Manchester City Women came from behind twice to beat Arsenal Women 4-2 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, October 4, maintaining their perfect start to the Women's Super League season.
Arsenal took the lead through Lisa Baum before City equalised just before half-time. Alessia Russo then put Arsenal back in front early in the second half, but City responded with three more goals to complete a comeback win.
Baum opened the scoring in the 43rd minute after Lotte Wubben-Moy's header was saved. Baum reacted quickly to the loose ball and helped Arsenal take a 1-0 lead.
City levelled in first-half stoppage time when Lauren Hemp's cross was deflected into the Arsenal goal by Emily Fox. Arsenal were unhappy with the decision to continue playing while Mariona Caldentey was down injured, adding more drama to the match.
Arsenal regained the lead five minutes after the break. Russo took advantage of a mistake from City goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita while City tried to play out from the back.
Manchester City responded again in the 63rd minute. Kerstin Casparij came off the bench and scored only seconds after entering the pitch, curling the ball into the far corner to make it 2-2.
Hemp then completed her brace in the 72nd minute to give City their first lead of the game. She controlled a ball over the top before finishing past Arsenal goalkeeper Anneke Borbe.
Khadija “Bunny” Shaw completed the comeback in the 84th minute, scoring City's fourth goal as Arsenal pushed forward in search of an equaliser.
The win gives Manchester City five victories from five WSL matches and keeps them at the top of the table. Arsenal, meanwhile, have now lost four of their opening five league matches and have just one win. They sit 10 points behind City after the defeat.
For Arsenal manager Renée Slegers, the result adds further pressure after a difficult start to the campaign. Slegers had previously spoken about receiving support from the club's hierarchy despite Arsenal's poor league form.
Manchester City will take confidence from another comeback, while Arsenal must quickly find a way to turn their performances into results as the WSL season continues.
