Arsenal Women's scoring woes continue in draw with Manchester United

Arsenal Women's early-season scoring struggles deepened with a 1-1 home draw against Manchester United, leaving them with only five points from their first three WSL matches. Smilla Holmberg's 95th-minute equaliser salvaged a point after Julia Zigiotti Olme had put the visitors ahead in the 67th minute.

Renee Slegers, the Arsenal head coach, was visibly animated on the touchline as her team laboured to break down a United side that had lost its first two games. "Renee Slegers wastes no time," an observer noted. "The Arsenal Women head coach gets in there, remonstrating at the fourth official." The late goal from Holmberg, assisted by Leah Williamson, prevented a damaging defeat but could not mask the underlying issue.

A worrying trend

Arsenal dominated the contest, registering 17 shots and creating four clear opportunities. They had 59 touches in United's final third, a stark contrast to the three United managed in Arsenal's area. Yet they only forced three saves from the visiting goalkeeper. This pattern is becoming familiar. In their previous league outing, a goalless draw with Crystal Palace, Arsenal had 70 touches in the opposition box without scoring. Across the opening three fixtures, Arsenal have managed just two goals from 60 shots. Their expected goals (xG) tally of 5.9 is the highest disparity from actual output in the WSL at -3.9. This is a dramatic reversal from last season, when they finished with a league-high +4.6 xG overperformance. That campaign saw them suffer only one league defeat, but they also drew a club-record six times, dropping 12 points from those stalemates.

The wider context

Alessia Russo, last season's top scorer with 13 goals, remains the nominal number nine, but the team's pressing intensity has trended downwards since the start of the previous campaign. Successive recruitment windows have focused on adding wingers with modest goal returns, placing greater pressure on the central striker. The draw leaves Arsenal in sixth place in the standings, already four points behind leaders Manchester City.

For Manchester United, managed by new appointee Eva Olid, the point was a significant boost. "Despite two league defeats, seven goals conceded and a rock-bottom berth, she didn’t want to compromise too greatly on her desire to play attacking football," Olid said of her approach. The result lifted them off the foot of the table.

Arsenal's immediate focus shifts to a huge test away at Chelsea on Sunday, September 27. Chelsea sit third and will provide a stern examination of whether Slegers' side can rediscover its clinical edge. The team's recent form, with just one win from their last five matches across all competitions, shows the urgency. Fans can check the full fixtures list for the rest of the month's schedule. The team will need to improve quickly, as their next league match after Chelsea is another tough assignment away at Manchester City.

First reported at nytimes.com