Sports · NEWS EXPLAINER
Hemp’s two goals lift Man City past Arsenal 4–2 in WSL
Manchester City twice came from behind at the Etihad Stadium to make it five league wins from five. Kerstin Casparij equalized off the bench before Hemp and Bunny Shaw completed the turnaround.
Lauren Hemp scored twice as Manchester City came from behind twice to beat Arsenal 4–2 in the Women’s Super League at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, October 4. City’s fifth win from five league matches kept the defending champions top of the table.
Arsenal take the lead twice
Lisa Baum put Arsenal ahead in the 43rd minute, turning in the rebound after Ayaka Yamashita saved Lotte Wubben-Moy’s header. Hemp answered in first-half stoppage time with an effort that deflected off Emily Fox and brought City level at 1–1.
Alessia Russo restored Arsenal’s advantage in the 49th minute, curling a finish into the corner after City lost possession inside their own penalty area. That left the hosts chasing the game again, with more than half an hour still to play.
Casparij’s arrival changes the score
Andrée Jeglertz turned to his bench just after the hour, and Casparij supplied the next goal. The substitute curled a shot in from inside the area in the 63rd minute, making it 2–2 and erasing Arsenal’s second lead.
Hemp then put City ahead for the first time in the 72nd minute. She arrived at the far post to meet Yui Hasegawa’s cross and finished past Anneke Borbe. Her second goal changed the score to 3–2.
Shaw finishes a run of three unanswered goals
Shaw added City’s fourth in the 84th minute after Aoba Fujino sent her through. She turned away from Leah Williamson and finished low, giving the home side a two-goal cushion for the first time.
City had scored the final three goals after falling 2–1 behind. The six-goal sequence shows both equalizers before the decisive lead, with Manchester City’s score listed first throughout. The 45+1 entry marks first-half stoppage time.
Five wins put City two points clear
The official table dated October 4 showed City on a maximum 15 points from five matches. Chelsea were second on 13, with London City Lionesses third on 12. All three had played five games. Arsenal had five points and were 10th.
For another women’s league side reaching five wins from five, our September 26 report covers Barcelona’s 2–0 victory at Logroño. Our England–Spain report from the same date follows a separate men’s international comeback, with Mikel Oyarzabal sealing Spain’s 3–2 win after they had trailed 2–1.
