Arsenal’s inconsistency in front of goal and lapses in concentration at the back cost them dearly in Manchester, as Renée Slegers’s side threw away points they should have taken from a winnable game.
Arsenal only have themselves to blame after throwing away points at Manchester City in a chaotic game they should never have lost.
Renée Slegers’ side started well but quickly lost control, gifting City chances and looking nervous at the back. When Bunny Shaw rose to head home, Arsenal were lucky to go in at the break just one down.
They had reason to be frustrated with the referee after Olivia Smith was clearly taken out by Kerstin Casparij as she broke into the box. There was no attempt to play the ball and no foul given, one of several poor decisions in the first half. But they would have been more frustrated with themselves.
Whatever Slegers said at the break worked instantly. Within a minute, Emily Fox found Mariona Caldentey in the area, and she curled a first-time shot into the corner. Arsenal looked sharper and more confident, but just as they started to take control, City struck again around the hour mark.
Slegers turned to her bench, bringing on Beth Mead, Stina Blackstenius, and former City winger Chloe Kelly, who received a warm welcome from the home crowd. The changes worked, and Arsenal’s pressure finally told when Kelly levelled the game with a brilliant strike from distance that looped into the top corner.
Seconds later she almost repeated it, flashing a shot just wide.
Then, with only minutes to go, it fell apart again. A simple long ball over the top was controlled by Shaw, who set up Iman Beney to slot past a helpless Daphne van Domselaar. It was the third time Arsenal had fallen behind, and this time they couldn’t respond.
The result was a missed chance in every sense. With Chelsea dropping points against Manchester United on Friday, this was the perfect opportunity to close the gap.
Instead, Arsenal’s slow start to the WSL season continued, and Slegers will know that poor finishing and sloppy defending are costing her side dearly.