Arsenal win thriller against West Ham, Slegers, Williamson & Caldentey react | OneFootball

Arsenal staged a stunning comeback to beat West Ham 4-3, with McCabe, Williamson, and Caldentey sealing a chaotic six-minute turnaround at Meadow Park as Chloe Kelly scored her first.

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Arsenal Women staged an extraordinary comeback on Sunday evening, overturning a 3-1 deficit to secure a dramatic 4-3 victory over West Ham United at Meadow Park.

In a chaotic six-minute spell, goals from Katie McCabe, Leah Williamson, and Mariona Caldentey turned the match on its head, ensuring Renée Slegers’ side remained in the hunt in the Women’s Super League Champions League race.

The Gunners were caught cold early on, with Amber Tysiak heading West Ham into the lead before doubling the advantage amid a goalmouth scramble with just 12 minutes on the clock.

Chloe Kelly’s first Arsenal goal since returning to the club provided a vital response before the break, but when Shekhiera Martinez restored West Ham’s two-goal cushion early in the second half, Arsenal were left with a mountain to climb.

Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Then came the response. First, McCabe lashed home a stunning volley from a tight angle to reduce the deficit before Williamson’s header crossed the line to bring the home side level.

Moments later, a handball inside the penalty area handed Arsenal the opportunity to complete their comeback, and Caldentey made no mistake from the spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to seal an unforgettable victory.

Slegers: “I’m very proud of the team”

After the final whistle, Renée Slegers could barely contain her pride, acknowledging the resilience her team displayed to claw their way back into the match.

“It was a rollercoaster, this game,” she admitted. “I think we put ourselves in a situation, we paint a scenario where we go 2-0 down. I’m not sure if that’s happened before since I’ve been coaching the team and I’m just very proud of the team, how they show character and strength of coming back from such a scenario.

“It was a really hard game today. But I think we’ve been talking about it before, when you create momentum, positive momentum, make sure you capitalise, and I think that’s what we did in that block in the second half.”

While Arsenal’s attacking play stole the headlines, the defensive effort in stoppage time was just as crucial, with Beth Mead clearing off the line and Daphne van Domselaar producing a stunning late save.

“I’m not sure who it is, is it Beth taking the ball off the line? I don’t know, several players are involved. I have to see it back, but that just shows how much the team wanted it today and the desire and the motivation that’s in the team to represent Arsenal and get the wins over the line, so I’m very proud.”

Williamson: “We have a lot of pride in playing for Arsenal”

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Leah Williamson, who was integral in Arsenal’s defensive efforts and got on the scoresheet, admitted that while the victory was thrilling, the team must demand better from themselves.

“We needed to be better on the ball,” she said. “We just weren’t getting our rhythm and then we started to panic a little bit,” she said. “I think getting the goal was really, really important in the first half—that was the quality that we needed. And in the second half, we came out a lot better.

“But I agree, conceding three goals in a game, it’s not good enough. That’s not our standard.”

Reflecting on the chaotic final moments, Williamson praised the commitment of her teammates.

“There’s a couple of battle scars from that goalmouth scramble as well. People put their bodies on the line. That really shows, like Mariona says, we have a lot of pride in playing for Arsenal. We want to win and we want to win properly, but sometimes we just need to get the job done. Today, that’s what we did.”

Caldentey: “We didn’t play our best game, but we won”

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For Mariona Caldentey, the penalty that sealed the win was a high-pressure moment, but she kept her composure to slot home.

“Well, scoring a goal is always a nice feeling, right Leah?” she joked. “But, I mean, we didn’t play our best game and we won. And I think that’s the positive thing. We show that we care about that, that we are passionate about it and that we can make it, so I think we need to have high expectations.”

Looking ahead to the challenges to come, she believes the squad will be ready.

“I think now we have two weeks with not too many games like in other leagues, so I think we have to take that. We have to do the balance between rest and getting ready, getting fit, and I think we will be fine. We will be ready for the big games.”

What’s next?

Arsenal now shift their focus to the Adobe Women’s FA Cup quarter-finals, where they will face Liverpool at Mangata Pay UK Stadium on Sunday, March 10.

After another dramatic comeback, Slegers’ side will be looking to carry that momentum forward, but as both Williamson and Caldentey pointed out, defensive improvements will be necessary.