Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night may have ended the Women’s Super League title race, but it also dealt a painful blow to Chiamaka Nnadozie’s hopes of making history in England, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigeria goalkeeper was one of the standout performers at Broadfield Stadium on Wednesday night, producing a string of outstanding saves to frustrate Arsenal for long periods.
Brighton looked set for a famous victory after Fuka Tsunoda fired the hosts ahead in the 43rd minute, smashing home from close range after Arsenal failed to clear a dangerous free-kick.
The match carried extra importance beyond Brighton’s unbeaten run for Nnadozie. The 25-year-old entered the game with six clean sheets in her debut Women’s Super League season, only one behind Golden Glove leaders Ayaka Yamashita of Manchester City, Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and Manchester United’s Phallon Tullis-Joyce
Had Brighton held on for a 1-0 win, Nnadozie would have moved level at the top of the standings with only one round of fixtures remaining.
Instead, Arsenal found a way back in the 62nd minute when Alessia Russo slipped a clever pass into the path of Frida Maanum, who calmly finished into the bottom right corner.
The goal denied Nnadozie a seventh clean sheet despite another commanding performance from the former Paris FC goalkeeper.
She had earlier produced a brilliant fingertip save to keep out Caitlin Foord, reacted sharply to stop Mariona Caldentey from close range and dealt confidently with several dangerous deliveries into the penalty area. Her positioning and authority repeatedly disrupted Arsenal’s attacking rhythm, especially with Russo and Stina Blackstenius constantly searching for spaces behind Brighton’s defensive line.
The draw stretched Brighton’s unbeaten run in the WSL to five matches, their longest sequence without defeat in the competition’s modern era.
Slegers admits Nnadozie frustrated Arsenal
After the match, Arsenal manager Renee Slegers openly praised Nnadozie’s influence on the game and admitted her side struggled to exploit attacking opportunities because of the Nigerian’s awareness and decision-making.
She told the BBC: “Brighton always come out very convinced and with a lot of intensity. It is also about the decisions we make on the pitch. It is finding the balance and building partnerships over the pitch across the season so you can make changes and it doesn’t effect the team.
“There were opportunities in behind but also Nnadozie did well defending that space, so you need a lot of detail and quality in execution.”
That Arsenal draw officially ended their hopes lifting the title as Manchester City were crowned the WSL champions with a game to spare. It is the Citizens' first league win in 10 years and the second overall in history.
While the result favoured Man City, it complicated Nnadozie’s pursuit of the Golden Glove award.
The Brighton goalkeeper now remains on six clean sheets, one behind the current leaders on seven. To stand any chance of sharing the award, she must keep a clean sheet against Tottenham Hotspur in Brighton’s final league game on May 16.
Even then, Nnadozie’s fate is no longer fully in her own hands. She would still need Yamashita, Hampton and Tullis-Joyce to concede in their respective final matches. Any additional clean sheet from the trio would move the target to eight and mathematically end her hopes.
Despite the setback, Nnadozie’s first season in England has already established her as one of the league’s most reliable goalkeepers. The Super Falcons star has quickly become a key figure for Brighton and is now preparing for another major test when the Seagulls face Liverpool in the Women’s FA Cup semi-final this weekend.
