MANCHESTER CITY WOMEN 2, ARSENAL LADIES 0
Manchester City were frustrated for over an hour by a niggly Arsenal side who were reduced to ten players after just 13 minutes when Jemma Rose was sent off before Jane Ross and Toni Duggan goals saw them off in the second half.
City’s opening goal was a just reward for Ross, who hassled and harried the Gunners defence all afternoon before arriving just in time to meet Duggan’s cross in the 65th minute.
And Duggan made up for her penalty miss against Notts County last week with City’s second goal from the spot after Nikita Parris had been fouled in the area.
City were unchanged from the side that beat Notts County in injury time last Wednesday in front of a bumper crowd of 1914 spectators.
They dominated early proceedings but Arsenal missed a golden chance to open the scoring after just ten minutes when Fara Williams rattled the woodwork with a free kick from inside the D.
The Gunners were reduced to ten players just three minutes later when Jane Ross was clean through but was brought down by Jemma Rose.
Referee Michael Salisbury had no hesitation in sending off Rose as she was the last player.
Arsenal had goalkeeper Sari Van Veenendaal to thank for keeping out a couple of City chances by Demi Stokes and Lucy Bronze afterwards as the Blues sensed their chance to capitalise while Abbie McManus athletically blocked an Arsenal chance for Asisat Oshoala.
The Gunners tried to disrupt City’s possession game with a succession of niggling fouls which seemed to do the trick in the first half, with City’s closest chance coming in first half added time when Toni Duggan’s strike came back off the post with Van Veenendaal beaten.
Van Veenendaal was in action again right after the break when Kosovare Asllani’s cross from the left was headed on by Jill Scott to Nikita Parris but the Dutch ‘keeper blocked her shot on the line.
City finally got rewarded for their hard word in the 65th minute when Jill Scott’s pass, which seemed a lost cause, was relentlessly chased down by Duggan who robbed Leah Williamson and put the cross in for Ross to finish.
Asllani and Stokes were both denied by Van Veenendaal saves as City tried to put the game beyond the Gunners before Dominique Janssen was penalised for bringing down Parris in the area with 11 minutes to go.
Duggan’s well struck penalty made up for her miss against Notts County and summed up City’s dominance on the day against Arsenal.