It was not a scintillating display from Arsenal, nor a tactical masterclass, but it was a gritty showing that we have not seen enough of this season.
With manager Slegers under scrutiny and the players under pressure to perform, the last thing they needed was to face the full-throttle Barcelona attack.
Caroline Graham Hansen’s cleverness, Sydney Schertenleib’s constant threat and the aura of top scorer Ewa Pajor is enough to strike fear into any team in Europe.
Even with three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati on the bench, Barcelona were able to impose their superiority against a wounded Arsenal – but the Gunners stood firm.
Frida Maanum opened the scoring against the run of play for Arsenal in the first half and they somehow made it to half-time with their lead intact despite 18 shots from their dominant hosts.
Barcelona did continue as expected after the break, equalising through Graham Hansen, but failed to kick on, with Arsenal’s experience and maturity showing to see out a draw that ended the Catalan giants’ 100% record in this season’s Champions League.
“I’m very pleased in general with the players and how they have gone about it, their preparation, ownership and engagement. You know in these games it’s about the margins,” said Slegers.
“The execution was so good. It is always going to be difficult against Barcelona because they are so good on the ball. It’s hard to defend against but we did well.
“We knew there would be opportunities. I’m really pleased with the way we played as it’s very different to how we usually play. That we can do it this way [is] a big boost for us as a team.
“We will take that going forward because the next games are coming quickly. It is really difficult to go to Camp Nou. The one point is okay for us, though obviously we went for three.”