LSV record, individual milestones, still unbeaten, but performance lacking: Key talking points as United Women take a point from Arsenal clash
Melvine Malard's late equaliser from the bench saw United Women draw 1-1 with Arsenal at Leigh Sports Village in the WSL on Sunday afternoon.
Image: Jamie Spencer
Manchester United left Leigh Sports Village on Sunday with mixed emotions. In the circumstances, it felt like a point gained as the crowd roared the team on into the final stages of the game and were rewarded with an equaliser. But there had also been hope that this might have been the opportunity to beat Arsenal, currently without a permanent head coach, for the fifth time at the 12th attempt.
“We're going to face a team that could either be wounded and really want to show that or a team that we could hopefully try and take advantage of,” was how Marc Skinner summarised it in the build-up to the game.
In truth, neither team will be fully satisfied with the result or performance.
“We could’ve been braver”
United made a positive start to the game, pressing well and putting several early crosses into the box that Arsenal weren’t really set up to deal with. There was an early sighter for Ella Toone that visiting goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar comfortably saved, but then the Gunners seemed to take over.
For the majority of the first half, the best chances were theirs. Phallon Tullis-Joyce wasn’t hugely tested, but Alessia Russo only narrowly missed the target with one low drive and saw another deflected over the crossbar by Millie Turner’s timely block. There were also a couple of chances at the back post that Caitlin Foord was unable to take advantage of. But then arguably the best chance of the first half fell United’s way, Celin Bizet doing what she has done so well already this season and flighting a ball into the middle of the penalty area met by Elisabeth Terland. A little more conviction and power behind the header and Van Domselaar might have had far more of a challenge keeping it out.
Lisa Naalsund was visibly struggling by half-time and didn’t return after the break. Skinner’s explanation was a foot injury suffered midway through the half, not thought to be a major problem but in need of assessment. Simi Awujo was the replacement, before a further double change at the hour mark saw Jayde Riviere, only just back from a recent injury and not considered fit enough for more than 45 minutes, and Malard replace Aoife Mannion and Toone respectively. The switch for Malard was done to freshen up the front-line, with a further double change bringing Geyse and Rachel Williams into the game for the final 13 minutes plus stoppage time.
Arsenal made their dominance count almost immediately after the first double change, the result of right-back Emily Fox surging forward and cutting back the ball into the path of Russo. While she had been off-target in the first half, this time the ex-United forward found the bottom corner. Despite a hostile reception from the fans who used to sing her name, which has continued to divide opinion online, Russo didn’t follow Nikita Parris’ recent example and her celebration was notably subdued.
But the substitutes ultimately made the difference for United. Awujo never seemed too far from the ball and stifled Arsenal’s ability to hunt for a killer second goal by repeatedly winning it back. Geyse looked sharp in her first outing in over a month – even squaring up to pantomime villain Katie McCabe in a refusal to be intimidated that energised the crowd – and was responsible for winning the corner from which the equaliser came with her trickery.
Williams, who at one stage even attempted a tackle with her head whilst on the ground in an effort to prevent an Arsenal counter attack, won the first header and Malard flicked it in beyond Van Domselaar.
Skinner later lamented “lost shape” in the first half as United tried to chase the ball when the Gunners began to exert control.
“Second half, Arsenal started really well for 20-25 minutes and we defended really well – we had to,” he added. “There’s been a lot of talk about Jonas [Eidevall] going, but they’ve been playing okay. They’re a threat and I felt we dug in and stuck in. You ride that luck and we believe in ourselves to create chances, albeit a set-piece and we know Arsenal have struggled on those. It wasn’t our best attacking display but I’m really happy with the defensive display.”
Listen to more of Skinner’s reflection on the performance and substutions here:
Still unbeaten
Skinner’s team have had to settle for successive WSL draws in the last two outings either side of the international break, both games where there was perhaps an opportunity to do more. But the other side of that coin is that it’s already November and United are not losing football matches.
So while there is room for improvement and things which need to be done better moving forward, that’s five games in the league and six across all competitions without defeat. Such new-found resilience after a challenging end to 2023/24 – four losses in the final nine WSL games – is still worth praise.
Individual milestones
Image: Jamie Spencer
United sporting director Dan Ashworth was in attendance at this game, on hand to present both Millie Turner and Marc Skinner with commemorative shirts for their respective big milestones.
Turner made it 150 United appearances, only the third player to hit that mark in the post-2018 era after Ella Toone, who is now on 169, and Katie Zelem, who left in summer after 161 games. All three are former academy players.
The centre-back, who had to miss most of 2021/22 due to a knee injury and then a serious health scare that threatened to end her career, told club media she was “very honoured” to reach 150.
“Millie is a unique person in a really beautiful way,” Skinner said post-game. “She’s a fantastic footballer, we know that, but she connects people. I don’t think anyone has ever got mad at Millie, that’s a great characteristic and she’s a great ambassador for us and is in my leadership group. Great person, great footballer.”
For Skinner himself, it was a 100th game in charge since his appointment in 2021. In just over three years, it’s 62 wins, 20 draws and 18 defeats, 223 goals scored, 99 against, and one FA Cup.
“When I look back to when I first joined in July 2021, it was a milestone that I knew I wanted to achieve and I have some incredible memories, both good and bad, over those 100 games,” he said in his matchday programme notes.
“My hope now is to double the milestone with the club. I am extremely proud to be manager of Manchester United and I want to keep pushing and keep dreaming big.”
Record crowd
The traffic approaching Leigh from all sides more than two hours before kick-off indicated that this was going to be a particularly busy one and the ‘Car Parks Full’ signs around the stadium site were quickly out. The north terrace looked as full as it ever has and there were few visible gaps in the three other stands. So, 8,348, a new United Women record at LSV, came as little surprise.
The previous mark of 8,312 was set during last season’s visit of Arsenal and the Gunners have always been a popular opponent, dating back to September 2019 when 2,530 people attended United’s first ever WSL home game on a Monday night.
Whether or not United Women should permanently move to Old Trafford is an ongoing debate, but Leigh Sports Village – despite some limitations – is a top facility with its own charm. Regular match-goers prefer the LSV atmosphere and consistently filling it out with crowds in excess of 7,000, which has only happened five times since the start of 2022/23, feels like a more important next step.