A last-gasp brace from Arsenal's Stina Blackstenius threw another twist in the Women's Super League title race as league leaders Manchester City slumped to a 2-1 loss on Sunday.
A spectacular second-half capitulation from the hosts at the Joie Stadium saw their 14-match winning run in the league come to a grinding halt courtesy of the Gunners, who deservedly found an equaliser through Blackstenius with a minute of regular time remaining before the Swedish striker supplied the winner two minutes into injury time.
The result leaves City six points clear of defending champions Chelsea, who boast a game in hand, heading into the final game of the season. If Chelsea defeat relegated Bristol City on Sunday evening and Tottenham Hotspur next week, the WSL title could come down to goal difference on the final day as City face Aston Villa and Chelsea take on Manchester United.
The result arrives days after Chelsea boss Emma Hayes looked to have publicly thrown the towel in after her side's dramatic loss to Liverpool mid-week.
Despite Hayes' defeatist tone, City boss Taylor refused to indulge in talk of first league title in eight years for City being wrapped up so simply.
"We don't need to over-egg this," Taylor declared to SkySports pre-match.. "[The title race] is nowhere near ours. Chelsea are still the champions, they have an extra game to play. I prefer to call it as it is. There certainly is a lot more to be done in the title race."
Taylor's words would prove cruelly prophetic, though no spectator would have predicted as much upon taking in the start of the contest. City should've been a goal up with just six minutes on the clock had Leila Ouahabi sorted her feet right. The hosts were characteristically probing, slick and incisive. Arsenal grew to find their own threat, and City keeper Khiara Keating was called on to make a big save before the quarter-hour mark to deny Maanum while Russo was denied by an excellently-timed tackle from Alex Greenwood.
But it was City who struck first with a gorgeous show of skill from Hemp who collected the ball in the box and, spinning on the half turn, smashed her shot into the far netting. The England international, having just signed a new deal, sprinted straight to the City bench to celebrate with retiring veteran Steph Houghton on her final home game of the season, but Houghton's expression was one of urgency and resolve amid a sea of twitching title excitement.
What guise the visitors' response would take was the question but they found wresting the game from their hosts a laborious task. Yui Hasegawa marshalled the midfield almost without fault while Jess Park's link-up play with forwards Hemp and Mary Fowler verged occasionally on telepathy. Chances arrived to put the game to bed, including a gilt-edged chance inspired by Park and Hemp, but Kelly's scuffed shot was hardly convincing.
City's profligacy left the door open for Arsenal. And where their first-half display cried out for a fraction of the rhythm, cohesion and plan City touted so freely, the second saw the visitors play with a brashness that had been for want earlier. Within seconds of the restart, Laia Codina blazed a close-range effort wide, while Manuela Zinsberger denied Fowler's low-driven strike with a sublime stop.
Eidevall dipped into his squad depth while City dipped in form and vigour, and it was Arsenal who looked set to throw a spanner in a title race Hayes deemed to be dusted. Yet, Arsenal's foible this season has been final third execution and so it was for long periods again here. A clear cut chance for Beth Mead after City gifted back possession bobbled aimlessly into the arms of Keating, a microcosm of Arsenal's frustrations.
The opportunities piled higher for Arsenal who ratcheted up their efforts to come away with at least a point. Substitute Caitlin Foord barrelled down on Keating's goal after being played in by Blackstenius but the Australia international somehow contrived to send her shot wide.
City continued to be pinned back and finally Blackstenius knocked Caitlin Foord's downward header past Keating after some scruffy and questionable defending from the hosts. And smelling blood, Blackstenius seized the winner with a lovely finish in injury time.
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