It was a weekend to forget for Arsenal Women and the club’s academy sides, with defeats and dropped points across all levels taking the shine off another composed Premier League win for Mikel Arteta’s senior team.
At the Joie Stadium, Renée Slegers’ side squandered the chance to cut the gap at the top of the WSL after losing 3-2 to Manchester City in a game that underlined familiar problems in both boxes.
The performance had its bright moments – Mariona Caldentey’s curler to equalise moments after the restart and Chloe Kelly’s long-range strike to make it 2-2 were both outstanding – but lapses at the back proved fatal.
“We’re very disappointed,” said Slegers. “I think it’s two top teams going against each other, so you’re prepared that momentum will shift.
“We’re disappointed, conceding three goals. I think the two goals that we score today are high quality goals. It’s about those momentum shifts. When we have momentum, capitalise, be ruthless and protect yourself really well for when the momentum shifts again.”
Slegers will have been especially frustrated that her side conceded so cheaply late on, a long ball over the top exposing a stretched defence as Iman Beney sealed City’s win.
The timing could hardly have been worse, with Chelsea having dropped points the previous night. Instead of narrowing the gap, Arsenal’s early-season inconsistency leaves them adrift in the title race, their quality still undermined by an inability to control matches.
At academy level, Max Porter’s under-21s salvaged a 2-2 draw with West Ham United, but even that point came with a sense of frustration. Max Dowman’s long-range equaliser and a stoppage-time header from captain Louie Copley rescued a result, yet Porter was unimpressed by his side’s defending.
“Credit that we went to the end, we pushed and we pushed. I think the bit that we deserved today was the draw,” he said. “Saying that, though, this is obviously very important – we conceded two bad goals, both from set pieces. We have to defend better in those moments. That’s the disappointment, really.”
It was worse still for Adam Birchall’s under-18s, who were beaten 6-1 by Stoke City in the Premier League Cup. Kyran Thompson had given Arsenal an early lead from the penalty spot before the game collapsed around them.
“Today was unacceptable,” said Birchall. “We were late and last to every duel, aerially or on the floor. After we scored our goal, I didn’t like our energy. It was a poor day. It needs to improve.”
The heavy loss was the first major setback of an otherwise strong start to the youth season, and Birchall was clear about its importance as a learning moment. “There’s no hiding in moments like this,” he said. “That’s important in development because you have to be seen, you have to step forward. It’s painful, but they now need to show that this was a one-off.”
Between Slegers’ side missing an opportunity to build momentum and the academy’s defensive frailties, the contrast with the calm progress of Arteta’s senior team could not have been sharper.