A game in which the visitors dominated throughout, but the score didn't reflect it. Manchester United Women took on Arsenal Women at Leigh Sports Village on Sunday, the first of the 6 WSL games to take place that day. With Manchester United having only conceded one goal this season, Arsenal were looking to add to that number.
Marc Skinner opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation to take on the Gunners, with Phallon Tullis-Joyce in goal, followed by Aoife Mannion, captain Maya Le Tissier, Millie Turner and Gabby George as the back four. Lisa Naalsund and Dominique Janssen were the middle two, with Celin Bizet, Ella Toone and Grace Clinton up towards the front and Elisabeth Terland as the main forward.
Arsenal’s formation was the same, starting with Daphne Van Domselaar in goal, and Katie McCabe, Steph Catley, Leah Williamson and Emily Fox at the back. Captain Kim Little and Lia Wälti were in midfield, as well as Mariona Caldentey, Frida Maanum and Caitlin Foord positioned in front. Alessia Russo was the forward.
This game was the first game at Leigh Sports Village for vice captain of Arsenal, Leah Williamson, since she tore her ACL there in April 2023.
After a successful international break for Arsenal, the players were refreshed and ready to return to WSL action. England’s manager Sarina Wiegman was in attendance.
Arsenal’s Alessia Russo broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute, after a goalless first half which was frustrating for both players and supporters. The goal came in after an excellent cross from Emily Fox. The Gunners had 4 shots on target, and dominated throughout the game, having 60% of the possession as opposed to Manchester United’s 40%.
Manchester United were the first to make subs, Marc Skinner doing everything he could to turn the then goalless game around. It wasn't until the 82nd minute that Melvine Malard managed to equalise, putting the scoreline to 1-1. United’s fans were overjoyed, whereas the visitors began to lose their spark, despite trying to find another goal until the very end, Arsenal’s Lia Wälti taking a shot just before the whistle blew, but she was unsuccessful, leaving the game at 1-1.
United had many milestones to celebrate on Sunday, with Millie Turner making her 150th appearance for the club, and Marc Skimmer managing his 100th match for the Reds. They were both presented with a commemorative shirt from United’s sporting director, Dan Ashworth.
A record attendance for Manchester United Women saw 8,348 fans gather for the game, shared across their home fans and a packed out away end for Arsenal fans to enjoy the game.
After the game, Arsenal’s interim head coach Renée Slegers reflected on the result, sharing her disappointment with a draw. “You know against the top teams it will be important to win, especially from where we come from, and that's why the disappointment is so big. We did a lot of things well. We had lots of involvement from the players on what we wanted to achieve in this block of games and we did a lot of those things. Performance-wise there were a lot of positives, but then again the disappointment was only [gaining] one point."
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