‘The ball has to go in’ - Arsenal boss Renee Slegers rues profligacy in stalemate against 10-player Manchester United

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Arsenal drew 0-0 at the Emirates against Manchester United in the Women's Super League on Saturday, and manager Renee Slegers was frustrated her side were unable to break down a team who had Jayde Riviere sent off in the 65th minute. Her opposite number, Marc Skinner, was pleased to come away with a point from the tie, which left United in fourth place, a point behind Arsenal.

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Arsenal manager Renee Slegers rued her side’s profligacy in a 0-0 home draw against Manchester United, who had a player sent off.

The two sides played out a stalemate on Saturday afternoon at the Emirates in the Women's Super League, with United going close early on in the game when Arsenal keeper Anneke Borbe pushed Fridolina Rolfo’s header against the crossbar.

United suffered a setback as they chased all three points when a second yellow card for full-back Jayde Riviere saw her leave the field of play in the 65th minute.

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United had defended deep and narrowly for much of the match, and losing Riviere forced them to play even more conservatively.

Arsenal were on top for most of the match, with Alessia Russo and Kim Little both having chances to put the home side ahead.

Russo had chances in both halves, and she kept United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce alert throughout, while Mariona Caldentey and Frida Maanum both sent the ball wide from dangerous positions.

For Slegers’ side, it was a missed chance to pull ahead of challengers United. Arsenal are in third place, a point ahead of United, but trail Manchester City and Chelsea above them.

The top three in the WSL will play in next season’s UEFA Women's Champions League, with Arsenal the current European champions.

While Arsenal had no problem creating chances, they did struggle to convert them into goals, and when asked if a lack of cutting edge was the problem on Saturday, Slegers agreed.

She said: "Yes, definitely. There is a lot of things we did really well in the game.

"I think the game craft was good and how we dealt with different moments in the game, but the ball has to go in [the net]. That didn't happen today."

United were without England midfielder Ella Toone, who continues to suffer with a hip injury, but they were able to call upon new signings Hanna Lundkvist and Lea Schuller, who were both brought on as second-half substitutes.

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Marc Skinner, United’s manager, said the red card had made life tougher for his side.

"It definitely changed the game. We still went for the win, but it becomes more difficult, as you can imagine," he said after the match.

Nevertheless, he was pleased with the performance, adding: "We were playing against the European champions at the Emirates. We didn't go to a back five to secure it, we kept the aggressive 4-4-1. We were sloppy with the ball.

"In the circumstances of the game [it was a point earned rather than missing out on a win] because we were down to 10 players. I still think we needed to be better in the second part of the first half.

"But in the context of the game, I felt the team showed the exact spirit we needed them to if we want to go as far as we can in these competitions."

United’s next match is against Burnley in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup fourth round, on Sunday, 18 January. Arsenal next play Aston Villa at home the same day, also in the fourth round of the Women’s FA Cup - live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

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