Arsenal beat Manchester United to second place in the Women’s Super League after a thrilling 4-3 win at the Emirates Stadium on the final day.
Despite heavy back-to-back disappointments in their previous two league matches, the Gunners entered their season finale knowing a point would be enough to secure runners-up behind champions Chelsea.
Renee Slegers’ side took 115 seconds to establish a lead via Chloe Kelly, after an uncharacteristic mistake from goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, before Ella Toone nodded an equaliser from a corner 10 minutes later.
“It’s great playing for this club. I’m grateful to represent this badge and play with a smile again. Hopefully I’ve repaid that,” loanee Kelly, who was the best player on the pitch, said post-match.
Arsenal, who had shipped nine goals to Aston Villa and Brighton on the road, looked much more assured on home turf, and scored three times in a sublime 16-minute blitz after the break to ultimately take the game away from the visitors, despite them forcing a grandstand finish.
The Gunners’ three-goal advantage, earned by Mariona Caldentey, Frida Maanum and Kim Little, was reduced to one in the space of six error-strewn minutes after a rare pair of Katie McCabe blunders.
Mariona Caldentey scored from the penalty spot for Arsenal
Substitute Elisabeth Terland intercepted a wayward pass to net her 10th goal of the season before a trip on Celin Bizet allowed Maya le Tissier to score from the penalty spot.
It was more nervy than it needed to be but Arsenal stood firm to end their league campaign on 48 points, four above United though still an incredible 12 shy of unbeaten Chelsea – who contest the FA Cup final against Marc Skinner’s side at Wembley on May 18.
The pick-me-up Arsenal needed
Analysis by Sky Sports’ Laura Hunter:
For Arsenal, this was a much-needed chance to spark an upturn before the Champions League final next week. Yes, it was about winning, about fending off Man Utd, about securing the position they believed was rightfully theirs, but more than that, it was about momentum.
Two heavy defeats had left the camp deflated. Slegers insisted the opposite pre-match, but it does not take a genius to work out. Five goals conceded against Villa, four shipped against Brighton. Arsenal had looked leggy, prone to more mistakes than usual.
Frida Maanum rounded off a beautiful Arsenal team goal
And while this performance was far from faultless, the result was necessary. Some of the football was sublime. The Gunners were slick, moving the ball one-touch, building through the thirds with end product, too. The goals from Maanum and Little demonstrated free-flowing Arsenal at their best, while Kelly was unplayable.
They will know that something remarkable is required to beat the mighty Barcelona in Lisbon on May 24. Something much bigger and bolder than they produced to beat Man Utd. But they equally know they are capable of special. They have more gears, more levels. The challenge is to find them.
Little determined to carry belief into WCL final
Arsenal midfielder Kim Little speaking to BBC Sport:
“After the last two results we were determined to finish the league season on a high. We put on a good performance, scored good goals, to put us in a really good place going into the final in two weeks. We’ve got so much belief and quality in this team. We know we can beat good teams.
“The team has changed a bit throughout the season and we’ve been developing different connections, my job is to try to balance the team but also be dynamic. We try to be fluid, when we’re able to be that we’re at our best.
“We’re also one of the teams in the highest press, but when you go up against Barcelona – the best team on the ball in the world – you have to take that into consideration. We want to make sure we’re making the right choices going into that final.”
Slegers: Winning matters to us
Arsenal boss Renee Slegers speaking to BBC Sport:
“It was very important to secure second place in the table and now we have a final to look forward to. We played the game that was in front of us. I’m really proud of us finding a way to win. You’ve seen us, how beautiful it can be, but we also want it to be about winning – it was about that today.
“We want to be active in all competitions and our schedule is so busy, so all those small margins really matter now. The players invest so much and of course I’m happy for the fans at our home – that means a lot to us.”
