Magical Manchester City Unbeaten at the Top Whilst Arsenal’s Fortunes Worsen at the Etihad
The 1500th game of the WSL era was taken by Manchester City, coming back from behind twice against an Arsenal side that had momentum but ran out of both ideas and confidence late on.
Lisa Baum opened the scoring in the first half but Hemp got the game level again just 5 minutes later. The Gunner’s started the second half firing, Russo finding the net for her second of the season in all competitions. Arsenal’s pressure weakened as the game went on, made only worse when Casparij’s first touch as a substitute curled the ball into the back of the net. The Citizens third and forth came from Hemp at the backpost and then no other than Bunny Shaw, given too much space in the center of the area after being largely nullified by Wubben Moy throughout, she doesn’t miss from there.
Manchester City assert themselves as a team that can adapt to any situation, managing to get the win “in different ways” having to relinquish their possession based system at times, sitting back and biding their time but finding the back of the net with all but one of their attempts on target. They are surely the team to beat this season, calmly seeing off their biggest opponent so far in roaring style with an attack to fear and defensive partnership of Greenwood and Rose coming into its own game by game.
Arsenal may be in crisis but their performances aren't that of a bottom of the table team. 10th in the standings doesn't attest to their dominance for large swaths of the match, and indeed the season, but they lack clinical edge. With nine largely unthreatening shots on target against City, Sleger’s has questions to answer about the teams in-game management. They will be glad for the reset of the international break after yet another agonising disappointment, only five in five to start the season they were coined to win.
High Stakes
For both teams, this fixture could be monumental to the trajectory of their season, but for wildly differing reasons.
For the hosts, it’s a chance to go 15 in 15, extending their unbeaten start as reigning WSL champions and proving to sceptics that this City team can juggle the increased load of domestic and continental football successfully. They have impressed in the opening 4 fixtures, their two UWCL draws against competition regulars Real Madrid and Bayern Munich also demonstrating resilience. Struggling early on in both fixtures, they have had the grit to come back and make the tie level, Jerglertz’s Manchester City can’t be written off until the final whistle is blown, something the Gunners will need to battle against.
Jerglertz is in “no doubt about the levels of the team he is facing.” In his pre match press conference, he was clear that the clash is “about us, we need to win every game” citing Arsenal's "midfield engine” as a point of challenge for City.
For Arsenal, their season is in the balance at the Etihad. With one win in four and only two goals scored in the league, a win away against one of their closest rivals could make their title ambitions, so talked about in the summer, not necessarily plausible but possible again. Taking all three points would put the Gunners four away from City, a loss would take the Citizens ten points clear; the Gunners league season all but over before October has really begun. Despite a summer rebuild their season so far can be defined by inconsistency and a lack of confidence. They have taken 78 shots in the WSL, 24 of those on target but only two have passed the keeper and hit the back of the net. Their continental charge has been much of the same, a lackluster 1-0 penalty win against semi-professional Danish outfit HB Køge and an agonising 2-2 draw with Paris FC, tossing away a 2 nil lead with a brace of defensive mistakes.
Despite reports suggesting the board and dressing rooms still back Renée Slegers, this game is huge for the Arsenal Gaffer. She was clear that the side are “laser focused with a plan together” picking themselves up after midweek disappointment ready to “go for three points, that's all we can do in our preparations now.”
City vs Arsenal is always a game of close margins. Last season saw a 3-2 City victory at the Joie, all three grasped late on by Iman Beney, and a 1-0 Arsenal win at the Emirates courtesy of Olivia Smith. Stina Blackstenius and Lotte Wubben Moy are past heroes of this clash, the defender so often able to keep Bunny Shaw at bay with the Swedish attacker’s last minute brace in 2025 ending City’s title hopes that season at the final hurdle.
The Etihad awaits this fiery match up, Jerglertz’s City have scored eight and only conceded one on main stadium turf. Arsenal will need to dig deep to even be in with a chance of forcing a ribbon swap from City’s sky blue to their very own red and white on the WSL trophy come May.
Team News
Jerglertz makes three changes from his midweek draw against Real Madrid. Former Gunner Beth Mead comes in for Mary Fowler to face her former side, USA international Sam Coffey is preferred over Laura Blinkilde Brown and Niamh Charles replaces Kerstin Casperij who has had a difficult start to the season with an own goal against Bayern Munich. German international summer signing Carlotta Wamser retains her place at fullback and Swiss youngster Iman Beney is on the bench for her first WSL game of the campaign.
Arsenal make one change from their narrow defeat to Chelsea, Lotte Wubben Moy coming in for Steph Catley who missed out on a trip to Paris with a back injury, the Aussie is on the bench. Anneke Borbe retains her place in the WSL line up after Misa Rodríguez blunder midweek. For the third game in a row the Gunners name the same midfield three of Kyra Cooney Cross, captain Kim Little and Georgia Stanway, the center of the park finally settling after changing the pairing for three of their opening fixtures. Caldentey is preferred on the wing over Olivia Smith, whilst super winger Lisa Baum compliments her on the right. Taylor Hinds misses out due to squad numbers, Elisa De Almeida and Chloe Kelly didn’t travel due to injury.
Starting XI:
Manchester City: 31. Ayaka Yamashita (GK), 4. Jade Rose, 5. Alex Greenwood ©, 7. Beth Mead (‘62 8. Mary Fowler), 9. Khadija Shaw, 11. Lauren Hemp, 17. Sam Coffey (‘69 19. Laura Blinkilde Brown), 20. Aoba Fujino (‘92 6. Grace Clinton), 21. Niamh Charles (‘62 18.Kerstin Casparij), 25. Yui Hasagawa, 37. Carlotta Wamser (‘62 24. Iman Beney).
Arsenal: 28. Anneke Borbe (GK), 2. Emily Fox (‘81 31. Smilla Holmberg), 3. Lotte Wubben-Moy, 4. Georgia Stanway (‘68 25. Stina Blackstenius), 6. Leah Williamson, 8. Mariona Caldentey (‘45+2 9. Caitlin Foord), 10. Kim Little ©, 19. Lisa Baum (‘68 5. Olivia Smith), 22. Ona Batlle (‘81 29. Selina Cerci), 23. Alessia Russo, 32. Kyra Cooney Cross.
Arsenal Pile on the Pressure but Manchester City Clinical
The reigning champions got a lively end to end first half underway. Lisa Baum had an early effort hit the side netting, Caldentey’s subsequent corner kick was sent well over the bar. A chance came for Yui Hasegawa breaking through Arsenal’s backline but Wubben Moy got her body in the way to send her cross away from danger, a subsequent effort for City was headed out by Mead, seemingly forgetting she had swapped red for sky blue in the summer. Quickly remembering her loyalties, the winger's thumping shot in the 5th minute was blocked by her own player.
Super Bunny Shaw looked through on goal in the 7th minute but was called offside. The hosts had two corners on the bounce, the first headed away calmly by Wubben Moy and the second easily cleared at the feet of Spaniard Caldentey. Arsenal’s first shot on target of the afternoon came from Mariona once more, unmarked at the back post, but her header did nothing to trouble Yamashita in goal. The Gunners were completely dominant early on, indecision a clear factor in their lack of final product, Little dancing around the box unable to find a pass/shot option.
Shaw had another effort on goal in the 24th minute but Wubben Moy shepherded her away from goal, her shot easily caught by Borbe. Summer signing Wamser was given space to run through the midfield, Ona Batlle did well to use her pace to track back and nullify the effort.
Bunny Shaw had a disallowed goal in the 36th minute, Arsenal keeper Borbe came out to claim a cross but had a knock out of her hands and to the floor by the Jamaican striker as she rose for the effort. Fox had a chance straight away at the other end, her cross-turned-shot met the fingertips of the City keeper to take it wide.
The scoring opened just before half time, a cross from the right hand side finding the head of Wubben Moy, her attempt was pushed away by Yamashita but straight into the path of Lisa Baum who toed it over the line for the Gunner’s first, the winger has shone since her move to North London. But their lead didn’t last long. Mariona Caldentey went down in the midfield with a hamstring injury, leaving Arsenal defending with nine against the ten of City. Fujino threaded a pass into the box for Shaw, turning to find Hemp charging down the right, her deflected shot finding the corner, out of Borbe's reach.
Half Time: 1-1
City Take No Mercy
The Gunner’s pressure persisted entering the second half, City early efforts easily dealt with by a confident Arsenal defense. This momentum led to their second of the afternoon three minutes into the half, Russo’s precise curling shot from outside the box nestling into the top corner much to her relief after a difficult start to the campaign up front.
Mead had a shot fly just over the bar in the 59th minute, the second half losing a bit of intensity after the end to end first 45, City biding their time to attack. Jerglertz made a triple change in the 62nd, bringing on Fowler, Beney and vice-captain Casparij, and this substitution paid off. The super-sub Dutch fallback got the ball at the edge of the area after some messy Arsenal defending, her first touch a pinpoint curling ball right into the back of the net; an unstoppable effort to once again draw the game level. The equaliser took some sting out of Arsenal, the momentum swinging more the way of the hosts, Shaw having an effort that Borbe just managed to get too.
Seemingly out of nowhere, 10 minutes after the leveler Hemp secured her brace and put the top on her Player of the Match display. Yui Hasagawa crossed the ball into the box from the left, Hemp ran onto it unmarked, with Wubben Moy managing Shaw and Williamson on the other side, passed it through the legs of Borbe and into the net once more.
Substitute Olivia Smith had a tentative effort but couldn’t get the power behind it. Now completely dejected, confidence pouring from them with every pass, Arsenal changed shape, moving to two upfront and replacing full back Batlle with Cerci but the German attacker wasn’t given enough time to make an impact.
The game was put to bed six minutes before the 90, Shaw, managed well all afternoon was, was slotted the ball by Fujino in midfield and allowed to run into the box, Williamson and Holmberg at her pace but not getting close enough to stop her effort from the edge of the area, Borbe well off her line.
The Gunner’s were full of emotion at full time, manager Slegers visibly upset as she clapped the 2500 strong traveling contingent, still getting behind the team ‘whatever the weather’. City jubilantly celebrated their victory in front of a passionate crowd at the Etihad.
Full Time: 4-2
Arsenal in Crisis, City Take Top Spot - Onto the International Break
Manchester City enter the first international break of the season in top spot, Jerglertz leading the side through another dominant spell as head coach citing the team's tenacity to adapt to games as central to their winning ways “the confidence in the group is great and we know we will find them opportunities”. Scoring 16 goals in the league so far, City’s attack is still one of the most revered in Europe, Lauren Hemp “growing and being able to contribute in different ways” so significant in City’s clinical display against the Gunners. The patience they had to sit back and not always have the ball, working cohesively to execute the game plan in different phases made the difference as the reigning champions ended the first block as the team to beat.
Arsenal’s circumstances couldn’t be more different. Yet again, dominance doesn’t translate into results. Slegers summed it up with “we had it, then we didn’t have it”, the side so functioning one minute but falling apart both in defense and attack the next, substitutions weakening their outputs rather than improving them. Arsenal are now on their joint longest winless run in history.
There is also concern for Mariona Caldentey who left the field in tears at the end of the first half, quickly withdrawing from international duty.
Questions must be raised about Renee Sleger's ability to lead the team to more success, Jonas Eidevall walked away in 2024 for less. On her future, the Dutch gaffer asserted “I am here, I am full of energy and I care for the club. I spoke with the club this week and we feel super aligned.” But, now 10 points off the pace it feels like, without a ‘lock-in’ of immense proportions, the Gunners can say goodbye to the league title. The club will break down what's gone wrong during the international break, and whilst Slegers seems confident in her position, it remains to be seen whether Arsenal, with all their summer signings, support and history, can dig themselves out of their self-inflicted hole. Jerglertz thinks that “come spring, they [Arsenal] will be one of the ones battling around for the title” but can the side shift mentality and find confidence in themselves, and each other, again?
After a potentially defining international break behind the scenes, the Gunners return home to the Emirates Stadium to face WSL2 champions Birmingham City, the start of their renewed season must come against the Blues. City continue their reign of terror in the WSL against Brighton and Hove Albion at the Joie following the international window, before both sides face their local rivals away on the weekend of the 24th of October: the Gunners vs the Lilywhites, the Sky Blue’s vs the Red Devils.
It’s heating up in the WSL.