Man City women’s player ratings vs Liverpool: Rebecca Knaak, you hero! Late header secures huge win in WSL title race for tense table-toppers

No team has ever boasted a larger lead at the top of the WSL than when City went 11 points clear in February, while no team has ever blown a seven-point advantage in the title race, but that has been chipped away at in recent weeks, with Andree Jeglertz’s side having slipped up against Arsenal, Aston Villa and Brighton in a collapse that had the potential to be unlike any the competition has seen before.

The Reds, placed third-from-bottom coming into this game, are a better side than their league position suggests, but City still had more than enough chances to put this match to bed well before Knaak’s heroics.

The early opportunities fell to Liverpool. Within the first five minutes, Aurelie Csillag had headed a decent chance over, Ayaka Yamashita was forced into a strong save by Denise O’Sullivan and Grace Fisk hit the post from a corner, with Jenna Clark also sending a header off target before City were able to carve out anything of their own. Despite starting poorly, and being put under regular pressure by a team coached by Gareth Taylor, who the Cityzens sacked last seasonthe hosts still should’ve taken the lead when that first opening came, but Shaw couldn’t beat Jennifer Falk after great work from Lauren Hemp.

It was a slightly different story after the break. City came out firing and it was Liverpool’s turn to be put under pressure, but the hosts still couldn’t quite carve out many clear-cut chances. Kerolin had a major opportunity just past the hour, when slipped through by Shaw, but Falk made a huge save to preserve her clean sheet, with the Sweden international also coming up big in stoppage time to tip a Shaw header over the bar. This was after Liverpool came close to taking the lead again, when Beata Olsson, the Reds’ top-scorer, strolled into the box completely unmarked, only to send her header wide of the target.

As the clock ticked into additional time, City finally found the breakthrough. Having made save after save to keep the leaders out, Falk somehow couldn’t hold onto Knaak’s rather tame header, spilling the ball into the back of her own net to spark scenes of sheer jubilation and relief from those in blue. The WSL title remains in City’s hands, and victory over West Ham on the final day would deliver a first triumph in this competition since 2016.

GOAL rates City’s players from the Joie Stadium…