I may still be in the midst of a blissful dream – Brighton beating Arsenal in the WSL? Has never happened, can’t happen, couldn’t happen, could it? Well do not adjust your screen, do not book an appointment for Specsavers, because yes you’re reading that correctly: BRIGHTON 4-2 ARSENAL. Honestly, I think that deserves an open top bus parade, at least once around the Marina, for that achievement alone.

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First things first, for a full recap of the match action head over to the Albion website HERE courtesy of Bruce Talbot. Match highlights are available on the official WSL YouTube channel HERE.

The SheGulls Summary

Brighton & Hove Albion

• Fantastic, no notes.
• I jest of course, but there’s a truth there, if there ever was a game to concentrate on the emotions, the spectacle, the thrills, the spills and ultimately the result – it was this one. Tactics and statistics are useful and everything, but goodness me isn’t it just a great feeling to not only beat one of the best teams in the world, but finally get that ‘never beaten Arsenal’ hoodoo off our backs once and for all!
• The game actually started off pretty evenly, as Albion looked to press high early on, similarly to how they began against Chelsea at home a couple of months ago. This yielded a chance almost immediately as Kiko Seike was able to round keeper Manuela Zinsburger after a lovely through ball from Jelena Cankovic, but the defence recovered as she was forced out wide.
• It was always going to take something a little bit special to gain a footing against a team with the quality that Arsenal possess, but you know what Brighton have now too – quality of our own. In the 16th minute, a layoff from Cankovic found Fran Kirby on the edge of the box. Shifting her body shape to hit the ball with the inside of her right foot she curled the ball into the top corner of the net. Nowadays you might say ‘top bins’, I also know it as the ‘postage stamp’, but whatever you call it, the shot was simply unsaveable. What a start, and a thumb in the eye of the Gooners from two former Chelsea players.
• Honestly, it makes a change of late to go one up, but it was all going to come down to the response. Would we thrive from here on out, or crumble under the pressure?
• For the skeptics amongst us it didn’t help that Arsenal equalised thirteen minutes later and for those who keep track of these things, it was another goal conceded from a cross from their right/our left into the box. On this occasion it was Mariona Caldentey to Caitlin Foord, but it could have been Katja Snoeijs to Sara Holmgaard, Toni Payne to Snoeijs, Hannah Cain to Saori Takarada – because they all ended up with the ball being picked out of the Albion net. Combined with a couple from the oppositions left (our right) against City and Liverpool – there’s clearly an issue with allowing too much space for crossing opportunities and then the subsequent ball in not being dealt with effectively. Small steps though.
• It was all going to be about the response, how Brighton handled the setback, because it always felt like Arsenal could and probably would score again, so they simply had to go out and score more. Yes I know I’ve basically explained how to win a football game – and it may be cliched – but it’s true.
• In the 43rd minute the Albion won a corner. The initial ball in was headed clear by Frida Maanum but it looped up and out towards the edge of the box. As it fell Cankovic ran in and unleashed an absolute thunderbastard of a volley that almost took the net off its moorings. So often shots like that balloon over or are sliced wide, but this one was hit absolutely on the button. Zinsburger had no chance and the crowd were in raptures once again.
• Going in 2-1 up at half time against Arsenal of all teams had most of us in some sort of daze, wondering what the heck had just happened, in an excited yet slightly nervous way. We had started, I think, to believe that today just might be our day.
• The second half began in a cagey fashion, Brighton not wanting to press too intensely and Arsenal not wanting to risk it all in search of an equaliser just yet. They soon had to though – as a poor kick from Zinsburger went straight to Marit Auee. She volleyed the ball forward to Cankovic who was already in the opposition box and in turn the Serbian lifted the ball over the keeper from short range and into the far corner. It was a bit of a calamity of errors to be honest, but it’s so much more enjoyable when it happens to the other team. I’d also add that Cankovic did extremely well to score from her position and doing anything other than exactly what she did, a deliberate lob, would not have gone in.
• Still celebrating from going 3-1 up, barely had we sat back down, when Marisa Olislagers played an absolute peach of a through ball to Seike who snuck in behind Katie McCabe. Keeping her composure Kiko arrowed the ball into the top right-hand corner of the net to make it 4-1. Never have our fans seen the like against such a good team.
• It was inevitable after that fourth goal that Brighton would begin to sit deeper, but it still took the Gunners until stoppage time to get one back. A misplaced pass from Marit Auee was pounced on by Caldentey who arched a fine curling shot just beyond the reach of Sophie Baggaley. A reminder of the danger they possess, but far too little, far too late.
• We always knew in order to win, we would have to be at our best, and Arsenal would have to be a little off it, but that was in an ideal world. Well, it turns out – for a couple of hours on Sunday – that ideal world was our world!
• Melina Loeck was replaced by Baggaley minutes before the start of the game, an apparent dislocated finger causing the urgent change. I have to say though, Baggers was absolutely immense all game, her shot stopping has always been her strong point, but she was absolutely on it whistle to whistle. What a great example of a professional getting an opportunity and grabbing it with both hands – no pun intended.
• Everyone played well in truth, the goals allowed were errors again, technical issues to be corrected, not bad play or bad players. All three centre-backs were immense, but I’d single out Caitlin Hayes for particular praise. She’s one of those defenders who would head or kick a boulder away if it came anywhere near the box and I think we’re starting to see why the Celtic fans love her so much!
• Fran went off at half-time with an injury and it looked like she may at one stage have to come off sooner – which doesn’t bode too well. Hopefully just a knock, we can give her the game off against Villa and she makes it safely into the England Euro 2025 squad.
• I’ve said it many times but a confident Kiko is a real handful. You can just see these last few games that she’s more comfortable going at players, making runs in behind and having a shot without fear of reprisal. You go Kiko, we’re all behind you!
• Without a doubt this was Cankovic’s best game in an Albion shirt. It’s been tough this season with injuries and then being in and out of the starting eleven, but I think we’re seeing the best of her come through now.
• On to Villa now for the final game of the season, a win there would take us up to 31 points – a real milestone number – and who’d bet against us now in this sort of form!

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Arsenal

• To say this wasn’t vintage Arsenal would be an understatement. Not only were they in complete disarray at times in defence, but their attack was uncharacteristically toothless, creating multiple opportunities with no end product.
• The frustration was evident from the fans as their incessant chanting to begin the game soon waned as their hopes of bouncing back from defeat at Villa faded further and further. There was a lot of talk overheard about how poorly Zinsburger had played, but in truth, only one of the goals could really have been pinned on her directly.
• One thing I wasn’t a fan of was the Arsenal player’s treatment of Sophie Baggaley when she took a knock late on, shouting and pulling at her right under the nose of the referee (who we’ll come to later). Now she did take a knock, you can see her showing anyone who cared to look, but they obviously thought she was wasting time. First of all Arsenal are absolutely one of the teams who would be winding time off the clock if they were leading late in close game, but also it was needlessly aggressive and directed at the player, not the officials, whose job it is to apply the laws of the game. Pretty disappointing.

Other Business

• Here we are again, talking about the referee and the performance of the officials overall. Not only were the decisions inconsistent beyond belief, they ended up going full-circle and becoming consistent in the end because they were all in Arsenal’s favour. Time after time, a foul on an Albion player was waved away, only for the exact reverse to happen seconds later – the whistle blown and a foul awarded. It was so obvious even national media picked up on it, with the BBC musing about how Brighton players were getting booked for minor transgressions whereas Arsenal players were allowed to walk away from some hefty challenges completely unpunished.
• The atmosphere after the game was one of sheer joy and so many people stayed behind to applaud the squad and meet a few of their favourites. A massive thank you to every single player, whether you came out or not, for an incredible day, on that Albion women’s fans will not forget for a long time!

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The SheGulls Podcast for this week has already been recorded and should be out imminently, so for more analysis of this game, as well as a preview of the Villa game – do give it a listen! Hopefully we’ll see some of you on the coach!