Lucia Garcia‘s stoppage time strike saw the hosts take maximum points at the Leigh Sports Village, despite a spirited City performance.
It was a cruel twist of fate for Gareth Taylor‘s side, who twice hit the woodwork, while United stopper Mary Earps also pulled off several fine saves.
City also played the entirety of the second half with ten players after Ellie Roebuck‘s dismissal, and Houghton expressed her personal pride at how we responded to any setbacks during the match, regardless of the final result.
“It’s hard to put into words,” she reflected after the match.
“To be honest, I thought we were the better team in second half, even with ten players.
“I thought we showed what we’re about in terms of fight, spirit and being together, we had chances as well.
“It’s disappointing but we just have to get ready for next week now.”
City knew our WSL title hopes were over before kick-off, but defeat against United also means our top three destiny is out of our hands on the final day.
Indeed, Gareth Taylor‘s side need to beat Everton and hope for an Arsenal defeat at the hands of Aston Villa, with a significant goal swing.
Houghton is disappointed we haven’t been able to add to the trophy cabinet this season, but insists the future is bright at the Academy Stadium.
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She said: “We’ve got a lot of young players, we’ve got a lot with experience already of winning trophies. This club can go as far as it wants to.
“We all want to learn, we all want to work hard and push each other.
“That’s the most important thing for the team if you want to be successful.
“It hurts at this moment, being at City we want to compete but we go again.
“That’s what we do at this club, we fight even more. We have a big game next week, so we need to be ready for that.”
