One Ell of a fightback!

BUT GEORGIA HAS AN OFF DAY

ENGLAND striker Ellen White hopped off the bench to rescue a point for 10-player City in a pulsating Manchester derby.

The performance of the Blues will have done a lot to ease the pressure on boss Gareth Taylor, who had presided over three straight defeats.

But City, who responded to losing Georgia Stanway in the first half to a red card following an ugly lunge on Leah Galton, picked up a point.

Taylor had no complaints about the decision to send Stanway off and saluted his players for their response to falling behind with 15 minutes to go.

He said: “I wasn’t totally sure it was a red card for Georgia at first, but having seen it back I can see why the referee gave it.

“I heard the fourth official say that it looked reckless, and on reflection I was disappointed because Georgia has given the referee an easy decision to make. I know she can be a fiery player, but she’s also got to be sensible. The girls showed a great spirit and character, though, and I take my hat off to every single one of them because we were in a tough situation.

“To come back in the manner we did after going 2-1 down shows you everything we have in terms of togetherness in the squad.”

After the Blues had seen an early Lauren Hemp header cleared off the line by Maria Thorisdottir, the game burst into life in the 35th minute. That was when Stanway’s thigh-high lunge floored Galton, leading to a rare WSL red card.

Losing the England star appeared to galvanise Taylor’s side, however, and they stormed ahead three minutes later.

Left-back Demi Stokes swung in a peach of a cross for Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, and the Jamaican hot-shot rose superbly before heading past Mary Earps.

Two goals in three minutes – a tap-in from sub Lucy Staniforth and Alessia Russo’s crisp finish – turned the game dramatically in United’s favour in the final quarter, only for City to bag themselves a late point.

Sub White – dropped in favour of Shaw – slammed home a rebound after Jess Park’s thunderbolt had rattled the crossbar.

United boss Marc Skinner, whose side still haven’t notched a Super League victory against their city rivals, said: “It’s a missed opportunity to get three points.

“But I still see this as a good step forward in terms of mentality and us being together as a team.”