Matthew Appleby was pitchside at the Leigh Sports Village last night to capture all the action from a dramatic Manchester derby (22/5/23).
Above: Manchester United’s Hayley Ladd shows her sheer delight last night. Photo: Matthew Appleby for Impetus.
Manchester United 2-1 Manchester City
Lucia Garcia’s goal in second-half injury time sealed a dramatic win for Manchester United over cross-city rivals City that not only takes the WSL title race to the final day but is highly likely to deny the Sky Blues Champions League football next season as well.
The home side, backed by a large crowd at the LSV, hit the front after just two minutes thanks to a long-range effort from Hayley Ladd. Things got worse for Gareth Taylor’s side just before the break when goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck saw red after a foul on Nikita Parris.
However, with just over 20 minutes remaining, City levelled through Filipa Angeldahl. But, into stoppage time at the end of the match, Garcia was fed by Vilde Boe Risa and sealed United’s win to raucous scenes.
Manchester United will most likely need Reading to defeat Chelsea next week – something that the Royals need to do in order to avoid relegation – in order to take the WSL title. Marc Skinner’s men travel to Liverpool.
Matthew Appleby’s EXCLUSIVE photo gallery for Impetus from the Leigh Sports Village:
Teams: MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): Earps, Batlle, Le Tissier, Turner, Blundell Ladd, Zelem, Parris, Toone, Galton, Russo. Substitutes used: Williams (for Russo 66′), Boe Risa (for Toone 75′), Garcia (for Parris 75′), Thomas (for Galton 90+3′).
Scorers: Ladd 2′, Garcia 90+1′.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Roebuck, Morgan, Houghton, Greenwood, Ouahabi, Hasegawa, Angeldahl, Kelly, Coombs, Hemp, Shaw. Substitutes used: Keating (GK – for Ouahabi – Roebuck red card 44′), Raso (for Hemp 76′), Castellanos (for Coombs 82′).
Scorer: Angeldahl 68′.
Referee: Rebecca Welch.
Attendance: 7,864.
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