It was a case of victory in defeat for Arsenal, as they booked their place in the quarter finals of the Champions League, despite a 1-0 defeat at home to European Champions Lyon. A freak own goal by Frida Maanum and a freak injury to Vivianne Miedema at the end of first half meant it was Lyon who left North London with all three points, and meant Arsenal found themselves concerned with the wellbeing of yet another of their star players.
After scraping out of their group last season on just 9 points and a marginally better goal difference then rivals Hoffenheim, Arsenal knew they needed to improve upon their poor European record going into new season. And this season would provide the sternest of tests. Once again, they were pitted against the current European Champions and a quarter finalst from last season. It is therefore to Jonas Eidevall and the team’s credit that they have greatly improved, to the extent that not only have they already qualified, but they also remain in pole position to top a tricky group, despite this recent setback.
Arsenal’s UWCL Group Stage form. Note that Arsenal are yet to play Zurich away as of 16/12/2022
The most obvious change in fortunes for Arsenal is in their away form. Arsenal were abject away from the comforts of Meadow Park last season, winning just twice, against Salvia Praha in the play-off and against bottom side Køge (excluding the pre-qualification tournament). Huge Losses at Barcelona and Hoffenheim, combined with no wins at Emirates Stadium, meant their campaign struggled to get off the ground. A poor 2-0 loss at Wolfsburg finally killed them off, but in truth, they were never in the running from the get-go. This time around could well be different. Arsenal are 4 points better off and have managed to carry over their home form to Emirates Stadium, as the club look to make the Stadium their Champions League home. There is also the change in style, with Jonas opting to control games rather than just attack at will, which can be seen in the scorelines.
Arsenal’s UWCL Group Stage Point Differential. Note that Arsenal are yet to play Zurich away as of 16/12/2022
Arsenal were blown away by Barcelona and Hoffenheim in the group stages, as Arsenal left themselves ridiculously open as a unit. Fingers were pointed at Barcelona’s quality and the loss of defensive lynchpin Leah Willimson at the time, and yet arguably, Arsenal’s defence has found itself in an even worse shape this time around, with both Leah and Rafa absent for the majority of the campaign. Plus, they have had to deal with Miedema running at half-pace following her struggles with Covid at the Euros. It is therefore to the team’s credit that despite these huge setbacks, Arsenal were able to go to Lyon and win so handsomely (admittedly against a Lyon side with injury problems of their own), and have used it as a springboard to catapult themselves through this group stage. They were able to come from behind to claim a valuable draw at Juventus, and should they win in Zurich as expected, will be unbeaten away from home in Europe, something that would have been unthinkable last season. The team is now a much more cohesive unit, and whilst the margin of wins at home have been smaller, they have not been exposed anywhere near like they were last season. Arsenal beat Hoffenheim 4-0 last season but were indebted to Manuela Zinsberger for denying the opposition routes back into the contest. In comparison, Arsenal beat Juventus 1-0 thanks to an early Miedema volley, but were able to keep the Italians at bay for the majorty of the contest.
And then there was last night’s contest with Lyon. Against Barcelona, Arsenal were swept aside with ease, barely laying a glove, whilst also contributing to their own downfall with defensive errors and misplaced passing across the defence. And whilst the result was the same this time around against Lyon, the performance was a massive step up. This is an Arsenal side more mature than a year ago, all the better for the hardships suffered the season prior. They matched Lyon for the 90 minutes, containing the threats of Cascarino, Horan, Malard and the returning Van de Donk, thanks to some impressive performances at the back from Steph Catley, now restored at her preffered left back postion, and Laura Wienroither, who has become a revelation this season following her strong Euros. Both sides had 7 shots. Both had 2 on target. This was not on of the one-sided maulings of old, Arsenal actually looked like they belonged at this level. The 5-1 win, whilst glorious and the primary reason why they will almost certainly top the group (barring a shock loss to FC Zurich), was in reality an outlier on Arsenal’s current standing amongst the European elite. This was the game many of us expected last time out. A tight, close, tactical chess match. Arsenal had good chances, with Lotte heading a corner just over the bar, and Miedema curling a drive wide. At the other end, Lyon had the better of the possession for the first 20 minutes, they, just like Juventus last week, struggled to find a way through.
All of that was rendered inconsiquentional in first half injury time, however. With the bell imminent, Arsenal’s composure slipped. They had their warning just minutes earlier, when Catley made a goal saving block on Cascarino’s volley. But what followed was almost farcial. McCabe, who stuggled on the right flank all night, had a wild swipe on Cascarino on the halfway line. It was a pointless foul to concede, and it gave Lyon a chance to launch a ball into the box from deep, a ball Arsenal simply did not deal with. Lotte’s despairling lunge deflected the ball out to Cascarino. She headed it across the box, Manu came, swung and missed, an offside Malard challenged and missed the ball also, and the unfortunate Maanum saw the ball all too late as it deflected off her and over the line. Shambles ddefensively, and shambolic from the officials, missing the clear offside by Malard. It was a mess all round, and it undid all of Arsenal’s good first half. Worse was to follow, as with just second left, Arsenal raced forward in search of a quick equaliser before the break. In the process, Miedema swung her leg at her loose ball, missed, and in the process, crumpled onto the turf in agony. Applause rang around Emirates Stadium as she was stretchered off, as the crowd recognised the seriousness of the situation. She joins Beth Mead in the treatment room, as Arsenal now have what looks like yet another serious injury to one of their star players.
Sending nothing but love and positivity to Vivianne Miedema who’s confirmed she’ll miss the remainder of the season and most likely next year's World Cup with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. The Arsenal striker picked up the injury during their UWCL fixture against Lyon ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Ul9fcnHaUq
— VERSUS (@vsrsus) December 19, 2022
With Miedema out of the game, Jonas brought on Rafaelle, moved Leah into midfield and shifted Maanum to 10, where she performed to such excellence against Lyon previously. The change sadly didn’t alter the play to Arsenal’s advantage, it remained just as tight and cagey as the first half. McCabe had a break down the right, but on her weaker right foot, she could only scuff an effort tamely at Endler. Lyon’s best effort came when Le Sommer hammered a drive straight at Zonsberger. With 5 minutes to go, Jonas finally withdrew McCabe and brought on Hurtig, her first match since limping off against Leicster City. The move seemed to galvanise Arsenal, and they created one final chance to claim the draw that would see them top the group. From a late corner, Hurtig had a volley cleared off the line, and Stina’s attempt to convert the rebound was almost deflected in at the near post, only for Endler to get a paw to it and turn it behind.
It was not to be Arsenal’s night. The chance to become the first team to record back-to-back Champions League wins over Lyon had slipped through their fingers. And whilst qualification was now confirmed, and the chance to top their group still in their own hands, the sight of the stricken Miedema being stretchered off, just as she was returning to form, was what dominated the thoughts of the departing Arsenal fans into the freezing North London night. Arsenal were through, but at what cost had it come to?
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Written by Adam Salter
