Kelly scores stunner but Arsenal lose at Man City. Are Gunners' title hopes over already?

MANCHESTER, England -- They whitethorn beryllium European champions, but Arsenal's hopes of rekindling immoderate home glory aft a six-year drought successful the Women's Super League (WSL) whitethorn already beryllium successful tatters aft Saturday's 3-2 nonaccomplishment astatine Manchester City.

This was meant to beryllium the play that Arsenal proved they could vie successful the league. Chelsea person claimed each rubric since Arsenal past won it successful 2019, and though they person claimed the League Cup trophy doubly since then, the Women's Champions League triumph was a connection that the Gunners should beryllium considered 1 of the champion successful Europe.

But this decision successful Manchester present leaves plentifulness of questions for manager Renée Slegers' broadside who person dropped 7 points from conscionable 5 games, much than Chelsea dropped each past season. The Blues lone dropped six points arsenic they won the 2024-25 title, from 3 draws, and Sonia Bompastor is yet to suffer a WSL crippled astatine the helm of the westbound London club.

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Chelsea were held to a gully astatine Manchester United connected Friday -- 2 months earlier than erstwhile they archetypal dropped points past season. But assuming they proceed their invincible league signifier nether Bompastor, you cannot expect Chelsea to suffer importantly much points than past term, leaving Arsenal already trailing behind.

Across Manchester connected Saturday, the visitors were the architects of their ain problems. It was a beauteous squad determination finished by Khadija "Bunny" Shaw that opened the scoring for City, but Arsenal's Caitlin Foord had failed to way Kerstin Casparij and Shaw was near unfastened successful the container contempt 2 reddish shirts tasked with stopping her.

Then immoderate sloppy defending from the visitors meant it did not instrumentality overmuch for Casparij to poke location astatine a acceptable piece. Bodies were connected the line, but goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar was connected the level and ultimately, Arsenal were near vulnerable.

The winning goal, the sucker punch for Arsenal, came successful the 88th infinitesimal erstwhile summertime signing Iman Beney was fixed acold excessively overmuch clip and abstraction connected the borderline of the country to instrumentality her clip and prime retired precisely wherever she wanted to spot the ball. It was arsenic though Arsenal's defence, AWOL passim overmuch of the afternoon, moved successful dilatory question to adjacent her down.

It has been a taxable for Arsenal to concede archetypal -- they did truthful against London City Lionesses and West Ham United

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