Arsenal saw older players depart in the summer, with Beth Mead joining City and Katie McCabe signing for Chelsea. McCabe revelled in the pantomime villain role and showed that she is perhaps one of the players they should have kept.
Arsenal have scored twice in four games and before kick-off their shot conversion rate was the worst in the WSL since bottom-of-the-league Yeovil Town in 2017-18. It’s now as low as 2.5 per cent.
They had 18 shots but managed just two on target, both of which were comfortably saved by Hannah Hampton.
Despite overhauling their squad, Arsenal are still painfully predictable. Stina Blackstenius will come on if they need a goal and Alessia Russo will move into the No 10 role. Although there seemed to be confusion when the change occurred on the hour mark. Lisa Baum, who had been Arsenal’s best attacking outlet, was withdrawn alongside Georgia Stanway and Mariona Caldentey. Players questioned where they were playing, with Kim Little heard shouting “Am I the No 6?” – a debate which seemed to rage on between her and the bench for a good few minutes.
Russo, who is yet to score this season, looks worryingly low on confidence and she is not the only one.