Congratulations Mackenzie Hayes of Loudoun 2014G White, our Patient First Athlete of the Month for February 2026!

The excitement of the previous week–featuring a trophy for the women and the men extending their lead at the top of the Premier League–was going to be hard to top. But still, the follow up week came within 10 minutes of being as good as it possibly could have been for the red side of North London. Men’s League Cup Semi-Final (2nd Leg) On the heels of the women’s Champion’s Cup win, this week the Arsenal men inched closer to their first trophy since 2020. On Tuesday, local rivals Chelsea arrived at the Emirates trailing the two-legged League Cup semi-final 3-2. The Blues needed to overcome their one-goal deficit or it would be off to Wembley for Mikel Arteta and the Gunners in mid-March. For a side trailing on aggregate, Chelsea and new manager Liam Rosenior chose an odd approach. For the first 60 minutes of the match or so, they played five at the back in an apparent effort to ensure that Arsenal didn’t stretch the lead any further. If the Blues had been ahead, taking the air out of the match would have made all the sense in the world. Even if it had been tied up, I can see the logic in playing it safe for sixty minutes on the road and then switching up personnel for a sprint to the finish line in the last 30 minutes. Whatever the thinking, with Chelsea down, their tactic achieved its ostensible goal–there weren’t many chances for either side for the first two thirds of the match. At that point, Rosenior introduced Cole Palmer and Estevao in an attempt to draw level and either get a late winner or force extra time. Rather than the desired result, what Rosenior discovered was that Arsenal’s defense was still strong, and leaving his best attacking line-up only 30 minutes to achieve a breakthrough wasn’t nearly enough. The Blues had to content themselves with long-range, off target shots for most of the time that Palmer and Estevao remained on the pitch together. A weak header that finally made it on target six minutes into stoppage time made an easy save for Kepa. To add insult to injury, the Spanish netminder’s distribution was spot on and led to the release of Kai Havertz, who sprinted past the Chelsea defense and slotted home against his former team to secure the match and a trip to Wembley. Back to Premier League Action Saturday’s match against Sunderland at the Emirates was once again trickier than anyone would have expected when the season kicked off. When Arsenal visited the Stadium of Light earlier in the campaign, the Black Cats rescued a draw late, and have been without question the surprise package of the league so far. Fortunately, old friend Granit Xhaka was not fit for the tie, and Sunderland were just a bit off of the heights they’d achieved over the first half of the season. While not terribly dangerous, the Black Cats were playing tough defense and it wasn’t until nearly halftime when Leandro Trossard found David Zubamendi just outside the box. The Spanish number 6 isn’t known for his goal-scoring prowess, but he struck the ball true to the goalkeeper’s short side, hitting the inside of the post and ricocheting in for Arsenal’s favorite scoreline (1-nil to the Arsenal) going into halftime. The second half started slow for the home side, with things picking up when Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres came on for Noni Madueke and Gabriel Jesus. Arsenal brought the ball up the left side of the attack as Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz looked for an opportunity. German Havertz found his way into the box and slotted the ball to Gyokeres, who powered it home as he was being dragged down. It was a rare meaningful goal in the Premier League for the Swede and one that will certainly do his confidence a world of good. Sunderland continued to drive forward after conceding the second but couldn’t find their way through. Finally, Arsenal sprang a fast break late with David Raya finding Martinelli who sprinted past the Sunderland defense and laid the ball to Gyokeres for a tap-in to sew up the result. As an added bonus, Aston Villa, sitting in 3rd place seven points behind Arsenal headed into the weekend, blew an early 1-0 lead to Bournemouth and had to settle for a single point. I don’t think anyone really suspects that Villa are a real contender for the title, but it’s still nice to see any close challenger fading back. So Saturday wrapped up with Arsenal leading both City and Villa by 9 points, with City still facing Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday. The Women Continue to Build Momentum Another Manchester City team, the WSL-leading women, arrived at the Emirates. Coming off their Champions Cup win and the WSL victory over Chelsea last week, anything seemed possible for the Arsenal women. That said, the City side had run off 13 straight wins in the WSL after losing their season opener. As a fairly even match throughout without many strong looks, even the single goal didn’t look like a great chance. Olivia Smith had a lot of work to do, passing a City defender to catch up to the through ball that she corralled and slotted home after rounding Yamashita in the City net. That goal came in the 16th minute, and–commendably–Arsenal didn’t just try to hang on for a 1-0 win. While they didn’t score again, neither did they go into a shell, playing a back-and-forth match for the remaining minutes before emerging victorious. With back-to-back wins over reigning champions Chelsea and presumptive champions Manchester City, Arsenal have to be in a great frame of mind heading into the back half of their WSL and Champions League campaign. As the Citizens are still 10 points clear of Arsenal in the WSL standings, it is probably not reasonable to expect them to win the league. They have, however, drawn within a point of Chelsea and two points of Manchester United and, perhaps most importantly, gone three points clear of Spurs in fifth. A second place finish seems within reach, which isn’t exactly the trajectory just two weeks ago. City Spoil The Men’s Perfect Weekend Late Yes, I’ve spoiled the outcome of the City vs Liverpool match. Was I expecting City to drop points at Liverpool? Not really. The most disappointing aspect of the result was that Liverpool managed to frustrate City for 84 minutes. They even scored a Dominik Szoboszlai wondergoal from a set piece to karmically, balance the one he scored against us earlier in the season. Hopes rose that the Reds might do us a favor and win the match before a Erling Haaland flick drew the score level. Once City had the momentum on their side, there was a feeling of inevitability about the outcome. (One could probably argue about whether Allison’s tackle should be considered a penalty given that the attempt on net had already happened and failed, but there is little doubt that the Liverpool goalkeeper did foul Matheus Nunes in the box after his attempt.) Even in my desire for City to drop points, I can’t make the argument that this shouldn’t have been a penalty. As expected, City’s Norwegian goal-scoring machine slotted home the resulting penalty, and Pep’s side went home with a 2-1 win to stay within six points of Arsenal in the table.

In the average season, the winter months are frequently described as a “grind.” The warm weather of autumn has passed. Players are all feeling the strain of the unceasing schedule of training, matches, and travel across competitions domestic and European. The optimism of the season start is behind but the finish line still feels miles off. While it’s rare to have a celebratory week in winter, that is the rarified air that Arsenal have reached at all levels. This week brought amazing news and accomplishments for the women’s team, the men’s team, and even the youth ranks. Let’s dive in: The Women Roll The biggest headlines go to the women’s team. They started the week by beating Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.(The Blues aren’t at their dominating best this season but they have been a bogey club for Arsenal.) Any win over their arch-nemesis signals an uptick in performances in the WSL and should be applauded. The bigger story, though, is in the FIFA Champions Cup. The mini-tournament comprised the reigning champions of North America (Gotham), South America (Corinthians), Europe (Arsenal), and Asia (AS FAR). Midweek saw Arsenal beat AS FAR 6-0 in what could only be called a mismatch, but Sunday’s championship against Corinthians was no walk in the park. Corinthians supporters traveled loudly and in numbers to London to support their club, and the team responded. Arsenal went up 1-0, only to see Corinthians equalize. The Gunners went up again 2-1 and were once again pegged back. The match went to extra time, with Caitlin Foord scoring the decisive goal to win Arsenal the inaugural FIFA Champions Cup. A great accomplishment that should raise spirits as the women push forward in both the WSL and the Champions League (where the knockout stages will begin Arsenal’s defense of their title). Unexpected Help on the Men’s Side While the women were winning their second major trophy since May, the men started the week with a setback in their quest to win their first Premier League title in over 20 years. A chastening loss to Manchester United at the Emirates–offset by wins by Manchester City and Aston Villa–cut the lead at the top of the table to four points and (re)raised the question as to whether the men’s side have the mental fortitude to win the title. After a midweek Champions League match that didn’t matter much, it was off to Leeds, currently sitting in 16th place, for a fixture that pundits and supporters alike were more worried about than the opponents’ relative places in the table might lead you to believe. Despite the apprehension among the supporters, the match against Leeds was never really in doubt. The hosts barely mounted an attack while Arsenal scored two on either side of halftime with Zubamendi, Madueke, Gyokeres, and Gabriel Jesus providing the goals. While a minor injury to Bukayo Saka forced his withdrawal from the starting line-up, Madueke didn’t miss a beat, providing the cross for Zubamendi’s opener and the corner that went in for the second (although most places called it an own goal due to some comedic defending between Karl Darlow and Dominic Calvert-Lewin). Gyokeres getting on the scoresheet was also a huge sigh of relief, for the highly-scrutinized striker, even if it doesn’t change the fact that he’s struggled to adapt to his new surroundings. With three points in the bag, Mikel Arteta and the team had the luxury of watching Aston Villa and Manchester City try to keep pace on Sunday. Aston Villa’s opponent on the day had never beaten the Villans at Villa Park. Their prospects looked even bleaker when striker Kevin Schade was sent off for violent conduct in the 42nd minute with the score tied 0-0. Within a few minutes of the sending off, Dando Ouattara picked out the top far corner of the goal from an outrageous angle. Brentford hung on a man down for the entire second half for a win that was nice for them and huge for Arsenal. With the weekend already producing one pleasant surprise for Arsenal, on the other side of North London the Spurs hosted Manchester City at the Tottenham Stadium. Hopes were not high, with Spurs in a rotten run of form and City fortified with the recent acquisitions of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth and Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace boosting the attack and defense respectively. The match got off to the expected start with City dominating and scoring twice in the first half. On the other side of halftime, however, something remarkable happened. Spurs actually mounted a dangerous attack. Dominic Solanke scored a gritty goal in the box in the 53rd minute to change the momentum of the match. In the 70th minute, he leveled the score with a crazy scorpion kick goal that has to be seen to be believed. It isn’t often that an Arsenal supporter will pull for Spurs, but they had me on the edge of my seat rooting for a 3rd for the final 20 minutes plus what seemed like interminable stoppage time. Despite any negative impact on my blood pressure while watching the final moments, Spurs pulled out the draw. A weekend that started with Arsenal supporters worrying about a gap that had closed to 4 points with City and Villa ended with a resounding win for Arsenal and a gap of six points to City in second and seven points to Villa in third. Adding in the Champions Cup trophy for the women, weekends don’t get much better than that. Dowman SIgns As icing on the cake, teen sensation Max Dowman signed an agreement with the club to remain at the only footballing home he’s known, returning after six weeks from an ankle injury. The newly-signed deal doesn’t take effect until Dowman’s 17th birthday on December 31st, but it will tie him to the club for the long term. Specific terms weren’t released, but five years is a typical duration and would presumably start with the 2027-28 season (which would have him contracted to Arsenal through 2032-2033). Given the potential he has already demonstrated, coming to an agreement now puts to rest any worry that he might have his head turned by a Real Madrid or a Barcelona. It’s also a good sign that the precocious talent is happy with his experience coming through the ranks at Arsenal, even if he hasn’t gotten a great deal of match time with the senior squad. Next Up Mid-week sees the men host Chelsea in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final. The Gunners go into the match with a 3-2 lead. (The winner will face either Manchester City or Newcastle in the final, with the Citizens leading by 2-0 after the first leg.) The men host Sunderland at the Emirates when Premier League play resumes on Saturday. The women will host WSL-leading Manchester City on Sunday before traveling to Belgium to face Oh Leuven in the first knockout round of the Champions League. Best of luck to both teams!

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In a professional sports culture increasingly infused with analytics, hard-to-measure concepts like “confidence” and “winning DNA” are either thrown around by former players and managers as if those concepts were obvious, or brushed off by the analytically-inclined as “not real” metrics. The topic–and how it might impact my enjoyment of the rest of this campaign–is top of mind as the Arsenal men enter 2026 leading the Premier League and the Champions League group stage. First, some context. Being an Arsenal supporter has been difficult in recent years. Despite minor successes in the FA Cup, the past 20 years have witnessed a descent from regular EPL title contender in the Premier League and significant Champions League competitor in the Champions League to being out of Europe altogether. Were there reasons for the regression? Certainly, chief among them the financial impact of the construction of the Emirates Stadium. Did that make those years any easier? Not really. The years since Stan Kroenke assumed full control of the club and started rebuilding it into something more closely resembling its peak have been fun. When you are at the top of the heap, it is hard to get excited about qualifying for the Champions League or being in the Premier League title race without actually winning it. After bottoming out, those accomplishments felt good again. So while Arsenal have won their way back into the top echelon of the European game, they don’t yet have any hardware to show for it. In the Premier League, finishing second the first time felt great. (We were in a title race!) The second time felt a little less great, with creeping worries that we didn’t quite have the stuff to compete with Pep’s City. Finishing second a third consecutive time, especially in a season when City were in disarray and Liverpool had lost their manager, increased the doubts that Arteta and the current squad had what it takes to win it all. Even an extended run to the semi-finals of the Champions League wasn’t enough to make 2024-2025 feel like a step forward. Bringing us back to the concept of the intangibles that go into a championship team, Arsenal have had the talent to win the Premier League for the past few seasons. Manchester City have had title-worthy talent. Liverpool have had title-worthy talent. Of those three clubs, only the latter two have lifted the trophy since Arteta took charge at the Emirates. Deducing why that is has been the subject of much debate over the past 18 months. One could argue that Arsenal’s bad luck with injuries to key players like Saka, Odegaard, and Saliba have tipped the balance between finishing first and finishing second. Another explanation could be that Arsenal haven’t enjoyed a Erling Haaland- or Mo Salah-level prolific scorer to rescue them when Plan A and Plan B fail. Finally, the case could be made that Manchester City and Liverpool, by virtue of recent successes in the Premier League and the Champions League expect to win when things get tough, whereas Arsenal–blanked of both those prizes in recent memory (or ever in the case of the Champions League)– don’t expect success when the chips are down. As 2026 gets underway , the Gunners seem to have addressed the first of these concerns. The squad is so deep in quality that they have thrived despite a first half of the season fraught with injuries at every outfield position group. (Saliba, Gabriel, Odegaard, Saka, and Havertz–nearly half of the starting eleven from last season–have missed significant time.) Last year, that would have been devastating. This year, there are so many quality reserves that Ethan Nwanri and Max Dowman can barely get minutes off the bench despite injuries at their preferred positions. As for the arrival of a prolific scorer, while Viktor Gyorkeres was supposed to be that guy, he continues to struggle to adjust to the Premier League and a new style of play. On the plus side, Liverpool have seen Mo Salah regress and Alexander Isak fail to rise to the opportunity of being the difference maker at Anfield. City still have Haaland, but Arsenal lead Pep’s side by six points despite the Norwegian striker leading the Premier League in goals by a wide margin. Now the big question: can Arsenal go from thinking they can win to knowing they can win when the pressure is on with a title rival? Unfortunately, there’s no objective way to gauge progress in this area. They let up late goals at Liverpool, Villa, and Sunderland in the first half of the season, but scored late to rescue points against Manchester City, Wolves, and Bournemouth. They dominated Villa and Bayern Munich at the Emirates. As I look forward to the second half of the season for the Arsenal men, it seems clear they have the talent to win every competition going forward. With Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz returning from long-term injuries to join Gyorkeres and Merino, there is a depth of striking options that should shrink City’s advantage with Haaland at the number nine position. The question that remains is whether they have the resolve–the winning mentality–to continue to ruthlessly grind out results and not let City back in the Premier League race, while at the same time getting up for every round of the knockout stages of the Champions League. Once upon a time, during the end of the Arsene Wenger era, there was a stretch in February or March where the Gunners would just go off the rails for a couple of weeks. They would bomb out of the FA Cup, lose a couple of Premier League matches against bottom half opposition, and not show up for a big match in Europe. A season that seemed hopeful turned to dust over the course of 14 to 21 days. To get over the hump and win it all this season, that is the history that they must overcome…starting with Liverpool on Thursday.

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