Arsenal 0-0 Aston Villa: Visitors hold Gunners to seal Women's Super League survival
- Published
Arsenal 0-0 Aston Villa: Villa secure WSL survival after draw with Arsenal
Aston Villa secured their place in the Women's Super League for a second season with a determined defensive display to earn a point at Arsenal.
Villa knew a draw would be enough to stay up regardless of what bottom side Bristol City did because of their superior goal difference.
The Robins' defeat at Brighton ensured Villa would have been safe anyway.
But they restricted Arsenal to few chances, with Vivianne Miedema denied by Lisa Weiss from the clearest.
The Gunners dominated possession throughout but struggled to break a resolute Villa defence down, with Kim Little also hitting an angled volley straight at Weiss before half-time.
Jill Roord tried to inject some energy into Arsenal after the break with a driving run but saw her low drive deflected past the post, while Charlotte Wubben-Moy's header dropped wide.
Miedema also saw another shot blocked, Leah Williamson fired over from 18 yards, and Roord saw a late close-range effort blocked behind by a desperate Villa defence.
Before the game both sides took part in a minute's applause in memory of former Doncaster Rovers Belles boss Julie Chipchase, who died on Tuesday at the age of 60 after a short illness.
Third-placed Arsenal had already secured Champions League football going into the final game because of their vastly superior goal difference to fourth-placed Manchester United, who began the final round of matches three points behind.
But ending the league season with a goalless draw was far from the perfect send-off for outgoing Gunners boss Joe Montemurro who is leaving the club to take a "professional break" after four years in charge.
During his time as boss, the 51-year-old Australian led Arsenal to their first WSL title in seven years in 2019.
Villa, promoted from the Championship last season, were beaten 4-0 by Arsenal when the sides first met in February but they have proved tough to beat during the run-in, with five successive draws to end the campaign helping to pull them to safety.
The Midlands side, who finish 10th in the table above city rivals Birmingham, offered little in attack, with Stine Larsen seeing a shot deflected wide late on as Villa hit Arsenal on the counter.
Our Silent Emergency: "Like a lot of people in my generation, I struggle with my mental health"
The Greatest Athlete You've Never Seen: Is 'Canelo' Alvarez the ultimate boxer?
