Leah Williamson blunder gifts Paris FC a point as Arsenal’s struggles continue

A disastrous mix-up between the goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez and the centre-back Leah Williamson gifted Paris FC a penalty that Maeline Mendy converted to deny Arsenal all three points in the Champions League.

Alessia Russo and Georgia Stanway had given them a two-goal lead but Clara Mateo pulled one back before Williamson handled the ball after the referee deemed play to have restarted from a goal-kick when Rodríguez passed it to her.

It has been a tough start to the season for Arsenal, who have already found themselves up against it in the title race with only five points from their opening four games, and the closing stages of the match in Paris delivered another gut punch.

Paris FC had promised another tricky test, with teams that are happy to concede possession frustrating an Arsenal side that just can’t seem to find their way through low blocks. Chelsea had read that script on Sunday : they were organised at the back and punished Arsenal’s profligacy as the north London side failed to make their early dominance count.

There were only two changes to the team that endured the 1-0 defeat that put them seven points behind the league leaders, Manchester City, whom they face in a must-win game on Sunday. Rodríguez started in goal ahead of Anneke Borbe, and Lotte Wubben-Moy replaced Steph Catley who Slegers said has had some back pain.

At the Stade Jean-Bouin, which sits in the shadow of Paris Saint-Germain’s Parc des Princes, the story was familiar. Arsenal prodded and probed but clearcut chances evaded them, there was a hesitancy to their play, and in the first half-hour it was the home team that had had the most promising opportunities.

As a result, it was less a wave of relief that swept through the pocket of travelling Arsenal fans and the players when their first goal went in and more a tsunami. It had looked as if Arsenal’s hesitancy had cost them a possible opening again when Stanway prodded the ball towards Russo but the England forward took several touches to create the space to shoot before firing her low effort in.

As soon as the ball hit the net the result felt like a foregone conclusion. Ultimately, as soon as their opposition have to come out and abandon their low block in search of a reply, they leave the space in their wake that Arsenal have had to labour so hard to find.

That it took only five minutes after the restart for Arsenal to double their lead was no surprise. It was a stylish finish from Stanway that gave Arsenal some breathing space, the midfielder pushed Emily Fox’s cross forward a little with her chest before lashing a volley in from close range.

But only 22 minutes of comfort followed, before the team that inflicted a shock win on penalties to knock Arsenal out of qualifying in 2023 pulled the goal back that would test the Gunners’ resolve.

It was a mix-up between the centre-back pairing Wubben-Moy and Williamson that delivered the goal. The pair both moved to close down Evelyne Viens and the Canadian forward slipped the ball wide to Clara Mateo who raced free, rounded Rodríguez and slotted into the empty net.

It was tense as the clock ticked down. Paris posed a threat throughout, but it was not their bright play that delivered the leveller but the most calamitous of mistakes by Arsenal. Rodríguez collected the ball for a goal-kick, rolled it on to the pitch and then passed it to Williamson who bent and stopped the ball with her hand.

The referee’s whistle went and she pointed to the spot, with Rodríguez deemed to have taken the goal-kick while Williamson clearly assumed she was being given the ball to take it. VAR did not intervene and Mendy converted from the spot, driving powerfully into the bottom corner.

It was a bruising end to another bruising game for Arsenal, who really need some luck to go their way to lift the increasing pressure.