Manchester City arrived at Leigh Sports Village with a perfect record and left without it. Elisabeth Terland's strike in the 89th minute dragged Manchester United level at 1-1 on Sunday night, and the Women's Super League's only team with a 100 per cent start finally dropped points.
A Derby That Refused To Settle
United were the better side for long stretches, and the plan was obvious. Starve Khadija Shaw. Captain Maya Le Tissier stayed tight to her all night, and at half-time the City striker hadn't had a shot or even a touch inside the United box. City looked disjointed in the first half and Shaw trudged down the tunnel visibly annoyed. Ella Toone, Andrea Medina and Terland all asked questions on the break, but the goal wouldn't come.
Then Shaw needed one chance and took it. Dominique Janssen let her spin on the edge of the area and she drove the ball past Phallon Tullis-Joyce. United answered quickly. Julia Zigiotti blasted over from close range and a Jess Park effort came back off the woodwork, which tells you how close they were to an equaliser long before it arrived.
Shaw Caught Out In The Box
The leveller was chaotic, and a little cruel on City's centre-forward. United swung a free-kick into the area, Shaw tried to head clear while back-pedalling, and the ball dropped to Terland, who rifled it into the roof of the net. Fireworks were going off outside the stadium by then, a noisy backdrop to a frantic finish. Le Tissier had been booked for a heavy challenge on Shaw earlier, and Shaw also took a boot to the face from Medina in the closing minutes.
It meant more than a point for Terland. She is now the highest-scoring Norwegian in WSL history on 38 goals, ahead of Guro Reiten, in data that goes back to at least 2018-19. City boss Andree Jeglertz admitted the late concession hurt. "When you're one goal up, just a couple of minutes left you are always very disappointed about that," he said. United's Eva Olid was happier with the performance than the scoreline: "What a performance from the team. What a fight."
What It Does To The Table
City stay second on 19 points, level with leaders Chelsea, who went top on goal difference after beating Crystal Palace 3-1 earlier on Sunday. United move up to fourth on 11 points, five behind London City Lionesses in third. They have bounced back from a 5-0 defeat by Chelsea in week two, and City's 2-0 win over them on 29 August now feels a long time ago.
Jeglertz also asked for more protection for Shaw, saying the level of what referees give her isn't right. Neither side has long to dwell on it. City face PSG in the Champions League midweek, while United travel to Everton on Saturday, with a 12:45 GMT kick-off.
Match facts: Manchester United 1-1 Manchester City, Women's Super League, Leigh Sports Village, Sunday 25 October 2026. Goals: Shaw (City), Terland 89' (United). Table: City 19 points, United 11 points.
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