By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-09-14 11:22:30 | Updated at 2026-09-19 05:32:59
4 days ago
Crystal Palace picked up an unlikely point at WSL title challengers Arsenal on Sunday with a masterclass in resolute defending… and a bit of good fortune.
Not many gave Crystal Palace the chance of getting a result at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal in the Women’s Super League this weekend. Even the Opta supercomputer deemed an Arsenal win the most likely result across Matchday 2 before a ball was kicked (80.7%).
But Jo Potter’s side produced one of the biggest surprises in recent WSL history to secure a sensational point in north London, and their first against Arsenal in the competition, with a battling 0-0 draw.
The stats were about as one-sided as you’d expect in a game between a team that finished second in the WSL last season and opposition that were promoted on the final day of the WSL2 campaign – the only day they finished inside the automatic promotion spots in 2025-26.
Arsenal attempted 30 shots to Palace’s two, with nine of those on target. Only six teams in WSL history have attempted more in a game without scoring, with Arsenal last doing it back in December 2023 against Tottenham (31 shots, 0 goals).
The Gunners’ shot differential of +28 was the second most in a WSL game that they haven’t gone on to win. Only a 0-0 draw with Yeovil Town back in April 2018 has seen Arsenal have a bigger shot differential against an opponent (+33) without winning in their WSL history.
There was some good fortune thrown in for Palace, too. On another day, Arsenal would have got the goals they needed to pick up a comfortable three points, as with an xG total of 2.57, the shots that they attempted ‘should’ have been enough to score between two or three goals.
It’s clear that this wasn’t their day, though. Across their opening two WSL matches of 2026-27, Arsenal have underperformed their expected goals by 2.9 xG – the biggest negative differential of any side in the league. They’ll be keen to rectify that before it becomes a longer-term problem in attack.
Pauline Peyraud-Magnin was one of Palace’s standout players, making eight saves in total, but the entire Palace defensive unit should be praised for how organised they were despite constant Arsenal pressure, especially in the second half.
Led by their impressive captain Aimee Everett, Palace blocked nine of Arsenal’s 30 shots before they could even reach the goal, with the Seagull’s defenders constantly throwing themselves in front of the ball to preserve their clean sheet. Collectively, Potter’s side made 73 clearances in Sunday’s game – only one team have ever made more in a WSL game: Everton’s 85 vs Chelsea in December 2025.
Arsenal had 79.3% of possession overall in the game, their highest in a WSL match for three years (79.5% vs Bristol City in October 2023) and their fourth highest in a WSL game ever. Only that game against Bristol City in 2023-24 saw them attempt more passes in the opposition half (530) and the final third (338) than in yesterday’s match.
Field tilt measures territorial dominance between teams, looking at the share of possession each side has in their attacking third compared to their opponent. A field tilt of over 50% means your team makes more passes in the opposition’s final third than they make in your defensive third.
Arsenal’s field tilt in Sunday’s game was 97.0%, which is higher than any team have managed in a WSL game since the start of last season.
Arsenal’s inability to turn that territorial advantage into goals was alarming, failing to score despite having 70 touches in the Crystal Palace box.
Across WSL history, just one team have had more touches in the opposition box in a game without scoring: Arsenal vs Yeovil in April 2018 (76).
Alessia Russo had the most shots (7) and touches in the opposition box (11) of any Arsenal player. It was only the third time in her WSL career that she’s attempted as many as seven shots in a game without scoring, after her scoreless appearances versus Everton in February 2023 (for Man Utd) and against United for Arsenal in January earlier this year (both 7 shots).
Failing to score despite all the stats falling in their favour was obviously a poor outcome for Arsenal, but just how big a shock was Palace’s result on Sunday at the Emirates?
Well, it was just one of three occasions in WSL history that a promoted side have travelled away to play one of the previous season’s top two and earned at least a point. The other two were West Ham at Chelsea in 2018-19 (1-1 draw) and Sunderland at Liverpool in 2015 (2-1 win).
The last time one of the ‘big four’ in the WSL failed to win at home against promoted opposition was also Arsenal, back in May 2021 against Aston Villa (0-0 draw), but that was in the final game of the season with Villa already safe from relegation and established in the top flight.
The big worry for Slegers’ and her side will be how much this result could derail their WSL title challenge, considering their fixtures across the next three matchdays. A home meeting with Manchester United next weekend is followed by away trips to both Chelsea and Manchester City, not to mention two crucial UEFA Women’s Champions League matches against HB Køge and Paris FC sandwiched between the three WSL clashes.
Points dropped at home against Crystal Palace would not have been in Arsenal’s forecasts, so now those three clashes against fellow ‘big four’ sides in the WSL take on even more importance to the Gunners.
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