It is argued that in the first case, man and woman were created together, while they were created separately in the second.

Once again it is simply a matter of establishing the chronology: the last phrase of Gen. 1:27 refers to an event that takes place chronologically much later than the first phrase. The two stories are complementary (just like dual creation accounts in other ancient sources), and each reflects an intact unit of oral tradition. It is only when read through a strictly modern lens that a problem is perceived: the two stories originally were told independently.