Arsenal Women held by Birmingham again as WSL woes deepen

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Arsenal Women's winless league run stretched to five matches on Saturday as newly promoted Birmingham City held Renée Slegers' side to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium. The result leaves Arsenal with just six points from six Women's Super League games this season, with the opening day victory at Brighton still their only league win.

For a squad expected to be challenging for major honours, the start to the campaign has been alarming. Arsenal returned from the international break hoping to arrest the slide, but instead found themselves frustrated by a familiar problem: creating chances without converting them.

Another missed opportunity

There had been genuine optimism heading into the weekend. Alessia Russo scored twice and Georgia Stanway also got on the scoresheet as England thrashed Greece 5-0 in World Cup qualifying during the break, with Russo looking particularly sharp in a Lionesses shirt.

That form did not carry over fully at club level. According to Sky Sports, Russo hit the post with a first half header before Birmingham's Océane Hurtré struck on the counterattack in the 53rd minute. Olivia Smith equalised thirteen minutes later with a well taken finish, but Birmingham goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley made a string of saves to deny Arsenal a winner, and home supporters voiced their frustration at full time.

The draw echoes issues seen earlier in the season at Paris FC and Manchester City, where Arsenal surrendered leads. Saturday's problem was different but related: a struggle to turn dominance and chances into goals and, ultimately, points.

Questions mount for Slegers

The summer departures of Katie McCabe and Beth Mead have prompted debate among supporters about whether Arsenal have lost some of their edge and leadership in big moments. That is difficult to quantify, but five successive winless league outings is a concrete and growing problem that squad rotation alone cannot explain.

There is little time to dwell on the result. Arsenal travel to face Tottenham in the WSL next Saturday before hosting Benfica in the Champions League on 28 October, meaning the pressure to find a response will only intensify.

Arsenal's underlying performances have not been disastrous, with chances created in most matches this season. But performances without results carry limited value in a title race, and Slegers will need answers soon if Arsenal are to climb back into contention rather than continue fighting simply to regain momentum.