Saturday 17th February 2024 was a day that’ll go down in Women’s Football History, and for all the right reasons. Arsenal hosted Manchester United at the Emirates, with a record-breaking attendance of 60,160, and another victory to add to the Gunner’s record.
The whistle blew, indicating the start of the first half, and it wasn’t long before the action was to begin.
10 minutes into the game, Manchester United broke the deadlock with an own goal, meaning Arsenal were 1-0 up. A corner from Katie McCabe saw the ball fly towards the box, with a variety of legs battling trying to get to the ball. In the end, to clear the ball, Geyse kicked the ball, sending it straight into the bottom corner of the goal. Earps attempted to make a save but was unfortunately denied the chance.
In the 34th minute, a free kick from Arsenal seemed to give them the fire they needed to spur the game on. With McCabe taking the free kick from just in front of the halfway line, a long pass to Mead down the right wing gave Pelova the chance to run ahead and position herself in a spot to gain the ball. A short pass from Pelova to Blackstenius saw Katie Zelem intercept, kicking the ball to the feet of Cloe Lacasse. Lacasse took the opportunity to shoot, ricocheting the ball straight past the side of Mary Earps and into the back of the net once again. This was her second goal against United this season, with the first one bringing the Gunners to an equal end with the Red Devils, on a 2-2 draw. Arsenal celebrated their flattering lead with a classic group hug, then the game play continued, with Manchester United pushing to make a comeback.
United’s hopes to gain one back before half-time were shortly shattered when Gemma Evans performed a badly timed tackle against Beth Mead, resulting in the penalty for the Gunners. As Mead went down clutching her leg, the rest of the team prepared. Kim Little stood to take the penalty, sending the ball in the opposite direction to the way Earps dived, putting the Gunners ahead by a very comfortable three goals. Play resumed for a further 6 minutes, with 4 minutes added time. The half-time whistle blew, and both teams headed back down the tunnel, ready to prepare for the second-half battle.
Half-time was soon over, and both teams came back out, with both sides having made substitutions. For Arsenal, Victoria Pelova made way for Kyra Cooney-Cross, and for Manchester United, Gemma Evans made way for Leah Galton.
Although the second half of the game didn’t see the delivery of many goals, it was nothing short of drama-filled intensity. Both teams continued to press, in the hopes of acquiring a goal, but only one team was successful in achieving this aim.
52 minutes in saw an opportunity for Manchester United, when Leah Galton passed the ball down the left wing towards Garcia, who was quickly pursued by McCabe. Garcia managed to remain in control of the ball, crossing to Parris who was knocked by Wubben-Moy, deflecting the attempt at a header. The score remained 3-0 to Arsenal.
Less than 3 minutes later, another opportunity arose for the Red Devils, as they were awarded a corner kick. Katie Zelem stood to take the corner, passing back out to Blundell, who carried out a short pass to Naalsund. Naalsund crossed to Parris, who’s attempt of scoring was just wide of the net, gliding down the left hand side.
Manchester United continued to press hard, hoping to gain some form of control back in the game.
In the 60th minute, Arsenal had their hopes of another goal crushed when Mead hit the goal post not once, but twice in an attempt to slide the ball in past her fellow Lionesses teammate, Mary Earps.
The next 20 minutes saw a variety of substitutions made for both sides, as the tired legs were replaced with potential game changers.
In the 62nd minute, Manchester United replaced Geyse with Williams. In the 66th minute, Arsenal replaced Blackstenius with Russo, a former Manchester United player.
An additional opportunity for Arsenal arose in the 67th minute, with Mead making a long pass across the width of the box towards Lacasse, who attempted to glide the ball into the bottom right hand corner, but is denied the chance by Earps, who deflects the ball once again. The near opportunity had the crowd on their feet, spurring the Gunners on.
The next set of substitutions came in the 73rd minute, when Arsenal players, Mead and Little, made way for Maanum, and the long-awaited return of the all-time goal scorer, Vivianne Miedema. After sustaining an ACL injury in the back end of 2022, this was Miedema’s first time playing the Emirates since making her return.
Play was shortly paused in the 79th minute, as Steph Catley quite literally put her head on the line when defending yet another United attempt. She collided with Garcia after completing a low header to remove the ball from the space of the United players, which subsequently left her with a minor neck injury. Game play resumed 3 minutes later, as Catley was replaced by her fellow Australian teammate, Caitlin Foord.
The game remained with Arsenal in the lead by 3 goals to nil for the full 90 minutes, until United came back with vengeance in the 6 minutes of added time. A corner kick from the Red Devils saw the ball passed back to Toone, who crossed to Garcia. The Arsenal Keeper D’Angelo rushed out to collect the ball, but Garcia got there first, effortlessly slotting the ball into an open net. However, the 1 goal was not enough to get United the 3 points they so desperately needed.
The final whistle blew, and Arsenal had made history. Not only had they hosted a game with a record-breaking attendance of 60,160 fans, but they had beaten Manchester United for the first time since 2021. Mark Skinner’s side hadn’t lost back-to-back Women’s Super League matches away from home since 2021, but the loss to Arsenal means their record is
no more.
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