Do you have hope, like Renee, that Arsenal Women are not entirely out of the WSL title race now?
01/27/2025 10:55 AM
Leading up to the WSL London derby, one thing was clear—this game was crucial in shaping the WSL title race.
Unlike Chelsea, Arsenal Women had to win this game. Even a draw would have been a fair result for the Gunners. Unfortunately, the game didn't end with an Arsenal win or a draw. Chelsea managed to snatch a slim win after Kim Little was penalized in the 84th minute. Guro Reiten scored from the spot to give Chelsea the lead, and Arsenal, who had seen Katie McCabe sent off moments before Chelsea's goal, couldn't pull off a comeback.
While that loss ends Renee Slegers' unbeaten run, it may also see Arsenal Women out of the title race.
Chelsea, with 34 points, are now 10 points ahead of our Gunner women (they're also 9 points ahead of Manchester City women).
Unbeaten so far, something unfortunate would have to happen for Chelsea to lose their grip on the title race.
After the game, here's what head coach Renee Slegers said, in her post-match press conference, about whether Arsenal Women can still win the title:
"Well, of course, there are 10 points now between us, and that's going to be a much bigger mountain to climb. We are very aware of that, but we also say we had our slips at the start of the season. You never know when other teams are going to slip. So what we want to do is just keep on playing our games and winning our games, and that's all we can do. But yeah, we knew it was important for us if we wanted to keep sparks in the title race to win today, and we didn't do that. But yeah, you never know what the future holds again."
Renee may be optimistic, but it's hard not to see the title race out of their hands. Chelsea would have to falter significantly for our Gunners to have a chance of winning the WSL title, in my opinion.
It's no secret that Arsenal Women's poor start to the season—drawing with Manchester City and Everton and then losing to Chelsea, before Jonas Eidevall's departure —has held them back.
That said, the aim should be to finish as high as we can in the league, try to lift the Subway League Cup and the FA Cup, and also put extra emphasis on ending our Champions League campaign on a high note. Who knows, we might stun everyone by going ahead and winning it!
Do you still have a belief, like Slegers, that we're not entirely out of the WSL title race now?
Michelle M
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