Iman Beney scores late as Manchester City Women beat Arsenal in five-goal WSL thriller

Manchester City Women grabbed a late winning goal to beat Arsenal 3-2 in the Women’s Super League on Saturday.

City were lucky not to concede the first goal in the fourth minute. Jade Rose played a poor back pass, but goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita quickly reacted to prevent it from going in.

The hosts subsequently created their first opportunity of the game, with Yui Hasegawa sliding a pass to Aoba Fujino. She failed to beat goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar.

Arsenal had Van Domselaar to thank again for not conceding, keeping out Vivianne Miedema’s header. Olivia Smith blocked the rebound attempt.

City got a deserved lead in the 36th minute, as Khadija Shaw sprinted past her marker to convert Kerstin Casparij’s precise cross.

The Cityzens thought they had doubled their lead in the 40th minute, when Casparij scored from a rebound, only for her effort to be ruled out for offside.

City continued to control the proceedings but were unable to extend their advantage before half-time.

Arsenal drew level just after the restart, with Emily Fox cutting the ball back for Mariona Caldentey to apply the finish.

Casperij restored City’s lead in the 61st minute, putting the ball past Van Domselaar’s reach after a six-yard scramble.

Almost immediately, Shaw nearly gave City a two-goal cushion, but Van Domselaar thwarted her effort.

Arsenal almost restored parity in the 73rd minute, as Stina Blackstenius raced through on goal, but Yamashita quickly came off her line to smother her shot.

Substitute forward Chloe Kelly made it 2-2 for the Women’s Champions League holders in the 83rd minute, picking out the top right corner from Blackstenius’s pass.

Two minutes from time, Iman Beney netted the winning goal for City with a beautiful finish.

Deep into stoppage time, Arsenal had a chance to salvage a point from a corner but could not capitalise, ensuring City secured the win.