Manchester United put two past City to earn their first-ever win over their local rivals in club history at the top tier. Lucia Garcia nudged the ball into the back of the net in stoppage time to clinch the three points and keep the Reds' title dreams alive.
Hayley Ladd found the back of the net two minutes after kick-off, while City fought back with ten players when finally, Filippa Angeldahl got the equaliser in the 68th minute. But with six minutes of stoppage time, substitute Garcia's winner saw United over the line.
Moments before the break Roebuck was shown a straight red card for wiping Nikita Parris clean out - the crowd booing around the ground as the goalkeeper made her way off the field.
The record-breaking crowd, all 7,864 fans at Leigh Sports Village were electrifying as the Reds continued to dominate their visitors the entire evening. Unwilling to give them an inch. City did have chances but were denied by Earps and the woodwork twice before finding the back of the net.
United take the title race into next weekend's final day of the WSL season. Two points behind Chelsea, they need to beat Liverpool while hoping that Chelsea lose against Reading.
Player ratings:
Mary Earps - Collected the ball well and confidently in her busy area. Strong distribution and denied Khadija Shaw’s efforts from close range but was also protected by a sea of red shirts when City were on the attack. Couldn't do much about City's freak equaliser that spun over her head. 7
Ona Batlle - Worked hard to torture Lauren Hemp down the right flank, Le Tissier in tow. Slid in to block Bunny Shaw working the line in perfectly times fashion. Dangerous on the counter. 9
Hannah Blundell - Pushed right into the opposition box early in the first half to deliver an opportunity, fantastic one-touch link-up play with Ella Toone on the left flank. Got the better of Chloe Kelly who was just about to hit fifth gear and storm into the United half. Outpaced Kelly a number of times. One of her strongest performances. 9
Ella Toone - Fireball shot from close range smashed into Alex Greenwood instead of hitting the target, danced around the pitch with fancy footwork and feints. Carried the ball well and quickly transitioned into attack. 8
Katie Zelem - Stole possession well, strong in the deliveries of corners, strong in the middle of the park. Double-teamed with Toone to get the better of Laura Coombs in the centre. 7
Leah Galton - Worked the left flank well, missed a couple of chances from very close range. A quieter game for Galton, the work rate was there but not much joy on the ball. Very unfortunate not to get the penalty call. 7
Hayley Ladd - Fantastic recovery of possession on the edge of her area to deny City a chance encounter. Scored from outside the area, top bins! 9
Maya Le Tissier - Fought off Bunny Shaw, and made sure her body was in the way of every opportunity. Had a chance to put the ball back into the danger zone but headed the ball into Ellie Roebuck’s hands. 8
Millie Turner - Lots of communication from the centre back, stoic performance as always, does a lot of the work without much of the glory. Kept the defensive play simple when in possession - playing it safe to Earps and blocking the runner and was solid in her aerial battles. 7
Nikita Parris - So close early on with a header. She possessed tons of energy to get back and carry out defensive duties. Shoulder-barged Alex Greenwood off the ball several times to regain attacking momentum. Brought her A game - the best performance I’ve seen from her. Far too much for Laura Coombs and Leila Ouahabi to handle today. Was taken clean out by Ellie Roebuck and took it on the chin. 9
Alessia Russo - Pressured the back line well to force the obvious play. Made a nuisance of herself for Steph Houghton. Her free-kick delivery didn’t quite work out going just wide of the target. Had Houghton on a 1-v-1 and played right into her feet but delivered a sensational low cross that went missed. 7
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