Arsenal 1-1 Aston Villa
By Rachel Gore (27/09/25)
Above: Aston Villa celebrate their injury-time equaliser Photo: avfc.co.uk
Aston Villa snatched a late point against Arsenal at the Emirates with a dramatic last-minute equaliser.
Prior to this match, Arsenal sat in third place in the WSL table having won their two opening matches and drawn in their most recent fixture against Manchester United.
Aston Villa, however, are on the opposite end of the table; the club were in 10th place having had their last match against Liverpool postponed. In the two WSL matches that they had played prior to today’s fixture, Villa had taken away one point from a draw against Brighton and Hove Albion.
The teams
Arsenal’s starting 11 took a 4-2-3-1 formation and included youngster Katie Reid who has impressed so far this season. Having turned 19 this week, the defender has played every minute of Arsenal’s WSL campaign so far this season.
Olivia Smith featured once more in the starting line up with Stina Blackstenius and Caitlin Foord dropping to the bench. Replacing Blackstenius and Foord was Beth Mead and Frida Maanum.
Up front for the Gunners was Alessia Russo, who took third place at the Ballon d’Or awards on Monday evening.
At the awards, Arsenal won Women’s Club of the year, an achievement which was recognised ahead of kick-off.
In the stands, 24,712 fans cheered on as their club’s Ballon d’Or successes were recognised. The tens of thousands of observers were loud throughout the match, meaning that Arsenal’s home advantage was constantly felt.
Any away match at the Emirates is tough for visitors and today it was Aston Villa who were put up to the challenge of facing Arsenal at their home stadium.
Villa lined up in a 3-4-3 formation with their captain, Rachel Daly, up front. This match marked Daly’s 100th WSL appearance.
Noelle Maritz is currently suspended so Rachel Maltby, an 18-year-old player, replaced her as left wing back. Another young baller, Lucia Kendall, also featured in Villa’s starting eleven. Kendall replaced Kirsty Hanson who began on the bench
Post match, Aston Villa’s manager, Natalia Arroyo, described the decision to exclude the experienced Hanson from the starting lineup as a “difficult decision.”
Sabrina D’Angelo stood between the sticks for Villa. D’Angelo was substituted off during Villa’s WSL season opener and replaced by Ellie Roebuck who played the entirety of the team’s following matches. Roebuck was absent from the matchday squad today with 18-year-old Soffia Kelly being the goalkeeper on Villa’s bench.
The action
Before the five-minute mark Arsenal had earnt themselves two corners and prompted Villa’s D’Angelo to punch the ball away from the goal.
Following this initial dominance from the home team, Villa managed to drive the ball back into their attacking half. Reid stopped her fellow young Lioness, Maltby, from passing the ball into the box but it took a few more interceptions from Arsenal players before they managed to bring the ball away from their goal.
In these first few minutes of the match, Reid’s excellence shone through. Whilst Arsenal dominated possession, Reid dictated much of the game; she made controlled passes to, and from, Van Domselaar.
Reid was faced with marking one of Villa’s standout players, Ebony Salmon, whose quick pace and competitive edge was evident.
At 10 minutes, Maanum opened the scoring when she slotted the ball past D’Angelo and into the net. Mariona Caldentey assisted Maanum who had been left in open space by Villa’s defenders. Just before halftime, Maanum nearly earnt herself a brace in the first half; she ended up sliding into the back post after not quite getting on the end of a pass from Mead.
The second half got off to a slow start as Arsenal medics entered the pitch twice in under five minutes. Firstly, for a clash of heads and secondly to assist Steph Catley who was holding her elbow and appeared to be in pain. No substitutions were made, and Catley ran back onto the pitch to the sound of cheering fans.
A half time switch for Villa saw Daly exit the pitch and Hanson enter. Hanson immediately contributed to the match as she slid the ball to Grant who shot it just wide of the goal.
This shot reiterated Villa’s ability. The away team put up a fight and made consistent attacking runs until the 62nd minute when Arsenal regained control.
Even with the help of substitutes, Foord and Victoria Pelova, Arsenal struggled to suppress Villa’s momentum.
At 74 minutes, Villa’s Baijlings went down and clutched onto her knee. She was substituted off with injury and replaced by Miriael Taylor. The pause in play allowed for conversations between footballers and staff. This reset allowed Arsenal tocome back stronger.
The home team picked up the pace and the crowd loudened.The likes of Foord made attempts on goal, but Villa’s defence remained firm.
Both team’s goalkeepers who shone in the game’s final moments. D’Angelo made critical saves and prevented many a goal from Arsenal. Likewise, Van Domselaar’s talent was highlighted when she made a save against Bo Kearns and then knocked the ball away after Villa took a shot from a free kick.
In the fourth minute of added time a defensive error from Arsenal led to a chaotic goal from Villa’s Lucy Parker. On her second attempt, Parker lashed the ball into the net and ran off in celebration with her teammates.
A Villa goal had been coming for a long time; Arsenal could not quite silence their guests and frequently found themselves making late defensive tackles.
It is safe to say that Villa’s goal sparked a fire in Arsenal who spent the last few minutes of the match frantically trying to gain a winner. Their efforts, however, failed and ultimately the points were shared at the Emirates.
The takeaways
Today’s fixture truly was a game of two halves.
Arsenal came out strong and had full control on the ball in the first half. They made calm, tight passes which often came off players’ first touches. Their early goal, and team cohesion, was evident. At the break, there was belief that Arsenal would take the win; Villa did have strong moments but were ultimately falling short.
The second half, however, was entirely different.
Villa’s determination was immediately noticeable: D’Angelo saved numerous shots; Patten made many tackles and the team’s forwards persistently made attacking runs.
This hard work paid off as Villa were able to wear down Arsenal and secure a draw on the road. In what could have been an easy match for Arsenal, they had to give everything to get the ball in the net and could not quite prevent Villa from scoring.
Aston Villa’s ability to hold their own against Arsenal is significant and highlights their potential.
Arroyo, spoke on what the point means for her team after the match. She said:
“I think the main thing is dreaming, dreaming, dreaming, trying, trying, trying until the end and definitely this one point is x in this massive stadium against Arsenal.”
For Arsenal, losing points to a club that sits significantly below them in the WSL table is frustrating. The club’s manager, Renee Slegers spoke on this and said:
“I believe in these players, they can play at the highest level. For some reason that did not happen today.”
Where this leaves the Arsenal and Aston Villa
This fixture is the first of game week four and the only one to take place on the Saturday. The remainder of matches take place tomorrow, on Sunday 28th September, meaning that table positions are still subject to change.
For now, Arsenal sits in second place. If Manchester United draw or win tomorrow, they will overtake the Gunners, and if Manchester City or Tottenham win their matches, they too will find themselves on top of the reigning champions of Europe.
This is a disappointing position for Slegers’ squad to find themselves in. Speaking on Arsenal’s position in the WSL table, Slegers said:
“Now we’ve lost four points, that’s not what we wanted. The only thing we can do is learn now and learn very fast because the next game is very important for us.”
The draw keeps Villa in 10th place. Despite their stagnant position, the point is a glimmer of hope for Villa. A draw against Arsenal, who many predicted will win the WSL, will bring confidence to Villa’s players, staff and fans alike.
Teams ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Van Domselaar, Fox, Catley, Caldentey, Mead, Little (c), McCabe, L. Maanum, Smith, Russo, Reid. Substitutes: Foord (for Smith 63’), Pelova (for Maanum 63’), Kelly, (for Mead 86’), Hinds (for McCabe 86’), Wubben-Moy (for Caldentey 90+2’)
Scorer: Maanum 10’.
ASTON VILLA (3-4-3): D’Angelo, Patten, Bo Kearns, Baijings, Daly (c), Wilms, Salmon, Kendall, Grant, Deslandes, Maltby. Substitutes: Hanson (for Daly 45’), Mullet (for Salmon 58’). Tomas (for Maltby 58’), Parker (for Deslandes 68’), Taylor (for Baijlings 75’)
Scorer: Parker 90+4’.
Referee: Lisa Benn.
Attendance: 24,712.
Follow Impetus on social media –
Twitter (X): @impetusfootball TikTok: @impetusfootball
Instagram: @impetusfootball
impetusfootball.org 