Arsenal Women London City Lionesses finished 1-1 at Emirates Stadium on Sunday 15 November, a result that felt like two points dropped. Frida Maanum scored early for the hosts, but Isobel Goodwin hit back almost at once, and Arsenal could not find a second.
Arsenal Women London City Lionesses: how the game unfolded
Renée Slegers’ side started on the front foot. Maanum brought the ball forward on the counter-attack and found Lisa Baum on the right, and Baum turned inside and played in Emily Fox, whose effort deflected wide. Ona Batlle then curled a first-time strike just past the post from the edge of the area, and the pressure told soon after.
Fox drove up the flank and slid a perfectly weighted pass to Alessia Russo, who pulled the ball back for Maanum to slot into the net. It was the Norwegian’s second goal in two games, following her strike at Barcelona on Thursday. We looked at how the Gunners have fared in the league this season in Manchester City Women 4-2 Arsenal and Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal, and this start suggested a very different afternoon.
The lead lasted barely a minute. Goodwin found a way through the Arsenal defence and smashed the ball into the roof of the net to level the scores.
Earps keeps London City level
What followed was one-way traffic for long spells, and a lot of it ended with Mary Earps. Leah Williamson found Baum, whose left-footed shot towards the near post was saved by the former Lionesses goalkeeper in the 22nd minute. Georgia Stanway put Maanum through, only for Maria Perez to get back and block. Earps then made a flying stop to deny Baum just shy of the half-hour, and later Foord’s first-time shot went straight at her.
London City were not passive. Daniela Arques Lazaro tried her luck from distance and Misa Rodriguez had to tip the shot over the bar. The Lionesses’ attacking quality, with Kadidiatou Diani, Grace Geyoro and Delphine Cascarino all in the side, kept Arsenal honest.
Second half: pressure without a breakthrough
Arsenal began the second half in similar fashion. Stanway’s free-kick fizzed across the face of goal with nobody in position to convert, and Maanum played a one-two with Baum before curling just wide of the far post. At the other end, Poppy Pattinson set up Goodwin, but Misa rushed out to narrow the angle and the flag went up for offside anyway.
Cascarino then smashed a long-range effort onto the crossbar, and Geyoro fired into the side netting from a tight angle. Slegers made her first changes in the 73rd minute, bringing on Kyra Cooney-Cross and Olivia Smith for Kim Little and Foord. Smith’s first involvement was a cross from the left that Earps smothered, and Smilla Holmberg replaced Fox, who went off injured in the 83rd minute.
Maanum almost won it with a late counter-attack, but her effort hit the crossbar. Alexia Putellas, kept quiet for most of the game, fired over from distance in the 94th minute, and Lotte Wubben-Moy replaced Batlle for the final moments. The draw was a fair reflection of a game in which Arsenal had the better chances and London City had the better finish. For a side that lost ground to the leaders earlier in the season, dropping points at home is the sort of habit they cannot afford to develop, and Slegers knows it.
What it means and what comes next
Slegers will be pleased with the energy and the creativity, but she will want more ruthlessness, particularly after a 1-1 draw in Barcelona on Thursday. The key concern is Fox’s injury, as she has been central to Arsenal’s right-hand side all season. How serious it is remains to be seen.
The schedule does not ease up. Arsenal host Lyon in the UEFA Women’s Champions League at Meadow Park in Borehamwood at 8pm on Thursday 19 November, then return to Emirates Stadium to face West Ham United in the WSL on Sunday 22 November at 2.30pm. Elsewhere in the division, the title race is hotting up, as we explained in our Chelsea Women v Manchester City Women preview. For more women’s football and wider coverage, head to our Sports category archive.
