It has not been an easy week for Arsenal, but a narrow victory over relegation-threatened Leicester on Friday evening oxygenated their European and domestic title hopes and the tenacious display was owed to the squad’s unabating commitment in the face of increasing adversity.
Four days after a crushing exit from the Champions League, Arsenal’s European and domestic title hopes hung by a thread while their already depleted squad suffered yet another blow as defender Laura Wienrother became the latest to Gunner to become the latest name on the injury list.
Forced off just 18 minutes into Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final second-leg, the 24-year-old became the fourth in Jonas Eidevall’s ranks to suffer an ACL injury this season, furthering the dialogue around a worryingly exacerbated injury epidemic in women’s football.
But despite the bruising and exhausting week, the Gunners demonstrated resolve to defy a reality that most other teams would certainly have folded under as they clinched a 1-0 victory over the Foxes on Friday evening.
A sensational Frida Maanum strike proved the difference after an hour of frustration for the Gunners, in which Katie McCabe saw her penalty saved in the opening five minutes from Janina Leitzig.
The result keeps the Gunners within six points of league leaders Manchester United and still within a shot of securing a redemptive crack at European football next season following their heartbreaking exit to Wolfsburg on Monday.
And defensive stalwart Jen Beattie, celebrating her 150th appearance for Arsenal with an impressive performance of her own, owed the team’s latest show of resilience to the mentality honed during an unprecedented injury-ridden season, and emphasised the roles played by attacking taliswomen Miedema and Mead in keeping the squad’s results ticking over.
“Honestly [the mentality] has been massive all year, I can honestly say,” the 31-year-old told Sky Sports post match. “We’ve picked up niggles since the beginning and it’s been a general consensus all year how important the squad has been and the morale behind the scenes and the input the injured players still have.
“Viv [Miedema], Beth [Mead], they’ve all been instrumental and giving their input when they can and everyone has each other’s backs on the pitch so we’re in a good place.”
Victory over the Foxes was paramount in keeping Arsenal’s slim title hopes alive, and while Eidevall opted to play coy when asked of the possibility of the Champions League next season, Beattie was more determined in her assessment of her side’s credentials heading into the seasons’ final three weekends of fixtures.
“100% [we can win the league],” the Scotland international said. “Why not? We’ve shown in European football against Wolfsburg what we can do, and it’s credit to the girls for plugging through and getting results like this tonight.
“I think it was important for us to get back to winning ways. Monday took a lot out of us emotionally and physically. [Friday] wasn’t the best performance, but we got the job done. Three points is massive and credit to Leicester they made it really difficult for us.”
Arsenal have a game in hand on United and Manchester City, who sit first and second in the table respectively. A clash against third-place Chelsea awaits the Gunners, while United and Manchester City must also face each other.
Beattie noted that the fixtures could play to Arsenal’s advantage, but the final result boils down to Arsenal’s ability to continue defying odds in the face of adversity.
Arsenal return to action as they face relegation-threatened Brighton on Wednesday evening.
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