Arsenal salvage point against Man Utd with injury-time drama - 5 talking points
A stunning injury-time strike from Cloe Lacasse forced Manchester United Women to share the spoils with Arsenal in a dramatic clash of WSL heavyweights.
Stina Blackstenius put Arsenal ahead inside the opening 15 minutes with an exquisitely-finished strike in the bottom right corner. And Arsenal looked to be firmly in control until a ball over the top from Gabby George towards Leah Galton got the better of goalkeeper Sabrina D'Angelo.
Making her first start for the Gunners, the keeper swiped at hot air to gift Galton an open goal and the striker made no mistake in drawing proceedings level. A nicely poised second-half eventually saw Arsenal turn the screw, with former United striker Alessia Russo smashing the post.
But United's defence, buoyed by Mary Earps in goal, remained resolute, and it was another defensive error from the Gunners that saw United race into the lead as substitute Melvine Malard prodded home 10 minutes from time.
Arsenal hunted for an equaliser, and Lacasse eventually salvaged a point for Arsenal with a sensational shot from distance in injury time.
Earps reacts to FIFA Best nomination and on season so far with Man Utd
Mirror Football takes you through the game's talking points.
1. Substitutes make for dramatic ending
Four wins apiece and no draws to claim met a dramatic leveller was always on the cards in a fixture becoming famous for its spectacle, and it was substitutions that injected the final 15 minutes at Leigh Sports Village with a palpable intensity.
United looked to be the ones destined to suffer from a lack of squad depth as Jonas Eidevall boasted six changes to the starting XI who fell to a shock loss to Liverpool on opening weekend, while Marc Skinner kept with his XI from the win over Aston Villa.
The stark disparity in depth was accentuated further as Eidevall made use of all five of his subs and United looked to be flagging as the clock struck the 70-minute mark. But Skinner's late substitutes came good as new signing Malard raced through the Gunners' defence after a poor clearance and prodded her shot beyond D'Angelo with less than 10 minutes remaining.
It looked to be another match defined by late and prescient substitutions for United, after super-sub Rachel Williams supplied the goods in injury-time at Villa Park after linking up with Japan's World Cup star Hinata Miyazawa.
But United's late show of character met its match in Arsenal, and substitute Lacasse found the back of the net with a top-drawer finish from just outside the area in injury time. It was a first goal for the Canadian in the Arsenal shirt and a first point for the Gunners this season.
Alessia Russo was booed on her return to Man Utd (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)2. Russo booed in homecoming but does well under pressure
An already mouth-watering clash was offered another dimension of cinematic drama as Russo started against her former club. Russo was reliably booed by the home crowd whenever she found herself on the ball, an occurrence retaliated by the travelling Arsenal fans with a declaration of 'Alessia Russo, we've got!'
The Lioness' exploits at United are undeniable, particularly so in this derby. Both victories last season arrived through decisive goals scored by the 24-year-old.
Russo was initially kept quiet by her former teammates, reduced to only two touches in the box in the first 65 minutes, though she was pivotal in sending Arsenal on their early counter that Blackstenius culminated with a fine angled strike and very nearly silenced the home crowd as she struck the post 12 minutes from time.
3. Eidevall's goalkeeping theory proves problematic
Canadian goalkeeper D'Angelo was given her first start in the Gunners shirt on Friday in place of Manuela Zinsberger, and when queried on the surprise switch between the sticks, Eidevall spoke fervently about the need to do away with the narrative of the sacrosanct goalkeeper, insisting that he could change the goalkeeper between games or even within a game.
Man Utd boss Skinner sends firm message to Arsenal over Russo contract saga
Whether Eidevall was tempted to swap D'Angelo for Zinsberger after the former's atrocious error that gifted United their equaliser remains the question. A ball over the top from new United recruit George towards Galton in the left channel was easy enough to deal with, until it wasn't.
Sabrina D'Angelo reacts after miss-hitting the ball leading to a goal for Manchester United scored by Leah Galton (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)D'Angelo inexplicably raced out of her area and whiffed her clearance to gift an easy goal to the hosts. And the keeper's night was compounded 10 minutes from time as another defensive miscommunication led to Malard's goal.
The errors was made all the worse given the juxtaposition to D'Angelo's opposite number in Mary Earps, who was the subject of a world-record bid for a goalkeeper from Arsenal this summer.
4. Leah Galton shows worth with equaliser
When asked about Russo's departure, Skinner reiterated his glee of recruiting 'big-game players'.
Brazil's Geyse is the obvious candidate to wear that crown, but Galton once again showed why she's been a mainstay in United's attack. The goal to draw the host's level could arguably not have been placed on a more gilt-edged platter, but the forward made herself a constant nuisance down the left channel while routinely dropping deep for defensive duties.
Another chance seemed there for the taking as Galton flashed a shot across the face of goal shortly after the restart, but Galton was just out of reach.
Galton scored as many goals as Russo last season, though little noise was afforded the 29-year-old. With the spotlight off Russo, Galton could just be about to take the light herself.
Leah Galton scores for Manchester United against Arsenal (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)5. Eidevall contract scrutiny softened with first point of season
"A different version" of Arsenal was how Eidevall framed expectations ahead of Friday's heavyweight clash and with six changes to the side that lost 1-0 on Sunday, including a debut for World Cup winner Laia Codina, it promised to be a different version indeed.
Blackstenius' early goal promised to validate Eidevall's changes, as did Arsenal's initial dominance in midfield and the left flank of Kim Little and Catley.
A wobbly performance in the backline threatened to undo the hard work further forward, but a late surge of conviction earned Arsenal a deserved first point of the campaign and Eidevall some reprieve.
The Swede has just signed a new long-term contract, believed to be three years. The rocky start to the season has put the club's faith in Eidevall under harsh scrutiny from fans.
But Friday's dramatic draw suggests the suspect trajectory is set to shift.
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