Arsenal women beat Manchester City in behind-closed-doors friendly | OneFootball

Stina Blackstenius, Chloe Kelly and two summer signings all made key contributions as Arsenal continued their build-up to the new WSL season.

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Arsenal Women continued their pre-season preparations with a 2-1 behind-closed-doors victory over Manchester City Women, as familiar faces and new arrivals combined to produce an encouraging result ahead of the new campaign.

The match at the Sobha Realty Training Centre provided another valuable test for Arsenal before their remaining pre-season games.

Stina Blackstenius gave Set Piece FC Arsenal the lead by converting a corner from Chloe Kelly, before Lauren Hemp levelled for Manchester City shortly before half-time.

The winning goal arrived late in the game through two of Arsenal’s new signings.

Selina Cerci released Lisa Baum, who rounded the goalkeeper before finishing to secure a 2-1 victory.

The fixture was Arsenal’s final behind-closed-doors friendly before they return to public pre-season action at Mangata Developments Stadium in Borehamwood.

They will face Paris FC on Sunday at 1pm before taking on Charlton Athletic the following Wednesday at 7pm.

The result offered further encouragement ahead of the new season. Blackstenius continued her goalscoring form, Kelly again demonstrated her creativity from set-pieces, and Cerci and Baum combined effectively for the winning goal.

As a training-ground fixture, however, the result and individual performances should be viewed as part of Arsenal’s preparations rather than a definitive indication of how either side will begin the 2026-27 Women’s Super League campaign.

Arsenal’s competitive season begins away to Brighton & Hove Albion at 12pm on Sunday, 6 September.

Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images