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AAP
AAP
Ian Chadband

Catley goal helps send Arsenal past Fowler's Man City

Steph Catley has starred in Arsenal's victory over Manchester City in the Women's Super League. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)

In a battle of four Matildas in the Women's Super League, Steph Catley has hammered home a terrific - and rare - goal to send Arsenal on their way to a 2-1 victory over fellow title contenders Manchester City.

Just four days and 14,500km distant from playing together in Perth for Australia in their Olympic qualifying win over Taiwan, Catley and Caitlin Foord got the better of City's Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy in Sunday's (Monday AEDT) big game.

Indeed, Arsenal's Matildas' duo combined expertly for the brilliant 14th-minute goal that set the Gunners on the path to victory in Borehamwood - only defender Catley's third league goal in her four seasons at the club.

Foord did the donkey work, shielding the ball from the City defence with back to goal before slipping the ball expertly to Catley, whose trusty left foot bulleted the ball into the top corner.

"I usually score about one a year, so that might be me done," Catley told the club's website.

"Hopefully not! But yeah, it's nice to get a goal whenever but obviously in a big game, it's important. Yeah, it feels good and just happy to get three points."

After her midweek heroics, Fowler had a quiet game by her current soaring standards but was involved in the build-up to City's second-half equaliser through Chloe Kelly.

But Arsenal still won the day thanks to an 88th-minute blunder from young City goalkeeper Khiara Keating, who misjudged a long ball pumped downfield, completely missed her attempt at a headed clearance outside the box and could only turn in despair to see Stina Blackstenius tap the ball into an empty net.

It capped an eventful afternoon for the 19-year-old Keating, who'd earlier given away a penalty for a naive foul on Cloe Lacasse but then saved Kim Little's subsequent spot kick brilliantly.

The teenager needed comforting by her teammates at the final whistle as City suffered their first defeat of the season - a result that suited Matildas captain Sam Kerr.

On Saturday, Kerr, unlike her WSL teammates elsewhere, had been afforded the luxury of an afternoon on the bench watching her Chelsea teammates smash Aston Villa 6-0.

That win has given the champions a three-point lead at the top over both Arsenal and City.

Tottenham, who drew 1-1 at home to Everton, and Liverpool, who beat Leicester 2-1, are also alongside Arsenal and City on 10 points. Manchester United remain sixth on nine points after their 2-2 draw at Brighton Hove & Albion, while Bristol City won 3-2 at Mackenzie Arnold's West Ham United to get off the bottom of the table.

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