Full Breakdown
Arsenal Women held to goalless draw by promoted Crystal Palace
By Drooid · · How we work
Match Overview
On September 13 2026, Arsenal Women hosted newly promoted Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium in a Women’s Super League fixture. Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances, Arsenal were unable to score and the match ended 0-0, leaving the Gunners with two points from their opening two games.
Statistical Summary
- Arsenal’s own match report recorded 30 shots, of which nine were on target.
- London-Now counted 29 shots for Arsenal, noting 74 touches inside the opposition box.
- Possession was reported at 79 % and approximately 80 %.
- Expected goals (xG) for Arsenal were cited as 2.4 xG in an Arseblog analysis, compared with 4.15 xG across the first two league games.
- Crystal Palace goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin made multiple saves, including a early stop on Alessia Russo’s effort and later interventions on Lisa Baum and Georgia Stanway.
Tactical Narrative
Arsenal set the tempo from the outset, with Georgia Stanway delivering early through-balls to Alessia Russo, whose powerful strike was parried by Peyraud-Magnin. Mariona Caldentey repeatedly tested the keeper, first rattling the cross-bar and later forcing a save from close range. Mid-fielders Leah Williamson and Georgia Stanway attempted long-range efforts, both missing the target.
Lisa Baum emerged as a frequent threat, cutting in from the right and delivering low crosses that Russo failed to convert. Baum also struck the cross-bar in the second half. Crystal Palace defended deep, limiting Arsenal to shots from the edge of the box and forcing the Gunners to rely on speculative long passes, such as Stanway’s 70-minute long ball to Mariona, which drifted wide.
Substitutions in the latter stages introduced Olivia Smith and Stina Blackstenius in an attempt to add urgency, but Palace’s compact defensive block continued to frustrate Arsenal’s attacking rhythm. The match concluded with two minutes of added time and a late Arsenal throw-in that resulted in an offside call.
Coach Renee Slegers’ Assessment
She noted that Arsenal were “very critical of ourselves” despite the dominance in possession and the volume of chances created. Slegers emphasized the need to improve the final decision-making in the box while maintaining the team’s overall approach, stating that the squad would review the performance collectively.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Shot totals differ by one between sources: the club’s official report lists 30 shots, whereas London-Now reports 29 shots.
- The Guardian mentions “30 missed chances,” a phrasing that suggests a higher number of clear opportunities than the specific shot counts provided elsewhere.
- No detailed breakdown of expected-goals metrics is supplied by the club, leaving the 2.4 xG figure from Arseblog as the sole quantitative estimate of scoring probability.
Implications for Arsenal’s Title Push
The draw leaves Arsenal level on points with Crystal Palace after two matches, maintaining their unbeaten start but dropping points at home for the first time this season. The inability to convert a high volume of chances mirrors a pattern from the previous campaign, where multiple draws contributed to Arsenal falling short in the title race. Coach Slegers’ focus on refining finishing and decision-making will be crucial ahead of the upcoming league clash with Manchester United.