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 afternoon.City started shakily and were lucky not to concede the first goal in the fourth minute. Jade Rose played a poor back pass that looked goalbound, but goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita quickly reacted to prevent it from going in.After a slow start, the hosts created their first opportunity of the game, with Yui Hasegawa sliding a pass to Aoba Fujino, who could not beat goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar.Arsenal have Van Domselaar to thank again for not conceding in the half-hour mark, keeping out Vivianne Miedema’s header, and Olivia Smith blocked the rebound attempt.City got a deserved lead in the 36th minute, as Shaw printed past her marker to bury Kerstin Casparij’s precise cross home.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.The hosts continued to control the proceedings but were unable to extend their advantage before halftime.Arsenal drew level just after the restart, with Emily Fox cutting the ball back accurately, allowing Mariona Caldentey to apply the finish.Casperij restored City’s lead in the 61st minute, putting the ball past the reach of Van Domselaar 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 maximum points.