Arsenal were held to a 0-0 draw in the north London derby with Tottenham, unable to capitalize on Chelsea’s missteps against Liverpool.
The Gunners had a chance to gain an advantage over their rivals at the top of the Women’s Super League after Sonia Bompastre’s side dropped two points to bottom club Liverpool, but they managed to squander the opportunity by failing to convert their 13 efforts on goal into anything meaningful.
The real winners of the weekend were therefore Manchester City, who extended their lead over Chelsea to three points, their biggest gap so far this season. City’s camp is steadily increasing its confidence in winning the long-term title.
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s hopes are fading. Although they were a much better team than Spurs – with little to contribute in the attacking third – Riese Kop was never at his best. The goalkeeper twice blocked Stina Blackstenius’ shots and finally stopped substitute Olivia Smith’s shot as well. This match has never ended goalless.
Tottenham suffered a deserved draw against their north London rivals
Rene Sleggers’ side have scored more goals than any other team in 2025 (60 goals in 21 games) but have found it difficult to be creative in recent weeks. They lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek and dropped 11 points in the WSL. No previous champion has won the title by conceding so many goals over a 22-game campaign.
“Tottenham were ready to draw,” recalled Sky Sports’ Jizzy Christiansen. “They showed no intention of winning the game. They were quite modest. I say that in a positive way. From Arsenal’s point of view, they were completely helpless. They need to improve in the final third.”
Why are Arsenal stalling?
Analysis by Laura Hunter of Sky Sports:
Sky Sports’ Rachel Corsey said of Arsenal’s recent creativity problems: “Arsenal don’t get into the final third fast enough.” “Alessia Russo and Stina Blackstenius are doing the same thing. It’s easy to defend that.
“The delivery is not dangerous or dynamic enough. We are not seeing the best of Arsenal’s attacking players,” she added. Strength may also be an issue. Arsenal were unable to match Spurs’ physicality in midfield, resulting in eight fewer tackles.
Mariona Caldenti takes on Drew Spence
Arsenal are used to going their own way under Sledger, and this year it has been on display in certain games. Sleggers noted that Olivia Smith made an impact with her “positive intentions” and was the player who finished the game with the most touches in the opposition box (nine) despite only playing half the game. It is necessary to doubt the freshness of those around her.
“We need clearer and bigger chances,” concluded the Arsenal manager. There’s no arguing with that. It is simply not enough for Arsenal to have just one shot on target in the second half if they also lack efficiency.
food causes frustration
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Arsenal head coaches Lennie Sleggers and Caitlin Ford were disappointed with their side’s goalless draw with WSL rivals Tottenham.
Arsenal forward Caitlin Ford:
“It’s frustrating. We came here to get the three points and it’s credit to Spurs for making it difficult to play.
“They got the numbers back and made it really difficult for us in the box. They did it and they were successful. We just need a better end product at the end of the day.”
Mr. Ho reveals his tactics to ‘eliminate emotions’
Tottenham manager Martin Ho:
“What I kept saying to the players all week was, ‘You can be reckless and play with emotion, or you can take the emotion out and perform and play.’ I think the players have adapted well to the game. We played well at Arsenal.”
“We need courage and bravery[to attack Arsenal]. We have young players up front and we may have to risk the ball a little more. I’m asking for more fluidity in our movements.”
“We work hard on that in training, but it builds confidence to be responsible.”
