There was a collective deep sigh of relief around the Emirates Stadium at the end of 13 minutes of added time, Arsenal’s four-game winless run ended with victory against Brighton.
It wasn’t the most convincing of performances from the Gunners, a lack of any real clinical edge in the final third still a major concern, but a win’s a win.
“Still getting the win when you’re not at your best and not having the best performance, that was most important for us today and that was the mindset we showed and that’s the part I’m happy with,” the Arsenal manager, Renée Slegers, said.
The momentum of the match was disrupted after the hour following a worrying head injury to the Brighton full-back Maelys Mpomé, who exited on a stretcher and with an oxygen mask after 10 minutes of treatment on the pitch, but the manager, Dario Vidosic, confirmed the defender is OK following a ball to the face.
“It was a concussion, from what I’m told she was out after the impact,” he said. “The important thing is players go on healthy and they come off healthy. The update is that she is up and about, which is great to hear. Fingers crossed she’s OK and I’m sure the medical staff will take great care of her.”
The show went on, and Arsenal’s win alleviates some growing pressure on Slegers. It has seemed a little cruel to suggest the heat has been turned up a little on the manager who delivered Arsenal’s second European title in her first season in charge having had her temporary role made permanent only in January. There was a lot of leeway earned with that historic triumph.
However, after four games without a win – two draws and a defeat in the WSL and a loss against Lyon in their Champions League opener – there was little doubt coming into the game that Slegers is facing the biggest test of her Arsenal tenure. That may feel like an exaggeration, given the Champions League final was a major hurdle, as were many games in the run-up to that night in Lisbon, but expectations were low then, every win was a thrilling step on a journey no one was expecting.
Chelsea battled past Tottenham to consolidate top spot in the Women's Super League after Keira Walsh's second-half strike secured a 1-0 win at Kingsmeadow. The WSL champions, who had drawn their last two games – against Manchester United and then Twente in the Champions League – endured a frustrating first half.
Despite creating plenty of chances, few were on target amid a solid defensive display by Spurs, whose only defeat so far had come against Manchester City. Chelsea eventually got themselves in front just after the hour when the England midfielder Walsh fired in a low, angled strike from 20 yards, which proved enough for a fifth win from six WSL games.
A mistake from the West Ham goalkeeper Kinga Szemik handed London City Lionesses a 1-0 win at Bromley as the Irons' slumped to a sixth successive WSL defeat.
With 20 minutes left of what had been a close match, Szemik delayed on the ball in the six-yard box as she looked to play out from the back, which allowed the alert Kosovare Asllani to dart in and take possession before tapping into an empty net.
Rick Passmoor's first game as Leicester's new permanent manager saw his side battle to a goalless draw at Aston Villa. PA Sport
Now, Arsenal’s pedigree is high, there was investment in the summer – Olivia Smith becoming the world’s first £1m player – and they returned for the new season with five club and country European champions following England’s triumph at the European Championship. The frustrations have increased as the hope has dissipated. Putting your finger on exactly what isn’t quite working isn’t easy. The ingredients for success are there.
It was Smith who helped to break the deadlock at the Emirates Stadium, her effort taking a deflection off Marisa Olislagers that wrongfooted the goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie for an own goal.
Arsenal dominated possession, but Brighton seemed content with that and amassed five shots on target to Arsenal’s four, despite eight touches in the opposition box to 40. Carla Camacho put the ball wide, Kiko Seike tested Daphne van Domselaar at the near post and Fran Kirby’s looped chip was cleared before it reached the line.
The concerning 10-minute pause in play came in the 63rd minute, with Mpomé carried off on a stretcher in a neck brace and on oxygen.
The game was, understandably, a little flatter after Mpomé’s injury, but Stina Blackstenius’s header grazed the top of the crossbar to inject some fresh energy for the subdued crowd as Arsenal’s bench looked to force another goal and make the lead a little more comfortable. It didn’t come, and they held on, but there is still work to do.
“What we did really well last season was to capitalise in the times in the game where we had momentum and accept and suffer in the moments when we don’t have momentum, and we always found a way back,” Slegers said. “That’s been a strength of the team and that’s not gone.
“Sometimes just things click and sometimes they don’t click. It’s the same when the ball goes on the inside or the outside of the post. It’s within our control. I’m not saying it’s luck or it’s bad luck, but that’s something that maybe isn’t at the highest level at the moment, but we know that we can do it and we might not have to lose that.”
