WSL: Arsenal sink Manchester City as Blackstenius pounces on Keating error

Khiara Keating’s fairytale journey took a dramatic turn for the worse against Arsenal on Sunday, with the 19-year-old Manchester City goalkeeper being at fault for both goals in the Gunners’ hard-fought win.

Gareth Taylor had cautioned that Keating, despite her heroics in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, would make mistakes, stating, “She’s young and will make errors.”

Taylor’s prediction proved correct as Keating’s unsteady clearance eventually led to Steph Catley curling in the first goal, and her ill-timed attempt to reach a long ball resulted in a mishap, with the ball being inadvertently punched behind her, allowing Stina Blackstenius to collect and calmly slot it in.

This was Arsenal’s first match at Meadow Park this season, following two home games at the Emirates Stadium, where they faced a loss to Liverpool and a victory against Aston Villa. Jonas Eidevall, the Arsenal manager, commented before the game about the venue change, saying, “We really are at that crossroads at the moment.” This highly-anticipated game at Boreham Wood’s 4,500-capacity ground sold out within an hour.

Manchester City, with just one summer arrival, former Gunner Jill Roord, and no Champions League qualification campaign, appeared to be the most settled side this season. However, their record at Meadow Park had not been favorable in recent years, with only one win in eight years prior to this match, a 2-1 victory during the behind-closed-doors 2020-21 season.

In the early minutes, a strong sliding block from Amanda Ilestedt thwarted Khadija Shaw’s attempt to shoot, while City piled on the pressure as Arsenal struggled to play from the back, forcing a series of mistakes. The opening goal, against the run of play, was partly Keating’s fault, as her clearance landed at the feet of Victoria Pelova, who passed it to Caitlin Foord, and ultimately to Steph Catley, who scored.

Arsenal’s strong play continued, and they were awarded a penalty just four minutes later, courtesy of a misplaced pass back to Keating by Esme Morgan, which Cloé Lacasse pounced on, leading to a foul by the goalkeeper. However, Keating redeemed herself by diving to her left and deflecting Kim Little’s penalty onto the inside of the post, which was then cleared by Alanna Kennedy.

The game led to a shift from Gareth Taylor, who moved from his seat behind the dugout to his technical area for the first time. In the second half, the play evened out, and City regained their footing. An hour into the match, both teams made two substitutions, with Eidevall introducing Beth Mead and Frida Maanum, while Julie Blakstad and Kerstin Casparij entered for City.

City put continuous pressure on Arsenal, delivering crosses into the box as predicted by Eidevall. The equalizer came from Chloe Kelly after a chaotic sequence in the box that saw Khadija Shaw lay it off for her to fire in.

City appeared to be in control, but Chloe McCabe was a thorn in their side once again, delivering a long ball over the top towards substitute Stina Blackstenius. Keating came off her line but was under the ball, allowing the Swedish forward to collect and slot it into the empty net. Keating was visibly upset and frustrated, consoled by Alanna Kennedy.

The game was temporarily halted due to a medical emergency in the North Bank, which led to a delay, but play resumed for the final minute plus 10 added minutes. Arsenal saw out the game in a scrappy fashion after the incident, taking advantage of the disrupted momentum and securing the hard-fought victory.