Report: Bristol City 1-2 Arsenal.

Bristol City ran Arsenal close but were sunk by a Katie McCabe brace in front of a record women's matchday crowd of 12,008 at Ashton Gate.

McCabe's double, either side of Rachel Furness’ superb first-half header, was enough to see The Gunners home against a Robins side who turned in the 90-plus minute performance Head Coach Lauren Smith had been looking for.

Smith made three changes to the team beaten by Manchester City last Sunday, with Liv Clark, Ella Powell and Ffion Morgan all coming into the side. Sixteen-year-old goalkeeper Yas Davies was named on the bench, her first inclusion in a matchday squad.

The first chance of the game fell to the visitors when Lia Walti eluded Ella Powell’s challenge but saw her shot cannon off the near post and into the hands of Clark on her Women’s Super League debut.

Arsenal took the lead soon after as McCabe fired a shot from distance past Clark and into the top corner.

It wasn't long before Clark was called into action again as she did well to hold onto Caitlin Foord’s right-footed effort.

City equalised just after the quarter-of-an-hour mark when Furness climbed highest to flick a lovely header in off the post from Jamie-Lee Napier’s cross, after some good work from Carrie Jones down the left.

Alessia Russo went close for The Gunners, volleying inches wide from the edge of the area and was then involved again, threading a ball through for McCabe. However, Clark was quick off her line to smother the Ireland Internationals effort and make sure the score remained level going into half-time.

City somehow kept the ball out of the net moments after the break, with Clark making a good save to prevent Foord initially, before Naomi Layzell and Megan Connolly both denied almost certain goals, throwing themselves in front of efforts from Russo and McCabe respectively to keep it at 1-1.

McCabe got her second of the game to put Arsenal back in front, pouncing on a loose ball just inside the 18-yard-box before firing into the roof of the net.

Substitutes Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead combined well as the game headed into nine minutes of additional time, and the latter rounded Clark before teeing up Foord, who looked destined to score, but Napier did incredibly well to get back and clear it off the line.

Smith’s side battled until the very end but Arsenal had enough to see them over the line under the lights in BS3.

Team: Clark (GK), Powell, Aspin (Murray ‘64), Connolly (C), Layzell, Napier, Rodgers (Syme ‘79), Furness, Morgan, Jones (Ward ‘72), Thestrup (Hayles ‘79). Substitutes (not used): Davies (GK), Struck, Mustaki, Bull, Teisar.

Att: 12,008

Report by Kory Cook