Arsenal Women twice led but lost 4-2 at Manchester City

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Arsenal Women led twice at Manchester City on Sunday and still came away beaten 4-2, a result that leaves Renee Slegers' side 10th in the Women's Super League after five games.

The Gunners are now 10 points behind the champions, with Arseblog describing it as the second-worst start to a WSL season in Arsenal's history.

Slegers made one change from midweek, with Anneke Borbe coming in for Misa. Lisa Baum was an early threat down the right, beating Charles twice inside the opening half hour, and Borbe was called into action on 25 minutes to deny Khadija Shaw from the edge of the area.

City thought they had opened the scoring on 36 minutes when Shaw headed the ball out of Borbe's hands and into the net, but the referee blew for a foul.

Two leads, four goals conceded

Arsenal took the lead on 43 minutes from a corner. Yamashita punched the delivery clear, Alessia Russo kept the ball alive rather than letting it drift out, and after Lotte Wubben-Moy's header was saved the rebound ricocheted in off Baum's knee.

That advantage lasted three minutes. Deep in first-half stoppage time, Shaw found Lauren Hemp, whose attempted cross took a deflection off Fox and looped into the corner.

Caitlin Foord replaced Mariona at the break after the Spaniard picked up a hamstring injury blocking a pass.

Arsenal retook the lead on 50 minutes. Baum won the ball back in the box after Charles dithered, and following pressure from Foord, Hasegawa gifted possession to Russo, who curled a finish into the far corner.

City's triple substitution on 61 minutes changed the game. Casparaij, one of the three players introduced, equalised two minutes after coming on, curling home after Hemp flicked the ball back while falling.

On 72 minutes City went ahead for the first time, slicing through the thirds before Hasegawa crossed for an unmarked Hemp, who slotted through Borbe's legs. Shaw sealed it on 84 minutes, taking the ball around Leah Williamson and seeing her shot deflect in off the England captain.

Pressure building before the break

Olivia Smith and Stina Blackstenius were both introduced as Arsenal chased the game, with Russo dropping into the number 10 role, but the Gunners could not find a way back.

Arseblog's match report noted that the start to the campaign "must surely have Renee Slegers under real pressure", with the title already looking out of reach. Slegers guided Arsenal to Champions League glory in 2025, but the domestic form this term has fallen well short of expectations for a squad that was significantly reinforced in the summer.

The international break now arrives, and Arsenal will not be back in WSL action until 17 October. With the title race effectively gone after five matches, the objective shifts towards assembling the run of results required to climb back into the top three.

Read the full match report at Arseblog.