Khiara Keating the hero as Manchester City knock Arsenal out of FA Cup

There was redemption at Meadow Park for the goalkeeper Khiara Keating as Manchester City won 1-0 and knocked the 14-time FA Cup winners Arsenal out of the competition in the fifth round.

Keating weathered a late Arsenal charge, including pulling off a stunning save from a header destined for the top corner in added time, pushing over Lotte Wubben-Moy’s effort and clawing away a shot that looked to have crossed the line to atone for her errors for both goals in City’s 2-1 defeat here in the league that left her in tears.

There was no VAR or goalline technology to show whether Beth Mead’s corner had finally caught out Keating in the final minutes of added time and she looked a little sheepish as she clutched the ball and Arsenal protested that the ball had crossed the line.

Arsenal were drawn against Women’s Super League title rivals in the fifth round for the second consecutive campaign, having been knocked out by Chelsea at the same stage last year and it was Laia Aleixandri’s poked in effort that eliminated them this time.

Jonas Eidevall made four changes to the team that lost 2-1 defeat against West Ham in the WSL last weekend with Sabrina D’Angelo, Katie McCabe, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Frida Maanum all in the starting XI – Vivianne Miedema’s absence with a knee irritation forcing a change. Meanwhile Leah Williamson made her second start a year after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury, captaining the side with Kim Little on the bench.

For City, there were two changes to the team which won 1-0 against Tottenham in the Continental League Cup on Wednesday night, with Kerstin Casparij and Laura Coombs returned to the starting XI.

There is no love lost between these two sides this season with the City manager, Gareth Taylor, having accused Eidevall of bullying the fourth official in his team’s 2-1 defeat against Arsenal in the league. Eidevall called it “borderline slander” in the aftermath but said he had moved past it before kick-off in the cup and “hadn’t thought about it”.

There was no fraternal element to action on the pitch at Meadow Park even if the frustrations off it had been put to one side, this was a feisty encounter, and Wubben-Moy was lucky to escape punishment for an elbow into the head of Khadija Shaw inside the box – a challenge not too dissimilar to the one for which Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly received a retrospective three-match ban.

Shaw bore the brunt of Arsenal attentions, while McCabe and Lauren Hemp fought for dominance City’s right wing, metaphorically and literally – having fouled Hemp, McCabe nudged the England forward a little too many times with her shoulder provoking a reactive shove that sent McCabe to the ground theatrically.

Laia Aleixandri scores Manchester City’s winner. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

That the game reached the break without a card having been brandished was perhaps the most interesting talking point at half-time, with scrappy passing and turnovers and few chances to speak of. The best had fallen to Caitlin Foord, who provided the only shot on target of the half when she cut inside from the left but her effort was straight at Keating.

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Things began to open up in the second half and with Arsenal pressing much higher the chances started coming for the home team, Alessia Russo’s header sent wide by a deflection, Victoria Pelova curling an effort wide of the far post and Mead shooting straight at Keating.

There were chances at both ends and City’s best would come from back-to-back corners, with two Shaw headers forcing D’Angelo into a fine save for the first and Williamson to clear off the line for the second.

Shaw exited for Mary Fowler moments later and would immediately have an ice pack held to her leg on the bench. City’s biggest threat was off the pitch, but they would find the lead from a set piece, Aleixandri poking in after substitute Steph Catley failed to clear.

Keating would be on hand to keep City ahead as the clock ticked down, grasping Mead’s effort straight at her, acrobatically pushing away Pelova’s header from the top corner and saving from Wubben-Moy.

But there would be one more moment of drama, with Mead’s corner swung goalwards and the keeper seemingly grabbing it after it had crossed the line. There were protests but no goal was given and City condemned Arsenal to back-to-back defeats.