Arsenal falter in WSL title race with West Ham draw

1 month ago 18

This was the eighth time this WSL campaign that West Ham prevented their opponents scoring a first-half goal

Wasteful Arsenal suffered a blow in the Women's Super League title race as they were held to a draw at West Ham.

They also found West Ham keeper Mackenzie Arnold in fine form - the Australian making several good saves.

This draw leaves Arsenal five points off WSL leaders Chelsea.

Arsenal have dropped points in back-to-back league games, after being held at home by Chelsea following a last-minute Sam Kerr equaliser.

Jonas Eidevall's side have a game in hand, but are clearly missing star forwards Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema who are both out for the season with anterior cruciate knee ligament injuries.

West Ham meanwhile stay seventh, having drawn for the first time in 18 WSL fixtures.

Frustration for misfiring Gunners

In what has been shaping up as a fascinating WSL title race, this Sunday could not have gone better for Emma Hayes' Chelsea.

Having seen Manchester United drop points at home to Everton, they won at Tottenham before watching Arsenal huff and puff but fail to blow West Ham down.

This was the first time Arsenal failed to score in a WSL game since a goalless draw with Hayes' Blues in February last year, in a title race where they were eventually edged out on the final day.

Arsenal drew headlines with their stunning attempts to sign Russo for a world record £500,000 fee on transfer deadline day.

Their reasons for doing so became more obvious as this game wore on, with Caitlin Foord summing up their struggles by badly misjudging a chip when clean through late on, sending it high into the stands.

It is too early to make such projections this season, but in a league as tightly competitive as the WSL, dropping two points here could cost Eidevall's side in the long run.

More follows.

Line-ups

West Ham Women

Formation 4-3-3

1Arnold3Shimizu22Fisk23Cissoko2Smith4StringerBooked at 42minsSubstituted forParkerat 86'minutes10Brynjarsdóttir19Hayashi8SnerleSubstituted forLonghurstat 87'minutes26AsseyiSubstituted forEvansat 78'minutes17FilisSubstituted forThestrupat 63'minutes

Substitutes

7Evans11Atkinson12Longhurst14Thestrup15Parker18Denton21Cooke28Hillyerd41Flannery

Arsenal Women

Formation 4-3-3

1Zinsberger16MaritzSubstituted forWienroitherat 68'minutes3Wubben-Moy2Carvalho Souza7CatleySubstituted forMcCabeat 68'minutes12Maanum10Little6Williamson19Foord25BlacksteniusSubstituted forQueiroz Costaat 78'minutes17HurtigSubstituted forPelovaat 68'minutes

Substitutes

5Beattie14D'Angelo15McCabe18Marckese20Queiroz Costa21Pelova22Møller Kühl26Wienroither59Agyemang

Referee:Richie Watkins

Attendance:2,632

Live Text

Match ends, West Ham United Women 0, Arsenal Women 0.

Second Half ends, West Ham United Women 0, Arsenal Women 0.

Offside, Arsenal Women. Katie McCabe tries a through ball, but Caitlin Foord is caught offside.

Corner, Arsenal Women. Conceded by Lucy Parker.

Corner, Arsenal Women. Conceded by Mackenzie Arnold.

Attempt saved. Leah Williamson (Arsenal Women) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Kim Little.

Substitution, West Ham United Women. Kate Longhurst replaces Emma Snerle.

Substitution, West Ham United Women. Lucy Parker replaces Abbey-Leigh Stringer.

Attempt missed. Caitlin Foord (Arsenal Women) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Frida Maanum with a through ball following a fast break.

Offside, Arsenal Women. Frida Maanum tries a through ball, but Caitlin Foord is caught offside.

Attempt missed. Katie McCabe (Arsenal Women) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.

Substitution, Arsenal Women. Gio Queiroz replaces Stina Blackstenius.

Substitution, West Ham United Women. Lisa Evans replaces Viviane Asseyi.

Attempt missed. Frida Maanum (Arsenal Women) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Caitlin Foord with a headed pass.

Attempt saved. Rafaelle (Arsenal Women) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Frida Maanum with a cross.

Corner, Arsenal Women. Conceded by Hawa Cissoko.

Offside, Arsenal Women. Kim Little tries a through ball, but Stina Blackstenius is caught offside.

Attempt blocked. Frida Maanum (Arsenal Women) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Stina Blackstenius.

Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Foul by Amalie Thestrup (West Ham United Women).

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