We took a point and a clean sheet away from Leigh Sports Village with a 0-0 draw against Manchester United in the Barclays Women’s Super League on Sunday, maintaining our unbeaten start to the campaign.
FIRST HALF
Melvine Malard was in on goal straight away, aiming towards the near post, but Daphne van Domselaar was in the right place to make the save.
She was kept on her toes moments later, making two big saves and again denying Malard following a goalmouth scramble.
Olivia Smith fizzed a cross in but Phallon Tullis-Joyce was equal to it at the other end, before Smith smashes a strike towards goal from the edge of the area, the ball hitting the bar and going over.
Anna Sandberg’s corner was then flicked on but Van Domselaar gathered the ball to get us back in control, before Katie McCabe’s corner was headed wide by Caitlin Foord.
We had another good chance to take the lead when Stina Blackstenius won the ball in the final third and sent it through to Alessia Russo, but her low effort was straight at Tullis-Joyce.
In the ascendancy towards the end of the first half, Foord pulled it back to Kim Little, who crossed the ball in for Smith, but her header at the back post went wide.
Foord had time and space to go for goal herself on the brink of half-time, curling it just wide of the post.
SECOND HALF
Malard went through on goal up against Steph Catley early in the second half, but she tracked it well and blocked the shot for a United corner.
Julia Zigiotti fired just over the bar from the edge of the area, before we made a triple change with Frida Maanum, Taylor Hinds and Chloe Kelly coming on for Blackstenius, Smith and McCabe.
It didn’t take long for Maanum to get involved, winning the ball in a dangerous area and shooting just wide as we continued to hunt for the opener.
Kelly’s deep cross was caught by Tullis-Joyce, and the former hooked a shot wide after Russo headed the ball down in the 18-yard box.
Beth Mead replaced Foord as our fourth substitute.
We kept up our pursuit of an opening goal late on as Mariona’s free-kick was caught by Tullis-Joyce, and Ella Toone shot wide of the mark as both sides were ultimately unable to make the breakthrough.
WHAT’S NEXT
We’re back at Emirates Stadium for the visit of Aston Villa at 12pm on Saturday, September 27 in the Barclays Women’s Super League. Tickets are available!
The following weekend, Manchester is the destination again as we face Manchester City at Joie Stadium in a 12pm kick-off on Saturday, October 4.
Copyright 2025 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.