Terland's late equaliser ends Manchester City's perfect WSL start in derby draw
Terland denies City as United fight back at Progress with Unity Stadium
Manchester City were moments away from extending their 100% start to seven Women's Super League games, but Elisabeth Terland had other ideas. The striker struck in the 89th minute to earn Manchester United a 1-1 draw in the Manchester derby at Progress with Unity Stadium, becoming the first side to take points off City in the league this term.
United dominated large spells of the contest, with Eva Olid's side pinning City back before Khadija Shaw broke the deadlock. But Terland ensured the hosts claimed a point to stop City returning to the top of the table.
United on top, Shaw strikes on her century
Aoba Fujino flashed a powerful shot wide on the turn early on before United took control, with Ella Toone and Jess Park both testing Ayaka Yamashita in the City goal. The second half started with United on top, but they piled on pressure without reward as Terland saw a close-range shot smothered by Yamashita after a mistake from Alex Greenwood.
Park then smacked the crossbar after being gifted too much space on the edge of the box, but the game opened up around the hour mark, with Phallon Tullis-Joyce getting down sharply to deny Shaw.
The Jamaican got the opener in the 66th minute despite Dominique Janssen being tight to her. Shaw held off her marker and opened up the smallest pocket of space to pick out the bottom-right corner on her 100th WSL appearance.
Pressure tells as Terland lands the late blow
Julia Zigiotti Olme blazed over the crossbar after a lovely flowing move down the left, but as United committed bodies forward, City almost caught them out on the counter. Tullis-Joyce was sharp to deny Fujino before Grace Clinton saw an effort cleared off the line by Maya Le Tissier.
But the pressure eventually told for the hosts, with Le Tissier's cross only half-cleared by Shaw, and Terland met it first time to drill past Yamashita in the 89th minute.
Shaw's milestone overshadowed
Shaw likes a big moment, and she was at the centre of both goals, making history by giving City the lead before her clearing header inadvertently teed up Terland. Her century of WSL appearances has produced 91 goals — already more than any other player has managed in their first 100 appearances in the competition. It is her fifth goal in eight appearances against United, and she becomes the first player to score in her first six starts of a WSL season, despite not having her best game in a City shirt.
What it means for the table
United were on the brink of suffering three straight defeats to their rivals, but instead they are the first team to take points off City in the league this term, stopping them from equalling their best start to a WSL season (2017-18, when they won their first seven games).
While City had more shots (17 to 11) and more expected goals (1.61 xG to 1.01), on the balance of the game United will feel a point is the least they deserved after having Andree Jeglertz's side on the ropes. And while their three-game winning streak has come to an end, United are now unbeaten in their last five league games, and their resurgence has seen them move up to fourth, while City sit second behind Chelsea on goal difference.
The point caps a turnaround for United, who collected their first WSL win of the 2026/27 season with a 2-1 victory over West Ham on 28 September after picking up just one point from their opening three league games (as reported on 28 September).