5 talking points as Man City see off Man Utd in first WSL Old Trafford derby
Manchester City kept their Women's Super League title hopes alive as they consigned Manchester United to their first loss of the season in front of a club record crowd at Old Trafford.
The repercussions of Sunday's clash were heady without the added spectacle of the Theatre of Dreams, with any loser potentially leaving themselves too much to do to chase down league leaders Chelsea.
City started the brighter side with early chances falling to the returned Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp and Khadija Shaw. But the visitors were left to rue not making more of those opportunities as Greenwood's handball gifted United a penalty on the 20-minute mark and captain Katie Zelem converted from the spot.
United, who showed early signs of threat on the counter, had a golden opportunity to double their advantage in the first-half, but Geyse squandered the chance after failing to square the ball to Nikita Parris, before her follow-up was disallowed for the ball being out of play.
And it was City's turn to punish their opponents as Chloe Kelly blitzed past Lisa Naalsund on the left to find Jill Roord flashing into the box. The summer signing coolly slotted beyond Mary Earps.
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And just 18 seconds later, City doubled their advantage as Yui Hasegawa pounced on a dithering Zelem and Hemp found the back of the net with a sublime strike.
The visitors continued to dictate the flow of the match, and Earps was called upon to keep proceedings competitive before half-time as she denied Kelly after the Lioness was played in sweetly by Leila Ouahabi.
Khadija Shaw celebrates after scoring the third (PA)But United's problems were compounded 10 minutes after the restart as a meek back pass from Maya Le Tissier saw Earps' attempted clearance ricochet off Shaw and bundle into an open goal.
The drama wouldn't end there as substitute Lucia Garcia was brought down by Laia Aleixandri, who was shown a second yellow for the offence leaving City to defend their lead with 10 players.
Despite the advantage, United struggled to find a way through a resilient City backline and ultimately suffered a first-ever defeat at Old Trafford as City jumped a point above them in the table.
Below are the talking points from the Manchester derby.
1. Bright start from City risked being punished
After just a few seconds, City had already managed to win a corner, an early statement of intent from the visitors as they looked to end their neighbours' unbeaten run and return to the title conversation.
City's early pressure should have paid off, with Greenwood and Hemp coming close in the opening 10 minutes, before Shaw was played through on the right flank and wasted a good a one-v-one opportunity with Mary Earps.
The quality on offer in the opening 20 minutes should have been rewarded. Instead, a lack of ruthlessness was punished as Greenwood's handball against Malard's strike shifted the match in the host's favour.
A clinical edge has been for want in this City side, whose goal tally heading into Sunday was far lighter than their title rivals. And with 20 minutes gone, the dearth looked potentially season defining.
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Katie Zelem and Ella Toone celebrate United's goal (Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)2. An 18-second turnaround silences Old Trafford
Crumbling under the pressure of an only goal under the glaring lights of the Theatre of Dreams would not have been too surprising given the circumstances. But City showed little signs of feeling the pressure as they looked to amend for their early wastefulness.
And after Geyse scuppered a brilliant chance to put United two goals ahead, Kelly ensured the punishment would go the other way as she raced past Naalsund on the left flank before skipping inside and finding Jill Roord making a late run into the box. The Netherlands international showed her composure as she slotted low past Earps, recording her fourth goal of the league season.
But it was City's response shortly after that would please manager Gareth Taylor most as Hasegawa picked the pocket of Zelem in her own half. The ball eventually fell to Hemp, whose slick finish kissed the underside of the bar to give City a deserving lead before half-time.
Lauren Hemp grabbed City's second3. United disallowed goal reignites VAR diatribe
United looked most dangerous on the counter, with the deft touches and pace of Melvine Malard and Geyse proving especially problematic for City.
And it was on the counter once more that United looked destined to double their advantage as they bore down on Khiara Keating in goal. However, Geyse failed to play in Parris earlier, allowing Alanna Kennedy to slide in and making a crucial intervention. Geyse looked to have rectify the situation as she scooped the ball into the net from a tight angle, only for the goal to be disallowed as the ball was ruled to have gone out of play.
Geyse saw her goal ruled out for offside (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)However, replays raised questions over whether the ball was truly out before Geyse brought it back under her possession.
That a City goal-kick was awarded rather than a United corner following the disallowed goal stirred further consternation and frustration for those of United leaning, as the subsequent possession for City instigated their 18-second turnaround.
The WSL does not employ VAR, meaning any queries regarding the validity of the call were ultimately in vain.
4. Subs fail to capitalise on late drama as City see red again
No other team has scored more second-half goals since the beginning of last season (44). Indeed, United have made late resurgences something of a calling card. And the hosts looked to be keeping to the script as substitute Lucia Garcia forced Aleixandri into a poor challenge with 20 minutes remaining.
The City defender was issued her marching orders as she was shown a second yellow card, the fourth time a City player has been sent off the in the Manchester derby.
City's Laia Aleixandri was shown a second yellow card after a challenge on Lucia Garcia late in the second-half against Manchester United (Photo by Alex Livesey - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)Skinner made the most of his attacking options as he thrust Hinata Miyazawa and Rachel Williams into the mix in an effort to salvage a point.
But the despite the advantage in numbers and attacking thrust, United failed to find the necessary spark and struggled to pry apart City's backline.
For Skinner, who stressed in his pre-match press conference that United needed to put in a powerful performance, the manner of defeat will only disappoint as United are left with plenty to ponder in their bid for silverware.
5. City back in title race with statement win
A shock loss to Brighton made it two losses in six matches for City. No team has ever gone on to win the title after more than two defeats. A third would've effectively ruled City out of the title race, barring any shocks from their title rivals.
But that's a worry manager Taylor can file under Not Today as his side comfortably dispatched their local rivals to keep their title hopes alive. That they coincidentally ended United's unbeaten start to the season on the club's hallowed home turf to pip United to third in the table only makes the victory all the sweeter.
City were comprehensively the better side on Sunday afternoon, comfortably dictating the tempo, tenor and tone for most of the match.
Aleixandri's sending off threatened to tip the scale in United's favour but City handled the task with impressive poise and resolve, denying United's desperate attempts to save face in front of a record crowd.
Six points separate City from Chelsea at the top of the table. Another stumble will likely prove too costly. But for now, City can consider themselves in the mix.
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