Arsenal's Women's Super League title ambitions suffered a setback on Saturday as they were held to a 0-0 draw by a resilient 10-player Manchester United side at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners failed to capitalize on their numerical advantage after United's right-back Jayde Riviere was sent off in the 65th minute for a second yellow card offense, following a late challenge on Caitlin Foord.

The match was also significant for the return of Arsenal captain Leah Williamson, who made her first league start of the season after recovering from a knee injury sustained during Euro 2025, which England won. Williamson's return is a major boost for Arsenal manager Renee Slegers, who recently signed a new three-year contract to remain with the club until 2029, after leading Arsenal to their second Women's Champions League title last year.

Both sides had opportunities to break the deadlock. In the first half, Manchester United's Fridolina Rolfo's header was tipped onto the bar by Arsenal goalkeeper Anneke Borbe. For Arsenal, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Manchester United's goalkeeper, denied Olivia Smith from close range after a defensive mix-up.

Arsenal dominated possession, but they were unable to find a way through. Reflecting on the game, Leah Williamson expressed her disappointment, stating, "It's disappointing. We played some good football I thought but no end product in terms of a goal so there's learnings, we're fuelled by it".

The draw leaves Arsenal in third place in the WSL standings with 23 points after 12 matches, one point ahead of Manchester United in fourth. Manchester City leads the table with 30 points, while defending champions Chelsea are in second place with 24 points, with both having a game in hand. Arsenal missed a golden opportunity to close the gap on league leaders Manchester City and Chelsea.