Arsenal women's player ratings vs Brighton: Another defensive mess! Gunners open door for Man Utd to take second place on WSL final day with second successive shocker

Arsenal have opened the door for Manchester United to pinch second place in the Women's Super League on the final game of the season after producing back-to-back defensive disasterclasses in the space of just five days. On Wednesday, the Gunners were all at sea in a 5-2 loss to Aston Villa and, despite Renee Slegers returning to a full strength XI for Monday's trip to Brighton, little changed in an incredible 4-2 loss to the Seagulls.

It's the first time Arsenal have lost successive league games in the same season for two years and the signs were there in the first few minutes, when Kiko Seike almost broke the deadlock and then Mariona Caldentey nearly passed the ball into the back of her own net. It would be former players of the Gunners' biggest WSL rival, though, that really haunted them on the south coast, first when Chelsea icon Fran Kirby curled an effort into the top corner in the opening stages.

It was a lead Brighton deserved, having started well, but it only seemed to kick the visitors into gear. Alessia Russo hit the post immediately afterwards, both Kim Little and Frida Maanum were denied from point blank range by the brilliant Sophie Baggaley and then Caitlin Foord finally found the equaliser, getting a second bite of the cherry following a sensational cross from Mariona Caldentey.

As well as the defending, though, the problem was that Arsenal continued to be wasteful. Baggaley made some fantastic saves, earning the Player of the Match accolade, but mishit efforts, free headers sent off target and shots right at the Brighton goalkeeper would be punished by her attacking team-mates, next by another ex-Chelsea player as Jelena Cankovic bagged a brilliant brace either side of half-time. The Seagulls' scoring was then rounded off by the lively Seike, who got her well-earned goal before the hour.

It prompted Slegers to make a quadruple sub, hoping to wrestle back some sort of control, but despite Caldentey pulling one back in stoppage time, the damage was already done. The Gunners now head into their final game of the season, at home to United, knowing that defeat would see them slip into third place. That would be far from ideal looking ahead to next term, when the north London outfit would have to enter the Champions League at a much earlier stage - something that has caused several English clubs, themselves included, a real problem in the past.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Broadfield Stadium...