City’s title hopes looked to be in a perilous position at half-time of our crucial top-of-the-table clash with Chelsea, with the Blues trailing 2-0 courtesy of goals from Millie Bright and Ji So-Yun.
However, Nick Cushing’s reigning title holders are made of sterner stuff and an inspired second half performance salvaged a pivotal point at the Academy Stadium, as Georgia Stanway struck an absolute stunner late on after Nikita Parris had halved the deficit shortly after the break.
Buoyed by Wednesday night’s turn of events, Chelsea started brightly – quite literally – and broke the deadlock with a goal inside six minutes.
Abbie McManus had already prevented an opener with a fine block to deny Fran Kirby, before the visitors capitalised. The hosts failed to clear a corner and the ball fell kindly for Bright to thump past Ellie Roebuck.
READ: Comeback draw feels like a win, says Stanway
Esme Morgan then did well to thwart Kirby before the away side doubled their advantage on 24 minutes when Crystal Dunn cut back for So-Yun to drill into the far corner, handing Cushing’s side a mountain to climb.
The hosts were handed a lifeline on 49 minutes.
Demi Stokes was the architect, delivering a wonderful cross to the backpost for Parris, who powered a header into the back of the net to halve the deficit.
City found an equaliser with four minutes of normal time remaining.
In a bid to instil some vigour, Cushing had introduced Claire Emslie, Jane Ross and Stanway - and the substitutions proved inspired as the latter added further justification to her ‘super sub’ label, smashing home a sensational long-range leveller into the top corner from Scott’s lay-off to spark joyous scenes.
Watch the video above...
