Arsenal booed after Birmingham draw stretches winless run to five
Arsenal were booed off at the Emirates Stadium after a 1-1 draw with Birmingham City in the Women's Super League, the top flight of women's football in England.
The game kicked off at 12:45pm on Saturday, October 17, according to Arsenal.com. Birmingham took the lead after the break. Arsenal levelled. Neither side could find a winner, and boos accompanied the final whistle.
Oceane Hurtre opened the scoring for the visitors at the start of the second half. She ran with the ball from the halfway line before tapping in from close range. One run split Arsenal open.
Arsenal had threatened first. Alessia Russo crashed a diving header against the woodwork in the first half. The post shook. The ball stayed out.
The equaliser came in the 66th minute from Olivia Smith. The Canadian forward curled a right-footed strike from outside the area, as noted by BBC Sport. It was clean and confident. It rescued a point.
A draw gives each team one point. That point leaves Arsenal with six points from six matches, according to The Guardian. They sit eighth in the table, nine points behind leaders Manchester City, who have played one game fewer.
They are without a win in five league matches. That is the club's longest winless run in WSL history.
What makes this stand out is the sound at the end. Emirates crowds are loud when Arsenal chase a goal. On Saturday that noise turned to frustration. A fine equaliser was not enough to change the story of the afternoon.
Smith has delivered big moments before. Arsenal signed her from Liverpool and made her the first million-pound signing in women's football, shattering the transfer record, as reported by Reuters. In February she scored the first-half goal that beat Manchester City 1-0 at home. That goal ended City's 13-match winning run in the league.
For fans, this means a short wait for a response. Arsenal's next game is a north London derby away to Tottenham, the fierce rivalry match with their nearest neighbours. Form counts for little in a derby. The noise will be up. Arsenal will need more than one moment of quality.
