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In a battle of four Matildas in the Women’s Super League, Steph Catley has scored a fantastic (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 away from playing together in Perth for Australia in their Olympic qualifying victory over Taiwan, Catley and Caitlin Foord defeated City’s Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy in Sunday’s big match (Monday AEDT).
Arsenal’s Matildas duo combined expertly for the brilliant fourteenth-minute goal that set the Gunners on their way to victory at Borehamwood – defender Catley’s only third league goal in her four seasons at the club.
Foord did the mule work, shielding the ball from City’s defense with his back to goal before expertly sliding the ball to Catley, whose trusty left foot fired the ball into the top corner.
“I normally score about once a year so that could be just me,” Catley told the club’s website.
Steph Catley scored a fantastic goal for Arsenal in the win against Manchester City – and joked about her goalscoring prowess after the match
Aussie Caitlin Foord (right) helped set up Catley’s goal early in the first half
‘Hopefully not! But yes, it’s nice to always get a goal, but in a big match it’s obviously important. Yes, it feels good and I’m happy that I got three points.’
After her heroics in midweek, Fowler had a quiet game by her current high standards but was involved in the build-up to City’s second-half equalizer through Chloe Kelly.
But Arsenal still won the day thanks to an 88th-minute blunder by young City goalkeeper Khiara Keating, who misjudged a long ball pumped upfield, completely missed her attempted header outside the penalty area and only found herself in despair could turn when she saw Stina Blackstenius tapping. the ball into an empty net.
It capped an eventful afternoon for 19-year-old Keating, who had earlier given away a penalty for a naive foul on Cloe Lacasse but then brilliantly saved Kim Little’s penalty.
The teenager needed consolation from 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, unlike her WSL teammates elsewhere, Kerr had been given the luxury of an afternoon on the bench watching her Chelsea teammates beat Aston Villa 6-0.
The win gives the champions a three-point lead at the top over both Arsenal and City.
Mary Fowler had a quiet game after her heroics in the Matildas Olympic qualifiers down under, but was still involved in City’s only goal of the second half
Matildas star Alanna Kennedy (left) also played for Manchester City as a shocking blunder from their goalkeeper saw them lose 2-1, leaving them in second place behind Chelsea.
Tottenham, who drew 1-1 at home to Everton, and Liverpool, who beat Leicester 2-1, are also next to Arsenal and City on 10 points.
Manchester United remain sixth with nine points after the 2-2 draw at Brighton Hove & Albion, while Bristol City won 3-2 at Mackenzie Arnold’s West Ham United to finish bottom of the table.