As an opening weekend fixture between two title rivals, Arsenal’s clash with Manchester City had plenty of expectations to live up to on Sunday. And it certainly did just that, these two Women’s Super League giants producing a memorable 2-2 draw which was certainly not without incident. From Vivianne Miedema’s return to the Emirates to yet more debate about VAR, it was an eventful afternoon in north London.
These are two teams expected to be towards the top of the table come the end of this new season. City were extremely close to winning just their second WSL title last season, only to be hunted down in the end by Chelsea. The Blues overtook them on goal difference in the final week of the campaign to win a fifth-successive crown, and the fact that it was a defeat to Arsenal on the penultimate weekend which really cost City meant this fixture had a revenge feel about it.
For Arsenal, the expectation is to be in that battle with the two teams in blue this year. In the past two seasons, that has not been the case. Last year, they were some five points adrift at the end, though it was better than the 11-point gap from the campaign prior. With signings like Mariona Caldentey from Barcelona, the excitement was palpable as another big crowd hurried to the Emirates on Sunday.
In the end, perhaps the draw poured a bit of cold water on all the hype then. It means no extremely premature narratives will be drawn, no one comes out on a huge high or having endured a huge low, and neither really threw down a marker on an occasion that certainly provided the opportunity to do so. Instead, it’s a point that will be particularly valuable to someone come May, but the majority of the fun will come in the time until then, as we prepare to find out just who that will be.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Emirates Stadium…