At long last, a weakness has been spotted. Finally, the 100% winning start ends for Manchester City, much to the pleasure of Manchester United, who struck late through Elisabeth Terland to claim a point in a well-contested and at times breathless derby.
Khadija “Bunny” Shaw’s second-half strike – her 91st WSL goal on her 100th appearance in the division – appeared to have settled the game and kept the defending champions top of the table, and it had looked likely to be the same old story, of City finding a way to win a game that was on a knife-edge, because they have the game’s deadliest finisher.
However, Eva Olid’s ever-improving hosts fought back and were good value for the draw, which they eventually earned when Terland found the bottom corner after the ball fell kindly to her in the penalty area.
Olid, in fact, repeatedly said in her post-match press conference that her side had “deserved to win”.
United climbed to fourth in the table, while that late strike meant City dropped to second – now behind Chelsea on goal difference – and breathed fresh life and intrigue into the title race. Perhaps more strikingly, if any United fans who saw their men’s team being humbled by Bournemouth earlier on Sunday managed to navigate the winds of Storm Boelo and get to Leigh for this 6pm kick-off, they will have seen a team with characteristics unrecognisable from those wearing red at Old Trafford; hard work, resilience, teamwork, running – real, hard running – and fighting spirit.
This United team markedly improved on last season’s league meetings with their local rivals, both of which ended in 3-0 victories for City. This time Andrée Jeglertz’s visitors were given a real test.
Chelsea came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 3-1 after Molly Bartrip’s shock opener. It was the first time Chelsea had trailed all season and they struck back in the second half with two Melvine Malard goals, before Sandy Baltimore converted from the penalty spot in the 90th minute.
London City Lionesses stayed third after drawing 2-2 at Liverpool, with the visitors denied all three points by a stoppage-time own goal from Jana Fernández. Freya Godfrey and Kadidiatou Diani had earlier wiped out Beata Olsson’s penalty.
Aston Villa moved level on points with Everton after winning 3-2 at Goodison Park. Amalie Vangsgaard’s double put Villa three up after Noelle Maritz’s early goal, before the hosts made it a nervy finish with two late goals.
Birmingham won for the first time this season as Wilma Leidhammar’s effort midway through the second half saw off Charlton 1-0. Press Association
For spells of the first half, City’s fluid pass-and-move football, their speed down the left-wing with Lauren Hemp, and the technical prowess of Yui Hasegawa and Aoba Fujino in particular, made it feel as though there was only one likely outcome, as Fujino fizzed an effort narrowly wide of the United goal.
United, though, proved a tough nut to crack and, against the run of play, created the better chances of the opening 45 minutes.
Terland was unable to reset her feet and connect properly with Andrea Medina’s cutback. Later Ella Toone and Jess Park both had efforts saved by Ayaka Yamashita.
Park’s powerful, driven shot clipped the top of the crossbar around the hour mark, after Yamashita had saved well from Terland one-on-one.
Not long later, though, last season’s WSL Golden Boot winner Shaw delivered the breakthrough with a ruthless, low strike that was hit with too much venom for Phallon Tullis-Joyce to react. Shaw, who had been booed by the home fans after exchanging robust challenges with Maya Le Tissier in the first half, ran across to celebrate in front of the City fans, many of whom were waving inflatable bananas in the air. She almost had a second goal moments later but whipped a close-range, rising shot just over the bar.
Shaw glanced a header wide from a City corner and Grace Clinton missed a huge chance to seal it for the visitors. Continuing to battle, United were eventually rewarded when Le Tissier’s hopeful, high ball into the box, after a free-kick was taken short, was met by a defensive header from Shaw, but that only dropped as far as Terland who lashed in first time to draw huge roars and clenched fists from the United technical area.
Jeglertz is staying calm, insisting: “Nothing has changed. We are absolutely on the right track, in everything we are doing. We are playing well in most of the games and getting the result in most of the games. But this league is challenging. [We are just going] to stay calm and focusing on the next task.”
As for United, this late goal felt like a pivotal moment for Olid, giving the club a lift. Her tenure began with chastening losses to London City and Chelsea but this rally against their neighbours showed they are rapidly improving. She said: “That was one of our best performances, in general, in terms of fight, hard work, how we were pressing and how we played with the ball.
“How this team has built in confidence from day one to now, in a short period of time – just two months and a half working together – the progression has been massive.”
