Arsenal Women vs Aston Villa Women; Barclays Women's Super League
Arsenal Women vs Aston Villa Women. Barclays Women's Super League.
Emirates StadiumAttendance24,712.
Arsenal Women 1-1 Aston Villa Women: Lucy Parker's late equaliser secures point against passive Gunners
Report and free match highlights as Frida Maanum opened the scoring for Arsenal in the first half; Lucy Parker equalised late in the game as the Gunners' failed to take their chances; the hosts miss the chance to go top of the WSL ahead of Sunday's matches
Saturday 27 September 2025 15:43, UK
Lucy Parker's stoppage-time equaliser secured a 1-1 draw for Aston Villa Women at the Emirates, with Arsenal Women punished for their sometimes passive play.
The four and five-goal thrashings in the opening two WSL matches must seem like a distant memory for Renee Slegers' side, who have now drawn back-to-back league games with just one goal scored.
Despite having 19 shots and 46 touches in the opposition box, only Frida Maanum found the net for Arsenal.
It was from a mistake of Aston Villa's own making, too as their attempt to play out from the back early in the first half was intercepted by Mariona Caldentey. She tapped the loose ball into Maanum's path, who then slotted under Sabrina D'Angelo.
- As it happened | Teams | Match stats
- Got Sky? Watch WSL games LIVE on your phone📱
- Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺
Maanum should have doubled the Gunners' lead just after half an hour as a free kick was nodded across the face of goal. But the Norway international was just a toe away from poking the ball home at the right post.
For the opening half an hour of the second half, Aston Villa had the better of the play. Chasity Grant was inches away from equalising soon after the break in the pick of the chances, but her attempt wriggled past the far post.
But amid a late Gunners surge, the visitors made the breakthrough and punished Arsenal's apathy in the fourth of seven added minutes. The hosts failed to clear Lyn Wilms' corner and Parker was there to power home from close range.
It is a vital point for Villa away at one of the WSL's biggest sides, and it was celebrated like a victory. For Arsenal, they miss the chance to go top of the league ahead of Sunday's games and open up more ground on the teams around them.
Wright: Arsenal got what they deserved
Ian Wright on Sky Sports: "Very disappointing from an Arsenal point of view. They were very poor and the West Ham and London City results have given people a false sense of security of where Arsenal are.
"They're very negative and a lot more balls should be passed forward. We should have had so many more shots against a Villa side who were so open. They weren't intense, they weren't closing down and Arsenal got everything they deserved in this game.
"I'm pleased for Aston Villa because they made substitutions that had an impact whereas Arsenal didn't… they did well to get back into it.
"It's a poor result but a great result for Villa because Arsenal didn't do near enough to finish them off in the first half when there were so many spaces and opportunities to do that, and that's what happens. You draw games you should win."
Slegers: We have to find ways of winning when not at our best
Arsenal boss Renee Slegers to Sky Sports: "Of course, not happy with the result. It's very frustrating. They scored in extra-time and when it's 1-0, they always feel like they are in the game and they only need one opportunity.
"It wasn't good enough. We had some spells that were positive, but we just didn't have the quality in the final third.
"I believe in this team, the quality they have and the scoring ability we have as a team. We'll review that and we'll have to come back."
When asked if this is the type of game they need to grind out a victory to win the WSL title, Slegers replied: "Yes, definitely.
"Even though we feel like we weren't at our highest level today, it's going to happen throughout the season and that's what we have to do better is to find those ways of winning. That second goal would've been so important to us."
Arroyo 'proud' after late draw
Aston Villa head coach Natalia Arroyo to Sky Sports: "I'm absolutely proud. I was saying to the team that at some point, I was feeling that we were deserving but not getting.
"I'm proud not only because the result was quite OK… we wanted to win, and we were close, but especially important was the way that we were accepting of the mistake for the goal we conceded.
"My feeling was that we didn't start well in the game but we were growing in the first half. I said [at half-time] we needed to keep growing and I had the feeling that they were not comfortable.
"It was not a magical half-time talk, it was just showing them a good solution that they were finding and having the belief.
"We showed we have talent and we want to be an important team in this league. These type of performances will help."
