunity to get closer to City, who are currently at the top, by only three points.
Taylor's Defeat Was Tough For Us
Gareth Taylor, the manager of Manchester City, stated to BBC Sport that their team will recover from their loss. He also affirmed that they had a history of responding positively to setbacks.
Today was quite challenging for us. I believe that a tie was a just outcome. We didn't quite manage to pick up the pace in the latter part of the match.
We aimed for having the power to dictate the situation, yet we seem to have relinquished some of it. Nevertheless, we have another game left to try and regain that control.
It would be fantastic to clinch the first WSL championship since 2016. This trophy would be the final piece in completing my domestic collection along with the other titles we've earned.
"It's quite difficult. As you witnessed today, the advantage can swiftly shift towards your opponents."
Substitute Quality Altered Game: Eidevall
The Arsenal manager, Jonas Eidevall, spoke to BBC Sport and expressed his satisfaction with their game. He stated that their performance was impressive, and they secured the win they worked hard for. It was an achievement that not many teams can accomplish. Eidevall conveyed that the team should be proud of themselves for their excellent efforts.
Our performance showed a plethora of positive aspects from the initial moments of the first half.
We failed to join the elements together properly. However, we already had many of the positive building blocks for the latter part from the initial stage. Our team demonstrated the significance of collaboration. The crucial aspect was that we not only began strong but ended strong.
The substitutions we made today brought valuable skills to the team.
Manchester City's upcoming matches
On May 18th, Aston Villa and Manchester City will face off in a soccer match starting at 3pm.
On May 5th, there will be a match between Chelsea and Bristol City which will be broadcasted live on Sky Sports. The game is set to start at 6.45pm.
On May 15th, the Tottenham and Chelsea soccer teams will face each other in a match starting at 7:15pm.
On May 18th, there will be a football match between Man Utd and Chelsea. The game will start at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
On the 18th of May, the season finale for WSL will take place. The match between Manchester City and Aston Villa will be held at Aston Villa, and the match between Arsenal and Brighton will be held at Emirates Stadium. All kick-offs will begin simultaneously at 3pm.
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