We got back to winning ways in a topsy-turvy encounter in the Barclays Women’s Super League with a 4-3 win away to Manchester City on Sunday.
Early goals from Mariona Caldentey and Lotte Wubben-Moy saw us go 2-0 up before Mary Fowler pulled one back.
Vivianne Miedema equalised early in the second-half, only for us to lead again just a minute later courtesy of Frida Maanum.
However, four minutes on, we were pegged back once more as Fowler completed her brace.
But Stina Blackstenius then got herself on the scoresheet at one of her happy hunting grounds to secure all three points.
WHAT HAPPENED
What didn’t happen?!
It was a dream start for us as our high press presented a goalscoring opportunity for Caldentey, who duly tucked the ball into the bottom right corner to open the scoring inside 45 seconds.
The positive beginning continued as an eighth-minute Kyra Cooney-Cross free-kick was bravely headed in by Wubben-Moy for 2-0.
Leila Ouhabi drilled a shot wide of the top right corner at the other end but the hosts did pull one back when a cross from the right was headed in by Fowler.
Aoba Fujino hit the crossbar as City continued to look for a way back into the game, and Miedema went for goal with power from the edge of the area but shot straight at Daphne van Domselaar.
We worked the ball out to the right of the 18-yard box with a tidy passage of play, allowing Alessia Russo to strike goalwards with the outside of her right foot, but it was a comfortable save for Khiara Keating.
Van Domselaar made a good diving stop to deny Yui Hasegawa at the other end, and Miedema then shot wide of the bottom right corner after City won the ball in a dangerous area.
Fujino got a sight of goal on the brink of half-time but van Domselaar was equal to it as we went into the break a goal ahead.
The second half got off to an eventful start, Caldentey giving the ball away to Miedema who picked out the bottom left corner from close range to equalise.
But our Spanish midfielder made amends straight away, slotting Maanum through on goal, and she nestled the ball into the bottom left corner to restore our lead.
That only lasted a handful of minutes though, as Fujino was then brought down in our penalty area and Fowler picked out the bottom right corner from the penalty spot for 3-3.
Blackstenius shot well wide from a Caldentey cross as we had another opportunity to go ahead again.
Lia Walti came on for Cooney-Cross with 21 minutes to go for our first change of the afternoon.
We went ahead for the third time when Beth Mead’s cross from the right was cushioned in by Blackstenius for 4-3!
The latter made way for Rosa Kafaji with three minutes left on the clock.
Five minutes were added on, during which Amanda Ilestedt replaced Mead, and we protected our lead to come out on the right end of a seven-goal thriller at Joie Stadium.
WHAT IT MEANS
We rise to second in the WSL, two points ahead of Manchester City and seven shy of Chelsea, who play their game in hand away to Aston Villa at 2.30pm.
WHAT’S NEXT
We face Manchester City again on Thursday night (7pm), but this time it will be at Mangata Pay UK Stadium in Borehamwood for the semi-final of the Subway Women's League Cup.
We'll then host London City Lionesses in the fifth round of the Adobe Women's FA Cup on Sunday at 2pm.
LINE-UPS
Man City XI: Keating, Aleixandri (C), Miedema (Shaw 66), Fowler, Roord, Ouahabi, Park (Kerolin Nicoli 66), Casparij, Fujino, Hasegawa, Knaak.
Substitutes (not used): Yamashita, Layzell, Blindkilde Brown, Prior, Oyama, Murphy, Davies.
Arsenal XI: Van Domselaar, Fox, Wubben-Moy, Williamson (C), Catley, Caldentey, Mead (Ilestedt 95), Maanum, Russo, Blackstenius (Kafaji 88), Cooney-Cross (Walti 69)
Substitutes (not used): Zinsberger, Williams, Codina, Nighswonger, Peacock, Reid.
Copyright 2025 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.