By Rachel Gore 21/9/25
Above: Arsenal celebrate scoring against West Ham in 2024/25 Photo: Jay Patel/SPP
Ahead of an early narrative-setting matchup in the WSL, Rachel Gore spoke to Arsenal’s Renee Slegers and Katie Reid
Context
Manchester United and Arsenal sit in first and second place respectively in the WSL table. Both sides have earnt six points so far, but United lead on the goal difference. Sunday’s match will determine which team takes the top spot and set a precedent for what’s to come in the WSL.
What should fans expect?
This clash between the current top two teams in the WSL will be an extremely competitive fixture, and Slegers is anticipating that United are “going to play with a lot of intensity”.
Matches between title-challengers, such as United and Arsenal are crucial for the overall table, but also for mentality. Despite knowing how significant Sunday’s match is for Arsenal, Reid suggested that the North London side will view this match as they do any other fixture. The young defender said:
“You don’t want to make it into this huge, big deal because you don’t want to put too much pressure on yourselves. We’re just going to go out there and play the way we know we can play and just compete and fight for the result, but we believe we can do it and there’s no doubts in everyone’s minds. We’ve got our fans as well; we’ve got a thousand fans coming with their support.”
The 1,000 Arsenal fans that Reid mentioned were also spoken about by Slegers. The manager knows that Leigh Sports Village is “a setting with a big crowd” full of “loud” United fans, but she insists her team “will feed off of” their travelling support.
Slegers’ summarised what these travelling fans, and those watching online, can expect from Sunday’s match in one simple sentence: “I’m sure it will be a very tight game on Sunday with momentum shifts as well, but again, we’re trying to control as much as possible.”
Team news
Arsenal fans will be pleased to hear that Chloe Kelly has been “in big parts of training this week” and the possibility of her return “looks very positive” having been absent from Arsenal’s last matchday squad due to a knock.
Form
Both teams have been prolific in attack throughout their opening two matches, scoring nine goals. Speaking on Arsenal’s performance in the WSL so far this season, Reid said:
“The most important thing is we’ve got two lots of three points from the past two games. I think we’ve scored lots of goals and we’ve got lots of different goals scorers as well.”
The bulk of these goals have occurred in the latter stages of matches. When asked about this emerging pattern, Slegers challenged her team to build into games “earlier and quicker.“
She emphasised the idea however, that getting results was more important than anything else, stating:
“If we can score goals early, then we’ll do it. If they come late, then we’ll go for it as well. Every game has its own story, momentum shifts.”
Looking at the hosts, their goal-scoring output has perhaps been more surprising than that of Arsenal. In previous years, the side’s defence has been relied on to get Mark Skinner’s team over the line, but in 2025/26 their attack has shone.
Speaking on United’s form this season in comparison with the last, Slegers said:
“I still think they have a similar identity to last year, but of course every team is trying to work on the details and add to their squad.”
She added:
“There’s a lot of identity in their game connected to their game out of possession and they have a lot of quality both as a team and as individuals in possession.”
This week, United also secured their place in the main draw of the UEFA Women’s Champions League for the first time. They become the third English team to be playing in this years competition. When asked about the importance of having another English team playing in the Champions League, Reid said:
“I think it’s so important. I think it shows how big the WSL is becoming and even the WSL2. The growth and the money being invested nowadays is so good for the English game. I think it’s a real positive.”
Difference makers
One Arsenal player that has stood out this season is Reid, who has played every minute of Arsenal’s two WSL games so far.
Reid has come through the ranks of Arsenal’s academy and has “a lot of qualities” that Slegers believes Arsenal “need” in their squad. For Slegers, Reid’s standout quality is her mindset: “how she wants to learn, how she’s humble, how she takes things on board, how she communicates”.
Reid’s resilient mindset was evident in Arsenal’s opening fixture against London City Lionesses. Haven given away an early penalty which cost her team the lead, she did not get overwhelmed and played out a solid game, earning her spot in the starting team for the next week.
Reid works on the backline with some extremely experienced players, such as Steph Catley, Emily Fox and Katie McCabe. When asked about what she learns from her teammates, Reid said:
“I learned so much from them, just their communication on the pitch as well, like they’re constantly talking. And even the girls off the pitch; I learn so much from Lotte (Wubben-Moy), Codi (Laia Codina) and all the centre backs because they all have different attributes which are their strengths.”
One of the forwards that Reid and her fellow defenders will face is Melvine Malard, who has already scored four WSL goals for United this season. Malard is strong under pressure with quick footwork and a great first touch. She’s a forward who can play as a central striker or on the wing and therefore she poses as a great threat to Arsenal.
Elizabeth Terland comes into the game with a midweek hat-rick under her belt, having scored all three goals to see United through Champions League qualifying. Reid and the rest of the Arsenal backline will need to be on top form to keep United out. bb
Manchester United v Arsenal kicks off at 14:50 BST and will be broadcast on BBC One.
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