Manchester City comeback from behind to beat Liverpool
At a glance
City dominate first half without scoring
Kapocs gives Liverpool surprise second half lead
Beney equalises and Fujino finds late winner
Aoba Fujino scored late as Manchester City came from behind at Anfield to condemn hosts Liverpool to a club record seventh consecutive Women's Super League defeat.
Fujino smashed in a low strike to send Andree Jeglertz's side second in the table - and extend the Reds' losing league run, which stretches back to the end of last season.
City trapped Liverpool inside their own third for much of the first half, but the hosts took a surprise lead in the 52nd minute when Cornelia Kapocs headed in a brilliant Ceri Holland cross.
City drew level 12 minutes later when Iman Beney smashed home the rebound after Rafaela Borggrafe palmed Khadija Shaw's header into a dangerous area.
Jeglertz's side had controlled the first half as Liverpool challenged them to find a way through, but lacked the cutting edge that brought them 15 goals in their opening five league games.
Vivianne Miedema pounced on a Jenna Clark mistake but saw her low strike blocked by Borggrafe, before seconds later mistiming an acrobatic effort when Shaw found her with a cross.
Kerstin Casparij and Fujino drew saves out of summer signing Borggrafe before the break, as City repeatedly found runners in the channels with balls over the top of Liverpool's high defensive line.
Liverpool looked a different side from the restart - Mia Enderby sent a warning sign when her low cross deflect on to the post off Casparij.
A minute later Kapocs evaded City's Dutch defender at the back post to head past Ayaka Yamashita in front of the Kop for her second league goal of the season.
Understandably City's players cut frustrated figures - Miedema looked perplexed when she was substituted on the hour mark - but were soon given a helping hand by Borggrafe.
The German goalkeeper opted to palm away a wayward Shaw header instead of leaving it, giving Beney the chance to smash the loose ball into the roof of the net.
Just when a frustrating draw looked inevitable, Fujino smashed a low strike through Borgraffe to earn what City will feel is a deserved win.
Gemma Bonner thought she had equalised deep into injury-time when Ayaka Yamashita spilled Holland's free-kick at her feet, but the offside flag denied the hosts.
Liverpool have lost all five of their WSL matches so far - having been beaten in their final two of last season - and sit second from bottom, while City are second with 15 points.
Analysis: Positives for Liverpool but progress is slow
That last-gasp offside denied Liverpool what would have been a potentially invaluable point.
Did they deserve it? On the basis of their first-half performance, absolutely not, but in the second half Gareth Taylor's side produced the kind of spirited performance that should inspire optimism.
This was always going to be a tough assignment, and to their credit Liverpool defended well against the WSL's top scorers.
But the problem remains in attack. Kapocs' header was just Liverpool's second goal in five league games, while Holland's 97th-minute free-kick was only their second shot on target of the night.
That Mia Enderby is now one match away from equalling the record for most WSL games without a goal for a forward (37 games set by Jody Handley while at Everton) illustrates Liverpool's problem.
A potentially serious knee injury suffered by Marie-Therese Hobinger compounded a disappointing evening.
Analysis: Man City show new grit to turn off day on its head
This was another encouraging performance from a new-look City side, albeit in a different way to those of other recent victories.
City's attackers weren't at their sharpest despite the ease with which they cut through Liverpool before half-time, and only had themselves to blame when the hosts took the lead.
This may have been a blip in the transformation from former boss Gareth Taylor's possession-based style to the direct transitions of Jeglertz, but City showed a mental strength and determination that they have previously lacked.
City's defensive game may still require work, but what's certain is that this side do not know when they are beaten.
What's next for these teams?
Before the international break, Liverpool will travel to the north east to face Durham in the League Cup on Thursday, 16 October (19:00 BST).
In the same competition, City will face Newcastle away on Sunday, 19 October (14:00 BST).
Player of the match
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
