Looking at the scoreline of the Manchester United versus Arsenal Women WSL match, many were disappointed; the two sides were inseparable, playing out to a 1-1 draw on Sunday. Before the game, some claimed that Manchester United needed to be ruthless against the “struggling” Gunners. However, the Red Devils were in for a rude awakening with the Gunner women taking the game to them, at Leigh Sports Village.
The first half was a dull affair—things were tight, but in the second half, the game opened up as the Arsenal women turned up the heat up againts their hosts. In the 63rd minute, following a brilliant pass between the lines by Mariona Caldentey and Emily Fox, the American fullback lifted her head and passed it to Russo, who scored against her former team.
It was unfortunate that 19 minutes later, United got the equalizer from Melvin Malard. Even so, the second half was all Arsenal women, and that 1-1 draw looked like an injustice to our Gunners.
Post-match Alessia Russo spoke to the media; admitting the disappointment of not winning, but they take the positives from that match and swiftly shift their focus to what lies ahead, hinting they’ll be looking to getting back to winning ways when they take on Brighton next.
“I think we’re disappointed not to take the three points,” said Russo after the match. “We have really high standards, and we want to be winning and we want to be competing, so, disappointed.
“But lots of positives to take, and we’ve got a massive block coming up, so it’s a quick turnaround now for Brighton.”
She admitted all she always wants to do is score and do her job as the striker, and it was great doing that against United, saying, “I was just saying before that I’m my own biggest critic at times, and I want to be scoring as much as I can, so to get one today was really nice and nice to celebrate with all the girls.
“United are a top side. They’ve got lots of structure and lots of discipline, especially at the back, and it’s tough to break down, but I think we took our goal and the momentum swung.”
That said, she also noted what a great side this Arsenal women’s team is, saying they have all the tactics to get the best out of themselves; they just need to put in the effort and be relentless, especially in the fixtures that lie ahead of them.
She admitted, “We know the talent we’ve got in the changing room. We know that we’ve got the style to match it, so it’s just about really pushing on now. We’ve got a massive block ahead of us, and we can’t take our foot off of the gas at all.”
Drawing 1-1 against United wasn’t such a bad result; our girls can aim to take advantage of them when they make the trip to North London; now all they need to do is sustain the momentum they’re on and prolong this unbeaten streak for as long as they can.
Brighton will not be an easy match. The seagulls are flying high this season, sitting in 3rd place in the WSL, while Arsenal are still sitting 5th after the 1-1 draw against Man United on Sunday.
What’s your thoughts Gooners?
Michelle M
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