Arsenal missed out on a chance to finish second in the WSL after failing to beat a 10-man Manchester United side with a goalless draw at the Emirates.
Arsenal dominated Man Utd without threatening to score after Anneke Borbe brilliantly denied Fridrina Rolfo’s early header.
The game shifted further in Arsenal’s favor when Jade Riviere was sent off for two offenses in the 65th minute, but the Gunners were unable to capitalize on their man advantage.
Arsenal dominated, scoring 25 shots, but only six on target, a performance that summed up their season so far.
It was the first time the Gunners failed to score at home in the WSL under manager Renee Sleggers, who signed a new contract with the Gunners on Friday, as they missed the chance to move past Chelsea into second place and close the gap on WSL leaders Man City to five points.
Man United, who remain in fourth place with a one-point difference from the Gunners, remained resolute and maintained their one-point lead even though both teams played out a goalless draw for the second consecutive year this season.
“Arsenal’s story of this season”
Jiří Christiansen talks about Sky Sports:
“Arsenal had the momentum and dominated Man United all over the field, but there was nothing to show for it.
“This tells the story of Arsenal’s season so far.
“It was frustrating because they weren’t as ruthless as they could have been in the final third.
“Manchester United on the other hand, it was a really resolute performance when they were down to 10 men.
“They had a lot of defensive work to do and a lot of ground to defend. They executed a good game plan and got a good point from the Emirates.”
Sleggers: Arsenal lose two points
Arsenal manager Rene Sleggers told Sky Sports:
“Apart from the first header in the first half, it was a dominant game. Unfortunately, there was no reward for the dominant game.
“I think we were happy that we had more shots today than at the beginning of the season, around 25. That was good because it meant we had more situations at different stages of play, counter-attacks and long attacks with more players in the box.”
“We’re lacking in shots on target, so we’ll definitely be looking at how we can create more clear-cut chances. We’ll play to the strengths of our players, repeat the last ball and continue to work with belief as a team, because we have some good finishers and if we’re really calm and believe in what we’re doing, we can score goals.”
“We want to climb and look up. We lost two points today. Today was very important for us, so it’s getting harder little by little, but we keep going.”
“Manchester United were ready for a fight”
Manchester United manager Mark Skinner told Sky Sports:
“When you’re down to 10 players, it’s a challenge and a battle, but my players were ready for the battle.
“You can’t challenge the referee’s decision. She (Jade Riviere) put herself in a position where the referee could make a decision. Regardless of how harsh or soft I thought it was, we can’t put ourselves in a position like that.”
“We have to be prepared and aware that Arsenal want to counter-attack. We had to be solid defensively and collective and then counter-attack, which is natural in that situation (10 players).”
“We entered the game very well, hit the bar and allowed Arsenal to find their rhythm. We were the underdog ourselves and in the second half we should have been more dominant. We made changes but we didn’t have a chance to use them.
“In an away game at the Emirates, one goal is fine, especially with up to 10 players.”
