Elisabeth Terland’s 89th-minute equaliser earned Manchester United a much-deserved point in a fiery Manchester derby, as an end-to-end affair finished 1-1 at Leigh Sports Village.
The Norwegian’s late strike rescued United and ruined Manchester City’s perfect start to this WSL season, after Bunny Shaw’s eighth goal of this league campaign looked to have won the day. Terland’s late dagger kept United’s unbeaten streak rolling as they look to build back toward the Champions League spots.
United’s number 10 will perhaps feel more relief than joy after her goal — she could easily have won this game for Eva Olid’s side, who produced a number of brilliant chances across both halves. United outshot and largely outplayed City, whose defensive vulnerabilities were on full display.
Olid went with the same starting eleven for the fourth WSL game in a row after three consecutive wins and their strong form has helped the Spaniard’s side build confidence as a unit. Though City gave United a more thorough examination than Charlton did last weekend, Olid will be happy with how her team built attacks and threatened City on the counter.
It was City that took control of the early going, and for the first 25 minutes it looked like this would be their derby to lose. Lauren Hemp looked to have a golden chance to score in the first 10 minutes, springing the offside trap and rounding an onrushing Phallon Tullis-Joyce, only for a questionable flag to save United. The City forward looked to be level and surely would have scored.
It may not be City’s only complaint about the way this derby was officiated. Maya Le Tissier’s plan to stop Shaw was to bully her and she was lucky to stay on the field on multiple occasions. She grappled with Shaw in the first half as the last defender, preventing her from running through on goal, and then crashed into Shaw off the ball five minutes later, sending her to the turf away from the gaze of the officials.
But unlike in United’s earlier games against elite WSL sides, Olid’s team found their feet. They were the better side for the final 15 minutes of the first period, with the combined threat of Ella Toone and Andrea Medina consistently breaking through City’s lines.
The pair combined to create United’s best chance of the first half. Medina’s beautifully timed run was found by Toone’s weighted pass, only for the Mexican’s low cross to find an unmarked Terland, whose disorganised feet failed to muster a shot from six yards out.
Terland had another excellent opportunity early in the second half, timing her run brilliantly to pierce City’s defence, only to scuff the ball straight at Yamashita one-on-one.
United continued to press after Terland’s misses and had this derby by the scruff of the neck by the hour mark, when Jess Park rattled the crossbar from range.
But United’s profligacy was punished by the imperious Shaw, whose Ballon d’Or candidacy grew in stature on Sunday night. Receiving the ball with her back to goal, Shaw held off United defender Dominique Janssen with ease before creating space and battering the ball past Tullis-Joyce into the far corner.
It was Shaw’s only real impact on the game, and City will be wishing that their best opportunity, which came late in the second half, had fallen to their star woman. Instead, it was substitute and former Manchester United player Grace Clinton who was presented with a chance to double City’s lead late on, only for her to sidefoot the ball across goal instead of bursting the net.
United were worthy of their equaliser, and Terland did well to strike home after a frustrating evening in front of goal. The 25-year-old has spent much of United’s season chasing lost causes and holding up play as an isolated forward, and that dirty work is clearly valuable to this United team.
However, despite her equaliser, United may be tempted into action in January after Melvine Malard’s exit in the summer. The Frenchwoman’s brace for Chelsea earlier on Sunday stands as a reminder of what United have lost.
City, meanwhile, looked fragile as they dropped points for the first time this season and lost their place atop the WSL table to Chelsea on goal difference.
United will look to keep the ball rolling against Everton next weekend, while City face another dangerous test away to London City Lionesses, who could leapfrog them with a win.
