Brighton 1-2 Manchester City: Khadija Shaw hits crucial late winner in WSL title race

Khadija Shaw scored the winning goal in the 89th minute as Manchester City beat Brighton to keep their hopes of the Women’s Super League title alive.

City dominated for most of the game but despite spending most of the second half in Brighton territory, it looked like they would have to settle for a point.

However, the pressure finally kicked in and Shaw collected a loose ball just inside the penalty area and struck low with his left foot past the helpless Megan Walsh in Brighton’s goal.

The win extends City’s undefeated streak to 13 WSL matches and puts them level on points with rivals Manchester United in second place, just two points behind leaders Chelsea, although Gareth Taylor’s side have played a match more.

Brighton remain in 11th place with eight points and a battle to maintain their top flight status lies ahead.

Better late than never for Man City

When Chloe Kelly’s fierce shot whistled across the goal and just wide of the post with just two minutes to go, it looked like City’s wait for their first WSL title since 2016 would last another year.

Just over 60 seconds later, Shaw was driving away to celebrate and City was dreaming again.

Up to that point, it had been a frustrating afternoon for the visitors at Broadfield Stadium, with chances begging, and even when they managed to convert – Shaw paired up brilliantly with Yui Hasegawa before overtaking Walsh – they soon let Brighton back in.

The home team, led by interim coach Amy Merricks, had already seen two disallowed goals before Terland swung his right foot back to curl into the far corner to complete a swift counter-attack.

Brighton’s threat at half-time and their inability to quell it only added to City’s frustration.

Kelly saw a powerful shot knocked over the crossbar by Walsh while Shaw was also knocked back by the Brighton stopper and had another shot deflected wide.

But their perseverance was finally rewarded, and with a big home game against Chelsea in two weeks time, the WSL title is still up for grabs, and Shaw’s late goal could prove to be an even more pivotal late-season moment.