Manchester United v Manchester City: WSL – live! | Football

It came from a quick corner on the left that was taken short to Toone. She hammered it to the near post, where the unmarked Staniforth improvised to beat Taieb with a backheeled volley!

And now they have equalised!

71 min A good move from United falls down when Toone’s touch is too heavy on the edge of the area. But it feels like they are getting closer to an equaliser.

69 min Blundell plays a crisp pass towards Galton in the area. Scott does well to keep pace with Galton and slide the ball behind for a corner.

67 min A change for United: Kirsty Hanson is replaced by Lucy Staniforth, which probably means a reshuffle: Toone will move to the right with Staniforth playing behind Russo.

66 min Though United are having probably their best spell of the match, they are still struggling to create clear chances. I think Taieb has had only two saves to make, both from long-range shots.

63 min Hanson tries to run Stokes, who tracks her all the way and concedes a corner. Zelem’s delivery is comfortably held by Taieb.

61 min Demi Stokes has also had a fine game at left-back for City. She made the goal with an excellent cross and has kept Kirsty Hanson very quiet.

59 min A change for City: Ellen White replaces the goalscorer Bunny Shaw.

57 min: Good save from Taieb! Now a chance for United. Toone turns smartly 25 yards from goal and hits a curling, dipping shot that is pushed away by Taieb, diving to his left. One way or another, I can’t see this ending 1-0.

55 min: Good save from Earps! A loose ball from Toone is picked up by Hemp, 25 yards out. She charges straight into the area, past a couple of United defenders, and rifles a rising drive that is pushed over by Earps. The angle was tight and it was a fairly comfortable save. But Hemp is just exhilarating to watch.

54 min This is a good spell for United, who have started pressing City higher up the pitch.

52 min Galton goes over in the area after a late challenge by Scott. The ball had long gone, which is surely the only reason a penalty wasn’t given. Whether that’s relevant, I don’t know.

51 min United win the ball high up the field, though to be honest it looked like a foul by Zelem on Weir. Play was allowed to continue and Toone’s shot from the edge of the area was deflected behind for a corner.

51 min They’ve had three shots at goal now. Toone’s long-range effort is blocked and Blundell’s follow-up, also from distance, deflects well wide off her teammate Groenen.

50 min United look frustrated by their inability to get at City’s makeshift defence. I think they had only one shot on goal in the first half.

47 min City are now playing 4-4-1, with Beckie at right back and Angeldahl ahead of her.

Peep peep! City are a goal up and a player down after a feisty first half. Georgia Stanway was sent off for an appalling tackle on Leah Galton, who has been United’s best player. But if anything that seemed to inspire City, who took the lead soon after through Bunny Shaw’s expert header. They created the better chances both before and after the red card. It helps that, even though they are down to 10, they have by far the best player on the pitch: Lauren Hemp has been spectacular.

45+5 min Another sensational run from Hemp! She charges infield, away from Batlle and curls a clever low cross that is sliced wide by the stretching Angeldahl.

45 min A clearance from Scott hits Hemp in the face, which means a break in play while she is checked. There will be four minutes of added time.

44 min Beckie’s errant header goes behind for a United corner. Zelem curls it deep and the backpedalling Shaw heads away.

43 min City have been much the better team since being reduced to 10 players.

41 min Another blistering run from Hemp, who beats Batlle on the byline but can’t pick out a City player in the middle. Lauren Hemp is a sensational footballer, good enough for any team in the world.

And now City have taken the lead! It was a superbly taken goal by Bunny Shaw, who was brought in to replace Ellen White today. Stokes, on the left, curled a beautiful cross into the middle, where Shaw got away from Mannion and planted an accomplished header into the bottom corner.

38 min Janine Beckie has moved to right back for the time being.

36 min I’m pretty sure it was a misjudgement by Stanway, rather than anything more sinister. But it was still a very nasty tackle and the referee had little choice but to send her off.

35 min City are down to ten. Georgia Stanway has been given a straight red for a thigh-high, studs-up challenge on Galton. It was an absurd tackle, miles over the top of the ball, and she can have no complaints.

32 min Hanson has United’s first effort on target, a crisp shot on the turn from 20 yards. Taieb stretches to make a comfortable save.

32 min United work the ball superbly down the left, with Groenen, Toone and Galton involved. Galton’s cross bounces around the area before being cleared by Greenwood.

29 min Hemp shoots over the bar from 25 yards. The game hasn’t quite caught fire, even though it’s being played at a cracking pace.

27 min Russo leads a dangerous United break, with Toone charging 50 yards in support. Russo tries to put her through on goal but Scott makes a vital interception on the edge of the area.

25 min There’s a break in play while Bunny Shaw receives treatment. That gives both managers a chance to talk tactics with their players.

22 min City will be really happy with this start – they have had the better chances and, though United have looked dangerous through Galton, the City keeper Taieb has had nothing to do.

20 min Galton swerves past Stanway on the left edge of the area and hits a low cross that is cleared.

16 min: Off the line by Thorisdottir! Angeldahl gets down the right and lifts a high, hanging cross towards the far post. Hemp meets it with a powerful header back across goal that is headed behind by Thorisdottir. That was a vital piece of defending because I don’t think Earps was going to get there.

15 min Hemp wins City’s first corner. Nothing comes of it but she is looking really dangerous on the left.

13 min: Fine save by Earps! Hemp charges down the left and curls a brilliant first-time cross that bounces up towards Beckie. She steers it towards goal on the run and Earps flies to her right to push it round the post.

11 min Hemp plays a good pass to the underlapping Stokes on the left. She twists cleverly away from Zelem but then overhits her cross.

9 min United are starting to impose themselves on the game, and Hanson wins their first corner. Zelem drives it beyond the far post and Shaw heads clear. It’s played back out to Zelem, whose dangerous cross is headed away by Scott.

7 min Galton plays a neat one-two with Russo on the left but slices a cross out of play under pressure from Stanway.

6 min United get behind the City defence for the first time but Galton is wrongly flagged offside. It’s been very cagey so far, from both sides.

3 min It’s been a quiet start, with City having most of the early possession.

The kick off is only a few minutes away, and the teams have assembled in the tunnel. City are first out, led by their captain Alex Greenwood, and then Katie Zelem walks United onto the field.

United make one change from the team that beat Birmingham 2-0 last weekend, with Kirsty Hanson in for Lucy Staniforth. Alessia Russo is likely to play up front with Ella Toone as the No10.

Two changes for City from the side that was surprisingly beaten by West Ham: Bunny Shaw is preferred to Ellen White up front, and Georgia Stanway replaces Jess Park. Stanway will probably go to right-back, with Janine Beckie replacing Park on the wing. Jill Scott remains at centre-back, though Alanna Kennedy and Ruby Mace are on the bench.

Manchester United (possible 4-2-3-1) Earps; Batlle, Thorisdottir, Mannion, Blundell; Zelem, Groenen; Hanson, Toone, Galton; Russo.
Substitutes: Baggaley, Harris, Risa, Ladd, Fuso, Jones, Staniforth.

Manchester City (possible 4-3-3) Taieb; Stanway, Scott, Greenwood, Stokes; Angeldahl, Walsh, Weir; Beckie, Shaw, Hemp.
Substitutes: Keating, Coombs, Park, White, Kennedy, Mace.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Manchester derby at Leigh Sports Village. At the best of times, this is a big game. At the worst of times – and that’s what these are for City – it’s a huge one.

It’s hard to look at the WSL table without doing a double take: City are in ninth, having lost three of their first four games, and are probably already be out of the title race. There are mitigating circumstances, mainly dumb luck and a grotesque injury list, but it’s still a wretched start. If they lose today, there might be a P45 with Gareth Taylor’s name on it.

United have had a calmer start, winning three of their four WSL games, though they were taken apart by Chelsea last month. There was a danger they might get stuck on a mezzanine between the big three and the rest of the league. A win today would put them nine points clear of City, and – even at this stage – give them a serious chance of breaking new ground.

Kick off 1.30pm.