It was a mixed bag of emotions for both Arnett Gardens and Cavalier FC as they battled to a 2-2 stalemate in an entertaining Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League encounter at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Monday night.

The highly anticipated matchup lived up to expectations as Arnett’s captain, Fabian Reid (8th), and league-leading scorer, Warner Brown (25th), found the net, while Cavalier’s Dwayne Atkinson (16th and 42nd) answered with a brace to ensure the reigning champions walked away with a share of the spoils.

Despite the result, Arnett Gardens extended their unbeaten streak to 13 games and remain second in the standings with 66 points, while Cavalier, still in the hunt for a top-four finish, sit in fifth on 49 points.

Arnett Gardens head coach Xavier Gilbert would have preferred to collect all three points, especially at home.

“When you come out and make mistakes against an opposition like this, you’re going to pay. Other than that, I thought we did some good things; I was pleased with the energy and how we played in certain aspects of the game, but I am disappointed that we didn’t get all three points. We selected a strategy that we thought was best to get the result, but again we made a couple of mistakes, so we just have to move on and try to do things a little bit better going forward,” Gilbert said.

His counterpart, Rudolph Speid, on the other hand, took pride in their resilience, coming from behind twice to earn a valuable point.

“I think the fans enjoyed this game, and that is what football is all about. Good teams must win and entertain at the same time, and I thought we could have won it, but that’s just how it is. I think we will be improving right down to the end. I think the players are getting hungry again. I thought they got complacent after winning some titles, but we still have a couple of players to come in, so like I said, we are going to be improving,” Speid said.

The home side started more purposeful and quickly broke the deadlock when a fluid team buildup, orchestrated by the ever-creative Chavany Willis, led to a corner kick after his left-footed effort was deflected behind. The resulting delivery from Ricardo Thomas found Reid at the far post. Though surrounded by three defenders, the veteran striker was persistent, as he pounced on his own rebound after Jeadine White denied his initial effort at the near post.

Moments later, Jaheim Thomas tested White with a tame shot from the top of the box, but the Cavalier shot-stopper had no trouble gathering it. Warner Brown then got his first look at goal as he rose in an attempt to meet a well-weighted cross from Reid but couldn’t get enough elevation to get the header on target.

Just when Arnett looked poised to take control, Cavalier hit back. A careless challenge from Shane Watson took out Jerome McLeary inside the box, and referee Okeito Nicholson had no doubts in pointing to the spot. Up stepped Atkinson, who coolly slotted home his sixth goal of the season, sending Roje Williams the wrong way.

Unshaken, Arnett reclaimed the advantage, and as has been the case all season, it was the towering Brown who delivered. Rising above a cluster of defenders, he met another pinpoint corner from Thomas and powered home a header past the helpless White for his 19th goal of the campaign.

Cavalier nearly responded in the 34th minute, launching a swift counterattack. Atkinson, in the thick of the action once again, slipped a precise through ball to Dwayne Allen, but a last-ditch defensive block inside the six-yard area kept Arnett ahead.

However, just before halftime, Arnett gifted Cavalier an equalizer. A costly error from Joel Jones, who lost possession in a dangerous area, allowed Jahmilio Rigters to play in Atkinson, and the Cavalier number 10 made no mistake, calmly finishing from close range to bring his team level.

Cavalier nearly stole the lead on the stroke of halftime when Shaquille Stein met a cross from Rigters, but his powerful header cannoned off the crossbar with Williams well beaten.

Despite an electrifying first half that saw four goals, the second period lacked the same attacking spark. Both teams showed urgency going forward, but for resolute defending and missed opportunities, the scoreline remained unchanged at the final whistle.