Man City 1-1 Chelsea: Visitors score late equaliser after hosts have two players sent off

Defending champions Chelsea scored deep into stoppage time to draw with Manchester City in the Women’s Super League after two costly dismissals for the home side.

Guro Reiten poked in from close range after a scramble in the box to make it 1-1 in the 96th minute to cancel out Chloe Kelly’s opener, after Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp had both been sent off for City.

It was a dramatic afternoon in Manchester in which Greenwood’s first-half sending off changed the course of a match that City had dominated at Joie Stadium.

City captain Greenwood was shown a second yellow card for time-wasting in the 38th minute, before Hemp also received a second booking when she brought down Lauren James after 81 minutes.

The decision from referee Emily Heaslip to send off Greenwood was booed heavily by home supporters and led to three yellow cards being shown for dissent to City team-mates Kelly, Laia Aleixandri and Jill Roord.

Hemp’s red card led to further reaction in the stands and manager Gareth Taylor was cautioned for dissent.

City played with a sense of injustice throughout the second half and their tenacity almost paid off after Kelly’s thumping strike from the edge of the box early on had given them a narrow lead.

But Chelsea, boosted by the return of striker Sam Kerr off the bench, were given a lifeline after a poor opening 45 minutes and tested goalkeeper Khiara Keating more and more as the match wore on.

James struck the crossbar before Reiten’s scrambled equaliser silenced a vociferous home crowd, then Kerr headed an effort off the outside of the post as Chelsea almost won it with seconds to go.

But City held on to maintain their impressive 20-game unbeaten run at home in the WSL, while Chelsea at least came away with something from a ground they have struggled at in recent seasons.

Dramatic afternoon but City can hold heads high

Greenwood’s sending off caused a real stir and proved to be the turning point in what had been a completely one-sided game in Manchester – but City refused to be beaten.

As the players headed off at half-time, boos rang around the stadium from home supporters and there were chants of “you’re not fit to referee” directed towards Heaslip.

Seconds before, midfielder Roord joined Kelly and Aleixandri in the book after being shown a yellow card for dissent as all three had contested Heaslip’s decision.

City captain Greenwood had been booked for a routine foul earlier in the first half and after taking 26 seconds to take a free-kick, was handed a second yellow card for time-wasting.

It was a decision from Heaslip which drew wide-spread criticism from former and current players on social media – but it is something we may need to get used to this season as referees attempt to clamp down on time-wasting in the WSL.

City supporters began chanting the seconds taken over each free-kick and throw-in throughout the second half, while continuing to boo decisions which went against them, and it seemed to spur on their side.

Despite being a player down, City still carried a threat through Kelly and Hemp, while Khadija Shaw returned from injury to make an impact off the bench.

But eventually, after Hemp’s sending off weakened City even further, Chelsea found a way through and Reiten was able to react quickest to poke it through a wall of bodies in the six-yard area and over the line.

The red card decision will have no doubt incensed manager Taylor following his comments earlier this week which voiced “frustration” over Leila Ouahabi’s sending off in their WSL opener against West Ham.

It means City will now be without Greenwood and Hemp for their next home game against newly promoted Bristol City, while Ouahabi has two games remaining of her suspension.