Not only did Arsenal lose their record WSL winning streak in a chaotic ending against Manchester United, they also lost their advantage at the top of the table.
Two late United goals meant the visitors joined Arsenal and Chelsea on 18 points at the top of the league. The early season gap was wiped out in the space of five minutes.
When Alessia Russo wheeled towards a delirious away end at the Emirates, Jonas Eidevall and his players looked like they couldn’t quite believe what had just happened. And you couldn’t blame them for forgetting what losing feels like.
The Gunners tasted defeat in the WSL way back on January 9, when they were beaten at Birmingham. Ever since an air of invincibility has surrounded them, Eidevall’s team only conceded in two of their record 14 wins on the trot, twice in last season’s reverse fixture with Birmingham and against West Ham last month.
To concede three goals in a single game seemed unfathomable. But this is a stark reminder, no-one canters to the WSL title these days.
In the last two seasons Chelsea have topped the league by tight margins, only one point last season and two the year before. Even an Arsenal side as good as this were never going to be able to run away with the league.
Manager Eidevall himself stated after the game that one of their potential challengers - United - had impressed him this season. “I think they have been a really impressive side so far this season,” he said. “They were disappointed with their performance against Chelsea but they had some players missing through injury.
“We were disappointed with our first half display and to win these games, we’re probably going to have to play well for two halves. But I don’t think about this in terms of the title race. It is one game at a time, I don’t pay much attention to number of points the other teams have.”
But for those who do look at the league it looks perfectly poised, with United, Chelsea and Arsenal all having lost once already this season and Manchester City hot on their tails after recovering from a tough start. For the neutral it is set-up perfectly, while for Arsenal it could be the wake-up call they needed.
In the opening 45 United were far better with the ball, playing through the Gunners and pressing with ease, while the likes of Beth Mead and Stina Blackstenius never had a sniff of a goal. Even if Arsenal had held on to win at the end, the pattern of the match was clear evidence that the top of the league is hugely competitive.
On this basis, an invincible season for the Gunners was never likely. “I don’t think it was a good first half from us,” added Eidevall. “We gave United too much time, too much space.
“In the second half, we were better but our decision making let us down, we made some strange decisions with the ball. We weren't able to sustain many attacks in the United half.”
Although Saturday evening’s late heartbreak showed Arsenal have a long way to go to reclaim the league championship, there was one major positive for Gooners to savour with 40,064 packed into the Emirates on a cold winter's night, creating an atmosphere fitting of a remarkable contest.
“The fans were brilliant, they were excellent,” added Eidevall. “The support was such a big part of our second-half turnaround. We’re disappointed and I understand they will be as well, but they did everything they could to help us and we feel that.
“I hope they return again and we hope to repay them if they do.”
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