Women's Super League: Arsenal's defensive improvement analysed as Olivia Smith proves she was worth huge transfer fee
Digital journalist Laura Hunter pens a Sky Sports column which analyses the big talking points from across the WSL; this week breaks down Arsenal's defensive resilience after back-to-back wins over Chelsea and Manchester City - both with clean sheets
Monday 9 February 2026 09:45, UK
Sky Sports columnist Laura Hunter analyses the big talking points from the latest Women's Super League matches, bringing you closer to the key stories at the heart of the women's game.
Defence new form of attack for Arsenal
Manchester City's lead at the top has been cut to eight points. Don't suppose it will matter much when the final curtain falls in May; City's strength has been such that they will not be caught.
But intrigue still peaked in their most recent performance, or lack of. Arsenal are the first side to stop Andree Jeglertz's side from scoring in the league all season. Seldom are City limited to such little opportunity in the final third - 0.39 xG is not only their lowest tally of the season, it's their lowest in a league game since 2019, and a huge underperformance against their seasonal average (2.68).
The contrast between last week's 5-1 dismantling of Chelsea and this week's blank at the Emirates is night and day. So much so that it's difficult to rationalise. Of course every team experiences off days but this game was not decided by narrow margins like the 1-0 scoreline suggests. For the first time since the opening weekend under Jeglertz, City gave up more chances than they created. They were forced backwards.
- Live WSL table | All of this season's WSL highlights
- Got Sky? Watch the WSL on the Sky Sports app 📱
- Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺
The intention here is not to catastrophise, though. City are champions in waiting despite this hiccup. A better use of analysis would be to look at Arsenal's impressive fortitude; the most consistent defensive unit in the league. To stop City in their tracks is a true measure of the most improved part of the Gunners' game.
"The team are humble," Renee Slegers said on Sunday. "They take pride in defending and problem-solving. We've been talking a lot about this and what separates us from the rest. We want to focus on those areas and I think the team has been really invested."
Arsenal have kept a clean sheet in four of their last six league games, and have faced two or fewer shots on target in each of those. City, the best chance creators and converters in the league, managed just one on target. Key to that was Arsenal's ability to restrict City's influence in midfield.
Instead of Yui Hasegawa running the show as she did against Chelsea, Mariona Caldentey was the star in the middle of the park, with more touches (82) and more completed passes (64) than any other player. Her perfectly weighted ball for Olivia Smith's winner was a master stroke.
Kim Little also epitomised the commitment to hustle. She spoke afterwards about the need to be "as physical as possible" to stop Hasegawa and Vivianne Miedema getting a foothold in possession. Neither managed to generate a chance while Little herself fashioned two.
Combined, Arsenal were hungrier, quicker to the second phase and more aggressive in their press."They make it tight for us in the centre of the field, which is a key area for us," reflected Jeglertz.
Defensive solidity is something Slegers has been building since she took over in October 2024. It's an area that has seen stealthy attention. Despite that, Arsenal conceded 26 goals last term, 10 more than next-best Manchester United and 13 more than champions Chelsea. This season they lead every defensive metric, and that's without being able to call upon injured Leah Williamson.
"Everyone is playing their role, but of course the centre-backs are a vital part in stopping opposition from getting chances," added Slegers, while Jeglertz praised Arsenal's consistency in "defending in a good way", which starts from goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar.
The returning stopper was barely troubled to make a save but still played an important role. Van Domselaar's passing range allows Arsenal to bypass their opponents' press and secure territory higher up the pitch, playing the most accurate long balls (10) of any player against City. Dropping passes over the top of defensive lines gives a different option and another trigger to press as Arsenal defend from the front.
Mikel Arteta's side do it too. David Raya played the highest number of accurate long passes (seven) in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Sunderland at the weekend.
Slegers' Arsenal might not be in a position to catch the league leaders this year. They might not even be good enough for second when all is said and done. But back-to-back wins over Chelsea and Man City by an aggregate score of 3-0 does their chances of a top-three finish no harm at all.
Smith well worth the hype
Arsenal are streets ahead of what they used to be as a defensive outfit but equally aided by the star quality they have further up the pitch. Caldentey's reliability in possession is unmatched. She is also the league's leading chance creator.
But special mention must go to the bundle of energy that is Olivia Smith and her technical prowess. Her pace is such a weapon. But her all-round ability for a 21-year-old is superseding all initial expectations.
When Arsenal splashed a headline-catching £1m on the Canadian in the summer they believed they were signing a right-sided winger. Smith is so much more than that. She's got the touch of a playmaker and instinct of a traditional No 9 rolled into one. Playing through the middle against City was the perfect ploy, exploiting space in behind instead of solely out wide.
"She can play off intuition," Slegers said of Smith up top, "the goal was exactly what we wanted to create."
When I spoke to Smith before the season started she humbly told me she was "just excited to get the opportunity to play with some of the best players in the world". No doubt she's now one of them, and well worth the major hype her record-breaking transfer fee commanded.
Read last week's WSL column
Last week's column analysed Chelsea's capitulation against Manchester City, as the league leaders made a statement step towards their first Women's Super League title for a decade.
