Arsenal re-ignite WSL title hopes with win over Man City, Chelsea stay top

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Mead and Blackstenius combine for Arsenal's winner in 4-3 WSL thriller

Beth Mead and Stina Blackstenius combine to score the winning goal in Arsenal's 4-3 victory over Manchester City.

Updated: Feb 2, 2025, 05:40 pm

(Changes headline, updates after later games)

MANCHESTER, England, Feb 2 (Reuters) - A 78th-minute goal from Arsenal striker Stina Blackstenius gave her side a thrilling 4-3 victory away to Manchester City after a ding-dong battle on Sunday that revived the Gunners' slim title hopes following a 1-0 loss to Chelsea last week.

Arsenal moved up to second on 27 points, ahead of third-placed Manchester United on goal difference, but Chelsea opened up a 10-point lead over the chasing pair with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa later in the afternoon. Manchester City slipped to fourth in the standings on 25 points.

Mariona Caldentey got the Gunners off to a flying start with a goal after 42 seconds, and seven minutes later the visitors were two up when defender Lotte Wubben-Moy headed home a free kick.

Mary Fowler grabbed the first of her two goals for City in the 20th minute, heading home from close range at the back post and five minutes after the break Vivianne Miedema levelled amid a frenetic start to the second half.

A minute later Frida Maanum put Arsenal back in front, but the visitors' joy was short-lived as Steph Catley was adjudged to have brought down Aoba Fujino and despite the contact appearing to happen outside the box, the referee awarded a penalty that Fowler fired home to make it 3-3.

City brought on striker Khadija Shaw as they chased a winner, but it was Sweden international Blackstenius who grabbed the glory, making up for a number of misses by slamming home Beth Mead's pass to secure a well-deserved win for Arsenal.

In Birmingham, Chelsea faced one of the sterner tests of their season so far against a dogged Aston Villa, and despite fielding a side full of firepower, the Londoners needed an 82nd-minute own goal from Villa's Sarah Mayling to wrap up the three points.

At the other end of the 12-team table, bottom side Crystal Palace grabbed a much needed point in a 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, while 11th-placed Leicester City suffered a 4-1 defeat away to Everton.

On the other side of Merseyside, Liverpool's Leanne Kiernan got the only goal of the game as the Reds beat West Ham United 1-0.

Manchester United travel to Tottenham Hotspur for Sunday's late kickoff.

(Reporting by Philip O'Connor, editing by Ed Osmond and Toby Davis)