Arsenal against Man Utd ends goalless at Emirates

Arsenal were held to a goalless draw by 10-player Manchester United on a frustrating afternoon at Emirates Stadium.

Knowing victory would provide a big boost in the battle to secure a top-three spot, it was a missed opportunity for the Gunners.

Visitors United had produced the best chance of the game early on when Fridolina Rolfo’s header was tipped on to the crossbar by goalkeeper Anneke Borbe.

But their task became harder when full-back Jayde Riviere was sent off after a second yellow card was shown in the 65th minute.

It was Arsenal who dominated much of the match and came close on several occasions through Alessia Russo and Kim Little.

Arsenal manager Renee Slegers, who signed a new three-year deal this week, turned to attacking options on the bench but they continued to be wasteful.

Arsenal sit just a point ahead of United in third place and only the top three teams in the WSL qualify for next season’s Women’s Champions League. Manchester City and Chelsea currently occupy the top two places.

It will be a welcome point for United, who had to contain Arsenal for 25 minutes with 10 players and face a vociferous Emirates crowd of 37,627.

Arsenal’s poor start to the campaign means they are playing catch-up in the title race and their first priority is to secure a place in the top three – and Champions League football next season.

The current European champions knew this was a crucial opportunity to close the gap at the top of the table.

England captain Leah Williamson was in from the start for the first time this WSL season after recovering from a knee injury and was a threat with her build-up play from the back.

But Arsenal’s creativity was not the problem – it was their ruthlessness in front of goal, which has been an issue all season.

Asked if that was the main reason for “two points dropped” by Arsenal, Slegers said: “Yes, definitely. There is a lot of things we did really well in the game.

“I think the game craft was good and how we dealt with different moments in the game, but the ball has to go in [the net]. That didn’t happen today.”

While United did well to reduce Arsenal’s width, the Gunners still had plenty of opportunities to make their dominance count but they couldn’t capitalise on them.

Russo came the closest with her efforts either side of the break, which called United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce into action, while Little, Mariona Caldentey and Frida Maanum all sliced efforts high and wide.

United did everything they could to disrupt Arsenal’s rhythm, with Tullis-Joyce going down to receive treatment at intervals when manager Marc Skinner needed to speak with his team.

Arsenal were without midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross after she returned to Australia this week to be with her mother, Jess, who has been diagnosed with incurable cancer.

Supporters marching to the Emirates before kick-off held up placards that read: “We love you Kyra and Jess” and held them up in the stadium in the 32nd minute as fans applauded in support.

Players also warmed up in shirts with Cooney-Cross’ name and number 32 on the back.

Knowing what was at stake in this match, it was a blow for United to lose England midfielder Ella Toone to a hip injury during the winter break.

But United were boosted by the additions of new signings Lea Schuller and Hanna Lundkvist, who came off the bench in the second half to try to inspire an upset.

Manager Skinner has made frequent references to the need for more depth in order to compete with the WSL’s elite and navigate their first season in the Women’s Champions League knockout stages.

This was another test for them at Emirates and they started brightly, with Rolfo’s header expertly tipped on to the crossbar by goalkeeper Borbe.

But that proved to a be a one-off chance in a physical first half that had more stoppages than chances of note.

United showed organisation and discipline to limit Arsenal’s width but could offer little going forward when Riviere’s costly sending off reduced them to 10 players.

“It definitely changed the game. We still went for the win but it becomes more difficult, as you can imagine,” said Skinner.

“We were playing against the European champions at the Emirates. We didn’t go to a back five to secure it, we kept the aggressive 4-4-1. We were sloppy with the ball.

“In the circumstances of the game [it was a point gained] because we were down to 10 players. I still think we needed to be better in the second part of the first half.

“But in the context of the game, I felt the team showed the exact spirit we needed them to if we want to go as far as we can in these competitions.”

Midfielder Simi Awujo was sacrificed, having only been on the pitch for 11 minutes as a second-half substitute, but it proved to be a shrewd decision by Skinner to replace her with debutant Lundkvist as United held on for a valuable point.

Arsenal are back in Women’s FA Cup action on Sunday, 18 January (14:00 GMT kick-off) and face United again in the Women’s League Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, 21 January (19:00 GMT).

They return to WSL action on Sunday, 24 January when they travel to London rivals Chelsea (12:30 GMT).

Manchester United take on Burnley in their Women’s FA Cup fourth round tie on Sunday, 18 January (14:00 GMT). Their next WSL game is at Aston Villa on Sunday, 25 January (11:55 GMT).

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