A week after Arsenal conceded five goals against Aston Villa, the Gunners let in four more against Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday. The number of goals conceded will be a real headache for Jonas Eidevall, as the Gunners face Barcelona in roughly three weeks.

Arsenal once again struggled to play out from the back with Manu Zinsberger in goal. The defenders looked less confident and stayed closer to their own goal, which made it difficult to move the ball into midfield and properly involve the attackers. Every time a long ball was played over the top of the Arsenal midfield or defence, it felt like the opposition would score. Brighton & Hove Albion found the net through Fran Kirby, Jelena Čanković (2x), and Kiko Seike. Caitlin Foord and Mariona Caldentey scored consolation goals for Arsenal.

The Women’s Football Blog game of the weekend

The Women’s Football Blog game of the week featured the Manchester Derby between Manchester United and Manchester City. City took an early lead with two quick goals from Laia Aleixandri and Rebecca Knaak, before Grace Clinton pulled one back for United. The build-up to United’s second goal was an exquisite counter-attack by the Reds, calmly finished by Melvine Malard.

For a brief moment, it looked like the momentum had shifted in United’s favour. However, just after the goal, Aoife Mannion received a second yellow card, leaving United with ten players. City pushed for a 3–2 winner to keep their Champions League hopes alive, but it wasn’t meant to be. Manchester United secured Champions League qualification once again, though their final game against Arsenal will decide who finishes second—and therefore earns the ‘easier’ route to the group stage.

WSL Results: This Weekend’s Scores