Sunday belonged to the North London derby. The last meeting, held in February, was almost a sacred day for Arsenal. Not only did they crush their city rivals 5–0, but the entire women’s game celebrated - a new attendance record was set at the Emirates. It was also the match in which England’s star Chloe Kelly made her first minutes for the Gunners during her loan spell. Since the summer, she has become a permanent signing.
Although Tottenham hosted the match, Arsenal was expected as favourite. Spurs have managed to beat their North London rivals only once - a narrow 1–0 victory in 2023. Otherwise, Arsenal had taken nine wins and one draw. In their last three meetings, the Gunners hadn’t conceded a single goal to Tottenham. A win today would have been their 10th.
Spurs narrowly escaped relegation last season, but a lot has changed since then. First came a coaching switch, with Englishman Martin Ho taking charge – a coach with experience at Manchester United Women. Their attack was also strengthened by young Norwegian forward Cathinka Tandberg from Sweden’s Hammarby. Despite her age, she was the top scorer of the previous Damallsvenskan season.
Interested in the world of women’s football? Follow queenballers.com and never miss a thing!
The Gunners are not in their best form right now. Despite being the reigning Champions League winners, both their domestic and European campaigns have brought disappointment. After falling into Csaplar’s trap in Munich and letting a 2–0 lead slip into a 3–2 defeat against Bayern, they are now dealing with their second loss in the Champions League. Domestically, they sit fourth, which would currently mean another season without European football.
The team has been without Leah Williamson – the club’s and national team’s leader, who was injured in the Euro final and is expected to return no earlier than around Christmas. Williamson, the captain of the Lionesses, has been tied to Arsenal since the age of nine and is one of the club’s greatest icons, so her absence is deeply felt. Club captain Kim Little is also sidelined with injury.
Arsenal’s Dutch head coach Renée Slegers listened to both fans’ requests and criticism regarding the unchanged starting XI, and handed a rare start to young Australian midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross. The match began better for the hosts, but Arsenal recovered quickly and started pressing with the strong backing of their famously loud supporters. Despite four shots on target, the first half ended goalless.
The stars didn’t shine this time
Slegers made an unusual early substitution in the first half, taking off Irish defender Katie McCabe after she picked up a yellow card, and bringing on young Canadian striker Olivia Smith – Arsenal’s most expensive signing ever at £1 million. Although Smith’s impact was clear, her efforts were stopped by Dutch goalkeeper Kop.
Even star players such as Alessia Russo – last season’s WSL top scorer who also netted in the Euro final – or Swedish striker Stina Blackstenius, whose strike decided the Champions League final, couldn’t make the difference.
Arsenal failed to take advantage of Manchester United’s slip, a 0–3 defeat to their city rivals, or Chelsea’s unexpected draw with bottom-of-the-table Liverpool, and remained in fourth place. Tottenham sit right behind them, which is a success for a team that finished just above the relegation line last season.
Arsenal now have a chance to lift their spirits in the Champions League, hosting Real Madrid at the Emirates, before quickly turning their attention to a league clash with Liverpool. The derby draw keeps Arsenal fourth and prolongs their struggles in the league.
But there is hope: the upcoming home match against Real Madrid could restore their lost confidence - after all, the Gunners produced a stunning comeback against the same opponents at the Emirates last time, on their way to the Champions League title. The autumn phase of the season therefore, remains wide open for the Gunners.