Save articles for later
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.
In a battle of four Matildas in the Women’s Super League, Steph Catley has hammered home a terrific – and rare – goal to send Arsenal on their way to a 2-1 victory over fellow title contenders Manchester City.
Just four days and 14,500km distant from playing together in Perth for Australia in their Olympic qualifying win over Taiwan, Catley and Caitlin Foord got the better of City’s Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy in the day’s big game on Sunday.
Caitlin Foord of Arsenal runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Kerstin Casparij.Credit:
Indeed, Arsenal’s Matildas’ duo combined expertly for the brilliant 14th minute goal that set the Gunners on the path to victory in Borehamwood – only defender Catley’s third league goal in her four seasons at the club.
Foord did the donkey work, shielding the ball from the City defence with back to goal before slipping the ball expertly to Catley, whose trusty left foot bulleted the ball into the top corner.
After her midweek heroics, Fowler had a quiet game by her current soaring standards but was involved in the build-up to City’s second-half equaliser through Chloe Kelly.
Steph Catley of Arsenal celebrates with teammates after scoring the team’s first goal in England on Sunday.Credit:
But Arsenal still won the day thanks to an 88th-minute blunder from young City goalkeeper Khiara Keating, who misjudged a long ball pumped downfield, completely missed her attempt at a headed clearance outside the box and could only turn in despair to see Stina Blackstenius tap the ball into an empty net.
It capped an eventful afternoon for the 19-year-old Keating, who’d earlier given away a penalty for a naive foul on Cloe Lacasse but then saved Kim Little’s subsequent spot kick brilliantly.
The teenager needed comforting by her teammates at the final whistle as City suffered their first defeat of the season – a result that suited Matildas captain Sam Kerr.
On Saturday, Kerr, unlike her WSL teammates elsewhere, had been afforded the luxury of an afternoon on the bench watching her Chelsea teammates smash Aston Villa 6-0.
That win has given the champions a three-point lead at the top over both Arsenal and Man City.
AAP
Most Viewed in Sport
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article
