The story behind Olivia Smith and Chloe Kelly goal celebration for Arsenal | OneFootball

Arsenal FC v West Ham United FC – Barclays Women’s Super League

BOREHAMWOOD, ENGLAND – MARCH 02: Chloe Kelly of Arsenal celebrates after her team is awarded a penalty during the Barclays Women’s Super League match between Arsenal FC and West Ham United FC at Mangata Pay UK Stadium on March 02, 2025 in Borehamwood, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Olivia Smith scored the first goal of the game as Arsenal beat London City Lionesses 2-0 at a sold-out CopperJax Stadium in Bromley.

She turned in a cross from Chloe Kelly in the first half – and the pair stood together for a special goal celebration.

Smith formed the letter “M” with her hands while Kelly made an “A” – in honour of injured team-mate Michelle Agyemang.

Kelly spoke to the club’s official website after the game to give her reflections, saying: “It felt amazing to be out there with the girls.

“A 2-0 win in tough conditions, I think that just shows what this team is about, the nitty gritty stuff and getting the win and getting over the line.

“I love to do that. Me and Liv spoke about it in the week and we were working on that, so it was nice to see the training pitch work come in to play on the weekend. Michelle Agyemang asked us to do that celebration for her!”

Renee Slegers: Arsenal won in difficult circumstances

And Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers was unsurprisingly pleased with yet another clean sheet – with her side yet to concede in the Barclays Women’s Super League in 2026.

“The international break was long so we’ve missed the players but the players have been working really hard with their national teams, so it was good to get them back and have a full week together and I think to prepare for this first game,” Slegers said.

“The circumstances were hard with the pitch and the wind. We had to deal with that and manage it so it wasn’t always the best technical football passing game that we’ve ever played but we had to win today, we had to do business today and we pride ourselves on defending.

“We have another clean sheet, so really proud of that and we should be really proud of that as a team because we do it together. And then we score an early goal in the first 15, and we score a late goal. Gamechangers. I’m really happy with how we found a way to win today in difficult circumstances.”