Late goal keeps Chelsea top of the WSL

Manchester City Women 1-2 Chelsea Women

She doesn't usually do headers, admitting "it's not my trademark type of goal", but wee Scottish dynamo Erin Cuthbert flew horizontally through the air like Superman to bag the points at Man City and maintain Chelsea's lead at the top of the Women's Super League.

The ball shot past keeper Khiara Keating in stoppage time at the Etihad on Sunday in the teams' third meeting in a week to clinch a 2-1 win after Kerolin Nicoli had slid a deceptive shot past Hannah Hampton for a 1-0 first-half lead, and Aggie Beever-Jones had levelled early in the second half.

Chelsea were lucky ref Kirsty Dowle had blown her whistle for a foul instead of playing advantage shortly before the interval as City could, and really should, have been 2-0 ahead through Jess Park. But Park's 'goal' was replaced by a free kick which then ricocheted off the crossbar.

Sonia Bompastor stayed with her starting selection in the second half, when most fans were expecting immediate changes, and the re-energised team repaid her faith with a much tighter, more focused display to draw level and ultimately triumph.

Cuthbert praised centre back Ashley Lawrence's skill in crossing the ball under pressure in the second minute of injury time, creating her winning header, declaring: "Ashley did well; she sat [Kerstin] Casparij down!"

The midfielder said confidence was high in the squad, where the return of striker Mia Fishel as a late sub increased Bompastor's selection options. Fishel hasn't played in a year, and will now be eased back to full match fitness. "We always seem to find a way," said Cuthbert, analysing Chelsea's impressive second-half showing. "Everyone has belief; we know we can do it."

Bompastor must take huge credit for inspiring her team to bounce back from their first defeat under her tenure after Nick Cushing's City won the first leg of the sides' Champions League clash 2-0.

"It was a really important three points," said the French gaffer. "In the first half we weren't consistent enough, but I just reminded my players at half-time what the game plan was, and I also told them I wanted to see more belief."

She has had time to reflect on the midweek Champions League first-leg defeat, and said Sunday's league victory was the best possible reaction. "It was a champion's performance," she said.

As they inch closer to a sixth successive WSL crown, Bompastor added: "We have 15 points left [to play for] until the end of the season, and we are eight points ahead. That's a big advantage, but we will need to fight to the end."

From City's perspective, the intensity of the compact cauldron of sound at the Joie ground next to the Etihad couldn't be replicated in Sunday's quarter-full, echoey main stadium, and as a result Chelsea capitalised on second-half creeping doubts to secure their league win.

Cheap tickets for residents

There's a last opportunity to take advantage of an exclusive 20% discount on tickets for Thursday night's Champions League clash at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea (trailing from the first leg) and City. Hammersmith & Fulham residents can bag cut-price tickets.