That’s all from me! I’ll leave you with Suzanne Wrack’s match report.
Thanks for joining me, have a great day!
Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor admitted he didn’t think his players were at their best this afternoon. He said: “I’d have been happier with three [points] but with context of the game, a season opener at Emirates, people have to understand what that does it’s a big game, feels almost like a final and a very big pitch. Of course we have to be fairly content, the exciting thing though is I don’t think we were at our best, if we can do that and still be off colour and get a point, that’s a real positive.”
Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall said: “Overall in the game I think we had the better chances but from the situation that we were in, one goal down, for the team morale and the incredible will to turn the game around and getting a late goal to equalise, it was pretty fair.”
Discussing his new signings, he added: “A really important window. We keep building and developing a squad that is going to go on and challenge for the most major trophies in the game. For the players we have got at this point, they will definitely help us to do that.”
Discussing the potential foul from Katie McCabe in the build-up to Arsenal’s equaliser, City manager Gareth Taylor said: “The fourth official indicated to me they had told the referee it was a foul and the assistant referee did too, but the referee decided to against it.”
Two more WSL games are currently being played. Tottenham lead newly-promoted Crystal Palace 2-0 thanks to goals from summer signing Hayley Raso and Jessica Naz.
Meanwhile, Leicester have just scored to draw level with Liverpool at St Helens Stadium.
Tottenham 2-0 Crystal Palace
Liverpool 1-1 Leicester
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Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum tells Sky Sports: “I wouldn’t say happy is the word when we drew, but obviously for us it’s an important point. We know that City are a great team, it was a tough game out there. We had periods where we dominated the ball and they had periods where they also created a lot of chances so I would say I was okay with the draw.”
Here’s Suzanne Wrack’s match report from the Emirates Stadium…
What a match! Both teams will likely be satisfied with a point from that clash. Arsenal arguably had the better chances – including two missed one-on-ones – but Manchester City made theirs count, with Jess Park’s second-half strike a stand-out moment.
We’re in for a thrilling season if both teams continue to produce these performances week in, week out.
In case you missed it, here is THAT strike from Jess Park. An early goal of the season contender for sure…
WHAT A GOAL! 😱
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) September 22, 2024
Goal of the season already? 👀 pic.twitter.com/BMkltpNurl
Full-time: Arsenal 2-2 Manchester City
The referee blows the final whistle just as Arsenal look to go on the attack, leaving Jonas Eidevall furious!
Nevertheless, what a match! Both teams will surely be satisfied with a point there.
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90+7 min: Kelly crosses the ball to Aleixandri on the edge of the box, who goes for goal with a powerful strike but Zinsberger saves!
90+5 min: The ball is sent over the Arsenal defence to Shaw in the box, who takes it down with a sensational touch around six-yards out from goal. She goes to shoot, but Codina makes a phenomenal last-gasp challenge.
90+3 min: Shaw is shown a yellow card for a challenge on Wälti. Hemp is also booked, possibly for protesting.
90+2 min: Kafaji goes for goal again after receiving the ball from McCabe on the edge of the box, but her effort is off-target.
90+1 min: We’re into seven minutes of added time…
90 min: They do. Greenwood goes for goal but her effort bounces straight off the wall.
89 min: Manchester City have a free kick in a very dangerous position following a foul from Little on Park. Surely they will go for the shot…
87 min: New signing Kafaji goes for goal from distance, but her effort flies over the crossbar. Arsenal are pushing for a winner.
85 min: Park is booked now for a tactical foul on Russo.
84 min: Greenwood was booked shortly after the goal for protesting. The defender believes Kelly was fouled in the build-up.
82 min: Arsenal break forward on the attack as McCabe threads the ball through to Kafaji, who goes for goal from a tight angle. It bounces off the post and falls straight to the feet of Mead, who puts it into the net with her first touch.
She just loves scoring at the Emirates!
GOAL! Arsenal 2-2 Manchester City (Mead, 80)
Mead equalises for the hosts!
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80 min: Russo goes for goal again from the edge of the box, but her effort is caught by Yamashita.
79 min: Casparij is booked for delaying the restart ahead of an Arsenal throw-in.
76 min: Gareth Taylor makes two more changes. Chloe Kelly is introduced to replace Fujino. Goalscorer Miedema is also replaced by Mary Fowler.
75 min: Huge chance for Arsenal! The ball is sent through to Russo, who goes one-on-one with Yamashita. The striker takes her shot far too early and it’s an easy save for the goalkeeper.
74 min: Two more changes for Arsenal. This time, goalscorer Maanum is replaced by Rosa Kafaji, who is making her Emirates Stadium debut. Cooney-Cross also makes way for Lia Wälti.
73 min: Zinsberger makes a great save to keep Shaw’s shot at bay, sending it behind for a corner. Nothing comes of the set-piece.
71 min: City look to attack again as Fujino breaks into the box from the right. She sends a short pass to Park, who scuffs her shot on the penalty spot.
68 min: Hemp is fouled by Mead on the left while receiving the ball and City have a free kick. They choose to reset and play out from the back again.
66 min: The first yellow card of the match has been given – and it’s to Jonas Eidevall. The Arsenal boss appeared to issue a few complaints after Kennedy was seen pulling Mariona’s shirt.
65 min: Yamashita almost gets caught out as her clearance is blocked by Mariona, but she is quickly able to collect again before restarting.
64 min: Jonas Eidevall quickly acts by making two changes. Alessia Russo is introduced to replace Blackstenius, with Foord making way for Beth Mead.
62 min: Manchester City are really piling on the pressure now. Miedema receives the ball outside the box and shifts it onto her left foot before unleashing a powerful strike. She forces a save from Zinsberger before the hosts clear the danger.
59 min: Wow. Just wow. What a strike from Park! The ball is crossed into the box and Wubben-Moy heads clear. It falls straight to the feet of Park around 30 yards out from goal and she unleashes a stunning strike into the top-left corner. The definition of a perfect shot. Incredible!
Arsenal 1-2 Manchester City (Park, 58)
What. A. Hit.
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56 min: Arsenal look to break through City’s defence as the ball is played out to Mariona on the left. She looks to cross it, but the flag is up.
54 min: Zinsberger attempts to play the ball out from the back, but passes straight to Hemp. Luckily for her, Arsenal can quickly win back possession.
51 min: Cooney-Cross wins the ball in midfield and breaks forward, but she is challenged by Shaw who drops deep.
49 min: The hosts break forward again through Fox, who looks to cross the ball into the box but her effort is cut out. Maanum takes the corner but Arsenal can’t make the most of it.
47 min: The ball is in the City net! But it won’t count! Foord taps it in from close range after receiving the ball from McCabe, but she is flagged offside.
Replays show it was very close, more so than it appeared on first glance. Nevertheless, a good start from Arsenal.
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Kick-off: Arsenal 1--1 Manchester City
We’re back under way! A huge 45 minutes of football awaits!
While we wait for the second half to start, make sure you subscribe to Moving the Goalposts, our weekly women’s football newsletter.
Here’s a look at that all-important equaliser…
Vivianne Miedema scores her FIRST goal in the WSL as a Manchester City player 💥🔵 pic.twitter.com/DRN1woLMpT
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) September 22, 2024
Half-time: Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City
It’s all square at the break thanks to that late goal from Miedema.
45+1 min: We’re into three minutes of added time…
45 min: A huge chance for Arsenal to regain the lead! Cooney-Cross sends the ball through to Blackstenius, who outpaces Kennedy before going one-on-one with Yamashita. She shoots, but the goalkeeper makes a fantastic save!
43 min: After some scrappy Arsenal defending, Miedema wins the ball on the edge of the box and opens up her body to go for goal. She goes for the top-right corner, but the ball takes a huge deflection off Codina and flies into the net!
No celebration, although she’s not known for celebrating anyway!
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City (Miedema, 42)
It had to be her! Miedema levels!
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40 min: Manchester City are forced into a change with Ouahabi unable to continue due to an injury. She is replaced by Alanna Kennedy. Five minutes left to play.
38 min: There is a brief pause in play as Ouhabi receives treatment for an injury.
36 min: This has been a fantastic performance from Arsenal so far. To put things into perspective, last season’s Golden Boot winner, Khadija Shaw, has been limited to just three touches in the opposition half.
The hosts have done a fantastic job at nullifying City’s biggest threats.
33 min: Arsenal are posing a real threat going forward. McCabe sends a great pass through to Blackstenius from defence, but Yamashita comes out to the edge of the box just in time to cut it out.
Then, Wubben-Moy wins the ball back and quickly crosses it to Mariona in the box. The winger can’t quite get a touch on it though and City claim possession.
31 min: Arsenal go on the attack again as Cooney-Cross sets the ball to Maanum in midfield, who passes wide to Blackstenius. The striker looks square it across goal, but Greenwood makes a crucial block to steer it clear.
29 min: Fox receives the ball on the right and cuts inside before passing to Maanum. The midfielder goes for goal, but her effort flies over the bar.
27 min: Manchester City are playing very high right now. They need to be careful as Arsenal can be quick on the attack – and they have shown that a few times already in this game.
24 min: Huge chance! Hemp breaks forward on the left and sends a low-driven cross into the box. It runs all the way through to Fujino at the back post, who takes a touch before shooting. However, McCabe makes a fantastic block to keep the ball out.
Arsenal celebrate it like a goal. What an effort from the left-back!
23 min: Manchester City are starting to grow into this game, although they are not forcing anything. It allows Arsenal to get back in numbers, with almost every player behind the ball.
21 min: Hemp receives the ball from Greenwood outside the box and is handed plenty of space by the Arsenal defence. She makes the most of it and goes for goal, but Zinsberger claims the shot with ease.
19 min: City attempt to go on the attack as Miedema works her way towards the edge of the penalty area, but she is quickly cut out by Codina.
A huge cheer erupts from the crowd. Arsenal fans are on cloud nine right now.
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16 min: Arsenal have looked the most comfortable of the two teams overall so far despite a shaky opening few minutes. City appear slightly nervous right now.
13 min: Another huge chance for Arsenal! The ball is sent through to Blackstenius, who shifts it past Yamashita on the edge of the box. She quickly goes for goal, but her effort skims the post and heads behind. A major let-off for City.
10 min: Just a matter of moments before that opening goal, Miedema almost broke the deadlock for City. The ex-Arsenal star stole the ball from Little in midfield before unleashing an audacious long-range strike which flew inches past the post.
It’s safe to say the mood at the Emirates changed very quickly just after that…
9 min: Arsenal break forward as Fox sends the ball down to Foord on the right. The winger sends a cross into the box and it falls to the feet of Maanum. She has no blue shirts around her and is able to fire her shot straight into the top-right corner. What a start!
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GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City (Maanum, 7)
And just like that, Arsenal have the lead! Maanum with the strike!
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6 min: Codina almost loses the ball to Fujino in a dangerous area, but Arsenal win it back. However, Wubben-Moy gets caught out by Hemp and finds herself under pressure. Luckily for the hosts, the City winger gets penalised for a handball.
4 min: Manchester City appear quite happy just to play around the back in these early stages. A fairly slow start from both sides.
2 min: Gareth Taylor has decided to watch from the stands this afternoon. He’s got a great view of the pitch from the upper tier. Meanwhile, Jonas Eidevall is on the touchline as always.
Kick-off
We’re under way at the Emirates Stadium!
Fans are still flooding into the Emirates Stadium. Just five minutes to go until kick-off!
Discussing Vivianne Miedema’s return during his pre-match press conference, Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall said: “Viv has such a great history in the club. We wish her the best, I wish her the best. I truly hope that she has a really successful season because I think she deserves that. One of the big problems for us with letting her go is now she plays for our competitor and we know that she’s a very strong opponent against us. We need to focus on our part during the game. We need to make our things as good as possible and from here on that needs to be our focus.”
The story of the day has to be Vivianne Miedema’s return to north London. One of the WSL’s all-time greats joined Manchester City on a free transfer this summer - a move that left Arsenal fans utterly heartbroken. Miedema had spent seven years with the Gunners, winning one WSL title and three League Cups.
With the new WSL season finally underway, I want to hear from you! Feel free to email in with some of your predictions for this season. Top goalscorer, player of the season, you know the drill. And the all-important question - who will lift the trophy in May?
Arsenal fans are making themselves heard ahead of kick-off. It seems last season’s beloved Cloé Lacasse chant has been replaced with a new hit – ‘Shake it Caldentey’
I must admit, it’s incredibly catchy!
Shake it Caldentey now!
— Adam Salter (@AdamSalter4) September 22, 2024
Shake it Caldentey!
Twist and Shout!
Twist and Shout! pic.twitter.com/kLHurkgJDo
Manchester City will be seeking revenge against Arsenal today. Jonas Eidevall’s side all-but ended City’s title hopes in the penultimate match of the 2023-24 season with a 2-1 win at the Joie Stadium following two late goals from Stina Blackstenius. If Gareth Taylor’s side had won that game, it would’ve pretty much sealed the WSL title. But Chelsea mounted a late comeback and took it on the final day with a 6-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford.
This fixture has always been a must-watch, and today won’t be any different.
Leah Williamson is not available for Arsenal today due to concussion protocol. Lotte Wubben-Moy and Laia Codina start in the centre of defence for the hosts.
Alessia Russo, Beth Mead, Lia Wälti and new signing Rosa Kafaji are among the Arsenal substitutes. Some huge calls made by Jonas Eidevall.
Team News
Arsenal starting XI: Manuela Zinsberger; Emily Fox, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Laia Codina, Katie McCabe; Kim Little (C), Frida Maanum, Kyra Cooney-Cross; Mariona Caldentey, Caitlin Foord, Stina Blackstenius. Substitutes: Daphne van Domselaar, Laura Wienroither, Lia Wälti, Kathrine Kühl, Freya Godfrey, Rosa Kafaji, Beth Mead, Alessia Russo.
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) September 22, 2024
🫡 Little with the armband
🤩 Mariona makes her WSL debut
🏎️ Blackstenius leads the line
Let’s start as we mean to go on, Gunners 👊
Manchester City starting XI: Ayaka Yamashita; Laia Aleixandri, Alex Greenwood (C), Leila Ouahabi, Kerstin Casparij; Yui Hasegawa, Vivianne Miedema, Jess Park; Aoba Fujino, Khadija Shaw, Lauren Hemp. Substitutes: Khiara Keating, Naomi Layzell, Laura Coombs, Mary Fowler, Chloe Kelly Alanna Kennedy, Laura Blindkilde Brown, Gracie Prior, Lily Murphy.
Your team to face Arsenal! 🙌
— Manchester City Women (@ManCityWomen) September 22, 2024
XI | Yamashita, Aleixandri, Greenwood (C), Miedema, Hemp, Ouahabi, Park, Casparij, Fujino, Shaw, Hasegawa
SUBS | Keating, Layzell, Coombs, Fowler, Kelly, Kennedy, Blindkilde Brown, Prior, Murphy#ManCity | @etihad pic.twitter.com/Nu6qM4i2TQ
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to coverage of Arsenal vs Manchester City. We’re in for a real treat this afternoon as two of the league’s best go head-to-head in front of a huge Emirates Stadium crowd.
Vivianne Miedema makes her return to north London today - but this time she will be lining up in light blue. The Dutch superstar starts for Gareth Taylor’s side in what is set to be a thriller.
Kick-off is at 12:30pm BST - join me!
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