By Roberto Revilla (13/9/26)
Above: Renee Slegers with her players after a training session. Photo: Arsenal FC
Arsenal v Crystal Palace: Gunners must turn control into goals
Arsenal host Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday 13 September at 2.45pm in the second weekend of the Women’s Super League season, with both sides seeking to build on opening-day victories.
Arsenal began their campaign with a 1-0 win at Brighton and Hove Albion, where Lisa Baum scored the decisive goal just 10 minutes into her competitive debut.
It wasn’t a spectacular performance, and there were moments when the match became more uncomfortable than necessary, but Brighton had prevented Arsenal from winning on their previous two league visits. Keeping a clean sheet and returning to London with three points represented a significant start.
There was also plenty in the performance to encourage head coach Renée Slegers as Arsenal’s new players began to settle.
Georgia Stanway offered a different route through the first line of pressure from a deeper midfield position, Ona Batlle moved into some intriguing areas from full-back and Baum looked remarkably comfortable combining with Alessia Russo and attacking the space ahead of her.
The frustration was that Arsenal enjoyed enough possession and reached enough promising positions to make the afternoon considerably easier. Too many attacks slowed around the penalty area or ended without forcing Brighton goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley into a meaningful save.
When a team lead by only one goal, it doesn’t particularly matter how much of the match they have controlled because one deflection, set piece or unfortunate decision can undo an otherwise good performance.
Palace will arrive at the Emirates with the same number of points after beating Everton 1-0 in their first match back in the WSL, so this won’t simply be Arsenal welcoming a nervous newly promoted side.
The central question is whether Arsenal can combine the control and defensive security shown at Brighton with the speed, precision and ruthlessness that were sometimes missing in the final third.
Palace may not expect to dominate possession, but their opening victory demonstrated that they don’t require much of the ball to win.
Potter’s Palace return with momentum
Crystal Palace’s previous attempt to survive in the WSL lasted only one season.
They finished bottom with 10 points, won twice, and conceded an average of three goals per match, suggesting the gap between the top two divisions had been too large for the squad they had assembled.
The Palace side returning to the WSL are considerably different.
Jo Potter took charge in June 2025 following two seasons with Rangers, where she won four trophies and established a strong reputation for developing young players.
Palace began last season slowly, but Potter’s ideas gradually took hold, and they produced an exceptional run during the closing months of the campaign. They climbed the table and secured the second automatic promotion place on the final day, finishing level on points with champions Birmingham City.
This wasn’t a team that drifted into the WSL because the competition expanded. By the end of the season, Palace were producing sustained promotion form under a manager whose influence had become increasingly clear.
The club have since retained much of the core that earned promotion while recruiting several players who already understand the demands of the top division.
Bethany England is the most recognisable addition. She brings goals, leadership and considerable WSL experience, while former Tottenham Hotspur defender Molly Bartrip adds similar knowledge at the back.
Palace have also signed France international goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin on loan, an ambitious piece of recruitment for a newly promoted side.
Lexi Lloyd-Smith joined from Bristol City after finishing as the leading scorer in WSL2 with 11 league goals. She scored the winner against Everton on her Palace debut, requiring only 34 minutes to demonstrate that she could carry her threat into the top division.
Shannon O’Brien, Teyah Goldie and Fuka Tsunoda have also arrived, while captain Aimee Everett, Annabel Blanchard and Ashleigh Weerden remain from the promotion-winning squad.
My Cato’s anterior cruciate ligament injury was a significant setback before the campaign began, but Palace appear much better prepared for the WSL than they were two seasons ago.
An administrative issue hangs over their opening victory after Palace used four separate substitution opportunities against Everton when competition rules permit only three.
The breach remains under investigation and could result in a sanction. Whatever is eventually decided, it doesn’t change what Arsenal must learn from the performance itself.
Palace were organised, carried an attacking threat and found a way to defeat an established WSL side. Arsenal must therefore prepare for a proper contest rather than a ceremonial welcome back to the division.
Possession alone won’t be enough
Palace recorded only 40 per cent possession against Everton, but produced 10 shots and placed six on target.
Everton had more of the ball and attempted 14 shots, but only two were on target. Those figures suggest Palace were comfortable letting their opponents have possession without letting that control become especially dangerous.
Potter’s starting side had a strong defensive structure, with Everett, Bartrip and Jamie-Lee Napier providing experience at the back, but Palace didn’t simply retreat towards their penalty area and hope to survive.
They selected moments to press higher and when possession was recovered, they attempted to turn those moments into attacks before Everton could reorganise.
Lloyd-Smith offers pace and movement across the front, Blanchard can find useful pockets around the attacking line and England provides a focal point who can occupy the centre-backs and receive early passes when Palace need to escape pressure.
O’Brien attempted to catch Courtney Brosnan away from her line during the first half, while substitute Abbie Larkin struck the crossbar after Palace recovered possession through a high press.
Arsenal can’t assume every Palace attack will begin with a deep defensive block and a hopeful pass towards England.
There were moments at Brighton when Arsenal’s attacking shape left space behind the first line of pressure. Leah Williamson was booked after stopping a Brighton counterattack and Palace have players capable of exploiting similar situations.
If Arsenal commit numbers forward, lose possession in a poor area and leave space behind their full-backs, Lloyd-Smith and O’Brien can turn one loose pass into a significant chance.
England’s role will also be important even if she isn’t carrying the ball herself. Her movement can occupy Williamson and Steph Catley, or whichever central defensive partnership Slegers selects, while creating room for runners around her.
The experienced forward also cleared an Everton attempt from the goal line during stoppage time, demonstrating the defensive contribution Potter expects from her senior players when Palace are protecting a lead.
Arsenal’s challenge won’t simply involve breaking down 11 players camped around their own penalty area.
They will need to move Palace from side to side, play more quickly around the box than they did at Brighton and remain properly organised behind the attack whenever possession is lost.
Arsenal should control the ball and create opportunities, but Palace’s performance against Everton suggests they won’t be concerned by losing the possession statistics.
Arsenal’s challenge is to make that possession count before Palace can recover their defensive shape.
Arsenal selection
Slegers may be tempted to use the depth of her squad and make changes against newly promoted opposition, but there is a strong argument for retaining most of the side that started at Brighton.
That team won, kept a clean sheet and included four players making their first competitive Arsenal starts. Allowing those relationships to develop may be more valuable than substantially changing the side after one match.
Baum should retain her place after contributing much more than the winning goal.
She combined intelligently with Russo, carried the ball with purpose and repeatedly attacked the available space. That directness could prove important against a Palace defence attempting to recover into its shape.
Olivia Smith had quieter periods at Brighton, but her ability to receive the ball in a wide position and drive directly at a defender remains one of Arsenal’s clearest methods of disrupting an organised defensive block.
If Palace narrow the spaces through the centre, Smith and Baum can force their defensive line to make difficult decisions about how far it is prepared to stretch.
Stanway’s deeper midfield role also gave Arsenal something different at Brighton. She could collect possession from the centre-backs before driving forward or passing over the opposition’s first line of pressure, while Kim Little and Mariona Caldentey moved into more advanced positions.
Arsenal are likely to have even more possession against Palace and may find less space through the middle, so the midfield must circulate the ball quickly enough to prevent the visitors from simply moving across the pitch and resetting their shape.
The same back four could also continue, assuming everybody has recovered from the Brighton match.
Emily Fox and Batlle offer width and movement from full-back, while Williamson and Catley have the passing range required to shift Palace’s defensive shape before looking for the forwards.
Lotte Wubben-Moy will be pushing for a return and Élisa de Almeida will soon enter the selection conversation, but Williamson and Catley kept a clean sheet at Brighton. There is no immediate need to disrupt that partnership merely to demonstrate the number of options available.
The principal uncertainty is whether Géraldine Reuteler and Selina Cerci will be available.
Neither player was included in the squad at Brighton and it was confirmed that their absences weren’t injury-related. Further team news is required before any conclusions can be drawn.
The provisional Arsenal team is Misa Rodríguez in goal, with Fox, Williamson, Catley and Batlle in defence. Stanway, Little and Caldentey form the midfield, with Baum and Smith supporting Russo in attack.
That selection may appear conservative with so many players waiting for an opportunity, but Arsenal should have enough variety among their substitutes to change the nature of the contest if their possession becomes too slow or predictable.
First goal could prove decisive
The speed with which Arsenal score the opening goal may determine the shape of the match.
The longer Palace can remain compact while protecting a level score, the more the afternoon will begin to suit the visitors.
An early Arsenal goal would force Palace to decide whether to continue waiting for transitions or commit more players forward. Once those spaces appear, Arsenal’s attacking quality should become increasingly difficult to contain.
If the match remains goalless after an hour, the crowd could become restless, Arsenal may begin forcing passes that weren’t previously available and Palace’s belief will grow with every attack they survive.
That doesn’t mean Arsenal should start by shooting from distance just because an early goal would be useful.
They must move the ball with purpose, find Smith and Baum before Palace can double up against them and create opportunities from inside the penalty area rather than accumulating possession for its own sake.
Arsenal must also manage the space behind their full-backs, particularly when England moves towards the ball and Lloyd-Smith begins running beyond her.
Palace don’t need to create numerous clear chances if Arsenal give them one very good opportunity. Rodríguez could experience another afternoon when concentration matters more than the number of saves she is required to make.
Arsenal should still win. Their squad is stronger; the match is at the Emirates and a team with serious intentions of winning the WSL must take three points from home fixtures against newly promoted opposition.
Palace won’t arrive merely hoping to enjoy the occasion. They have momentum, have strengthened intelligently and have already beaten an established WSL side.
Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Crystal Palace, with Russo scoring first, Baum continuing her impressive start and a substitute adding the third as Palace begin to tire.
Roberto Revilla is the founder and host of Arsenal Women: Trailblazers, an independent podcast and website providing in-depth analysis and coverage of Arsenal Women. You can find the podcast and Roberto’s latest Arsenal Women writing at Arsenal Women: Trailblazers.
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