Oh, to be a neutral. Because Arsenal Women’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City in front of 41,818 fans at Emirates Stadium was a very enjoyable watch, a strong advert for the Women’s Super League on its opening weekend, indeed.

Arsenal fans, however, could not enjoy that worry-free feeling of neutrality. They had to sit on the red side of the fence on Sunday afternoon, and the general consensus amongst them is uncertainty. Did the Gunners drop two points, having missed some clear-cut chances to beat City, or was a draw justified with Beth Mead having to equalise with only nine minutes remaining?

City boss Gareth Taylor felt that Arsenal should have gone in at half-time with more than one goal to their name, having taken the lead after eight minutes through Frida Maanum.

Taylor might be forgetting that Vivianne Miedema was inches away from opening the scoring on her return to the Emirates, less than a minute before Arsenal’s incisive move down the right wing was dispatched by Maanum.

Last season’s runners-up were certainly slow to get going in North London, despite having in midweek thrashed Paris FC 5-0 in Champions League qualifying. Arsenal on the other hand were beaten in Gothenburg by BK Hacken, and have a crucial second leg to come on Thursday.

Jonas Eidevall handed Stina Blackstenius her first start of the season, a pick justified both tactically and on form against Sunday’s opponents. The Sweden striker scored three times against City last season, including a dramatic late brace in Manchester to quell their title hopes.

The 28-year-old seemed to justify her selection in every manner, with the exception of finding the net. City left space in behind for her to exploit, and she was able to rekindle an at-times telepathic link-up with Frida Maanum.

Arsenal should have doubled their lead through Blackstenius, when she latched onto a long ball in behind and chose to take the ball around Ayaka Yamashita instead of trying for an earlier lobbed effort. The result: finding the side-netting from a more narrow angle.

Manchester City’s taliswoman Khadija Shaw, who netted 21 times in just 18 WSL games in 2023/24, was expertly marshalled by Laia Codina and Lotte Wubben-Moy, but City are a team who have a plethora of methods through which to hurt their opponents.

Katie McCabe made a crucial block to deny Aoba Fujino midway through the first half, but Arsenal’s defence could not prevent Miedema haunting her former side with a deflected effort as City were able to equalise before half-time. Wubben-Moy may feel she should have done better to prevent her former teammate from breaking past her, after Kim Little had struggled to clear her lines.

Nonetheless, Arsenal were without Leah Williamson due to a concussion protocol, with 17-year-old Katie Reid the only other available centre-back. McCabe certainly stepped up on the left side of defence, putting her body on the line and working tirelessly, a performance she needed to deliver having been criticised for not doing more to prevent Hacken’s goal on Wednesday night.

Watching back yesterday's game and that is the sort of Katie McCabe performance that Arsenal fans want to see every week- throwing herself in for blocks and tackles and driving her side forward. Crucial display ?

— Freddie Cardy (@CardyFreddie) September 23, 2024

Fine margins have often decided meetings between these two sides, but never as fine as the offside call that prevented Caitlin Foord from restoring Arsenal’s lead less than two minutes into the second half. 

With no VAR in the WSL, we’ll never be afforded conclusive evidence one way or another, but City were the beneficiaries of the raised flag, and would soon have their best spell of the game, culminating in a fine finish from Jess Park. Arsenal left the England international unmarked on the edge of the box, but her instinctive finish, in off the underside of the crossbar, was outstanding.

Miedema, playing a little higher up the pitch in the second half, drew two saves from Manu Zinsberger, before the Austrian goalkeeper made an excellent stop to deny Shaw, who had cut an isolated figure throughout.

Then came yet another one-on-one chance for the Gunners. Alessia Russo, on for Blackstenius, struck a tame shot directly at Yamashita having latched onto another long ball. It was an effort lacking clarity, neither left or right of the goalkeeper and without any power. With Blackstenius passing up a similar effort in first-half added time, Arsenal had arguably failed to convert three opportunities that simply had to be put away.

Russo’s blushes were spared nine minutes from time when her England teammate Mead, also introduced from the bench, was able to find the net after Rosa Kafaji (another substitute) saw her shot come back off the post. City were incensed, feeling that McCabe had fouled Chloe Kelly in the lead-up to the equaliser.

One way or another, McCabe’s little chip over the top of Kelly and Little, lying in a heap on the Emirates turf, was a small moment of brilliance that only she can think to do.

The last word of praise, however, goes to Codina. Having headed away a late free-kick, she backpedalled brilliantly to clear the ball away just as Shaw looked to volley home for the away side. Honours even, with both teams having more than enough chances to start the season with three points. But Arsenal hope they will not come to regret their missed opportunities when the title race heats up.