Manchester United Women were denied a first win under Eva Olid after Smilla Holmberg’s 95th-minute equaliser cancelled out Julia Zigiotti Olme’s second-half goal, the match finishing 1-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
Zigiotti Olme had given United the lead before Holmberg struck with virtually the last meaningful action of the game. The point was still United’s first under Olid following defeats in their opening two league matches against London City Lionesses and Chelsea.
How the goals came about
Arsenal started the brighter of the two sides and asked early questions of Phallon Tullis-Joyce through Lisa Baum, Mariona Caldentey and Stina Blackstenius. United’s clearest first-half opening fell to Elisabeth Terland, who was denied twice in quick succession by Misa Rodríguez.
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The breakthrough arrived when Georgia Stanway’s attempted pass toward Steph Catley rolled straight into Zigiotti Olme’s path. The midfielder kept her composure, went around Catley and finished through Rodríguez’s legs for a clinical piece of punishment.
United then had to survive sustained Arsenal pressure, with Tullis-Joyce producing another important save from Caitlin Foord. The resistance held until Leah Williamson’s deep diagonal found substitute Holmberg at the back post in the fifth minute of stoppage time, sending United’s players to their knees.
A response after two heavy tests
This was exactly the reaction United needed after conceding five in their previous outing. The performance at the Emirates was described as disciplined and defiant, a marked improvement on the opening two results of Olid’s tenure, as covered in recent coverage of Olid’s evolving attacking identity.
The wider picture of United’s early-season schedule, including how testing these opening fixtures were always likely to be, was outlined in Stretty News’ breakdown of United Women’s fixture list.
The numbers behind the resistance
| Stat | Arsenal | United | Detail |
| Possession | 60% | 40% | Per BBC Sport |
| Attempts | 17 | 4 | Per BBC Sport |
| Corners | 12 | 0 | Per BBC Sport |
| Scorer | Holmberg (95′) | Zigiotti Olme | Final score 1-1 |
The defensive platform Olid can build on
Tullis-Joyce’s saves from Blackstenius and Foord kept United ahead for long stretches, while Maya Le Tissier, Dominique Janssen and Anna Sandberg were central to a collective rearguard effort. Terland’s first-half chances showed United still carried a counter-attacking threat even with a fraction of the ball, a theme also evident in United’s earlier draw against Liverpool.
Rebecca Bernal replaced Jess Awujo early in the second half, with Lea Schüller later coming on for Terland to help see out the closing stages. The task now for Olid is retaining that defensive resilience while finding a way to exert more control with the ball in the weeks ahead.