Arsenal Women's Player Ratings vs Man City: Chloe Kelly's Revenge Counts for Nothing
Despite an impressive late equalizer by Chloe Kelly, Arsenal fell to a dramatic defeat against Manchester City, ending their unbeaten start to the WSL season. The Gunners now face a challenging path in their title pursuit. Read on for a detailed analysis of the player ratings and the match.
It looked like the script was written. With seven minutes remaining, Chloe Kelly had come back to haunt her former side, levelling things up for Arsenal at Manchester City with a superb strike that seemed to swing the momentum in the Gunners' favour. But the player who has so often been the hero in 2025, for club and country, would see her efforts reduced to a footnote as Iman Beney's even later effort condemned the north London side to a 3-2 defeat, one which ended their unbeaten start to the new Women's Super League season and leaves their title charge in a precarious position already.Having come into the game off the back of draws at Manchester United and at home to Aston Villa, Arsenal have now dropped points on as many occasions through the first five games of this campaign as Chelsea did in the entirety of last year, to clinch their sixth successive league triumph. Slip-ups are going to have to be few and far between if anyone is going to dethrone the Blues and unfortunately for the Gunners, that hasn't been the case thus far this term.It was a barn-storming game, in which Arsenal had to twice come from behind. Khadija Shaw gave City the lead and should've really made it 2-0, while the Gunners could've been level-pegging earlier had Stina Blackstenius finished a chance one-on-one after Mariona Caldentey got the visitors on the scoresheet. Even once Kelly did that, with 83 minutes on the clock, Slegers' side threatened and had their opportunities, but it was the talented teenager Beney, off the bench for City, who decided this five-goal thriller, moving the hosts into second while the Gunners remain fifth.GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Joie Stadium...
Player Ratings
The Gunners' players put on a spirited performance, with some stand-out moments and individual displays. Let's take a closer look at how each player fared during the game.
Chloe Kelly's Impact
Chloe Kelly, the Lioness star, showcased her talent once again with a crucial equalizer late in the game. Her goal seemed to shift the momentum in Arsenal's favor, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to secure a victory. Despite the final result, Kelly's performance deserves recognition.
Iman Beney's Winning Goal
The late winner from Iman Beney was a heartbreaking moment for Arsenal, as it dashed their hopes of salvaging at least a point from the match. Beney's impact off the bench proved decisive and underlined the depth of talent in the Manchester City squad.
Title Aspirations in Jeopardy
After suffering their first defeat of the season, Arsenal find themselves in a challenging position with regards to their title ambitions. With slip-ups becoming a concern, the team will need to regroup quickly and strive for consistency to stay in contention.
Looking Ahead
Despite the setback, Arsenal can take positives from their performance and use it as motivation to bounce back stronger in the upcoming matches. The WSL season is long, and there is still plenty of time for the Gunners to make up ground and challenge the league leaders.
