Vivianne Miedema shirts were always going to stand out. There was one ‘Miedema No 11’ Arsenal top being worn on the platform at Holloway station. There were three more walking in front of the Armoury at the Emirates. And there was another appropriately buying a half-and-half Arsenal-Manchester City scarf when The Athletic arrived for the Women’s Super League opener against City.
The real Miedema was not in red though — she wore a City shirt after Arsenal did not extend her contract in the summer. Her number is now six. She lined up alongside Khadija Shaw, Lauren Hemp and Jess Park and scored against the club with whom she spent seven years and scored 126 goals in 173 appearances.
Her goal in the 2-2 draw came as a shock to absolutely no one. Class is permanent and all that.
There was an eerie feel to it all. A haunting of some sort would always be the case in a game like this, but for whom? Letting the WSL’s all-time leading goalscorer depart for free to a league rival generally dictates a rueful meeting. Equally, the Dutch international was returning to an arena where she was once worshipped, so soon after waving goodbye.
Watching Miedema opposite her former Arsenal team-mates huddled 15 yards away before kick-off felt like entering a parallel universe. When she stole the ball off Kim Little and aimed a tepid but unsuccessful shot at Manuela Zinsberger, the strike seemed to reflect the occasion’s illusory quality. Was this real?
Frida Maanum’s opening goal moments later compounded everything. Miedema stalked back to the centre circle while her former team-mates celebrated near the corner flag. She raised her arms to her new colleagues as if to say this had not been part of the agreement.
The 28-year-old’s goal — a deflected shot in the 42nd minute that dripped with equal parts poise and catharsis — brought silence save for the small pocket of City fans. She has now scored against all 16 teams she has played against in the WSL.
Vivianne Miedema scores her first Manchester City goal against Arsenal on her debut.
The Dutch forward doesn’t celebrate against her former club.#AFC | #MCFC | #BarclaysWSL
🎥 @SkySportsWSL pic.twitter.com/HPB5gEN970
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) September 22, 2024
Sunday’s display was hardly vintage Miedema and she will take time to get used to Gareth Taylor’s 4-3-3 system. The forward looked rusty, her passes and touch clunky, her chemistry with Shaw and Hemp stilted as all three roamed into each other’s territory. After Maanum’s opener, she looked a woman possessed, but instead of oozing cool conviction, her movements often screamed of desperation. Her non-celebration of her goal confirmed this: a small foot stamp, an even smaller roar, before her face contorted as if she were still holding her breath.
Miedema very nearly scored a second and City’s third in the 62nd minute, shortly after Park’s goal — a half-volley struck after some good work from Miedema and Hemp — but her strike fizzed straight at Zinsberger. Her side-footed effort in the 70th minute similarly failed to find the right angle.
Despite looking sharper as the game wore on, Miedema is still not back to full strength. She has yet to play a full competitive 90 minutes this year, having been forced to undergo a second knee surgery due to a meniscus injury that was the result of her anterior cruciate ligament rupture.
The big question going into this match was how much of an impact, if any, Miedema will yield on the title race. With Chelsea under construction after Sonia Bompastor replaced Emma Hayes as head coach, this season could be Arsenal and City’s best chance at the title in years.
City — perennial bridesmaid having finished runners-up in the league seven times since 2015 — feel that Miedema is the ruthless cog they have been missing. Arsenal believe the loss of the WSL’s all-time record goalscorer will allow other attacking players such as Stina Blackstenius, Alessia Russo and Maanum to flourish.
If Miedema is to be the difference maker, then it will be because City give her the time and space to become it. For now, she has scored in her first two competitive appearances for City and overcome arguably the most challenging part of her fresh start.
“I had some good conversations with her all week and I could tell that this game wasn’t one she was comfortable with,” Taylor said. “Mentally and physically, the game you’re going into, what that does to you. This is her first time she came back here, so it’s really tough when you factor all of those things in. She’ll be happy to have put it to bed.”
Her former manager, Jonas Eidevall, was more succinct. Asked how he felt about the goal, he said: “Because it was her? Nothing. It’s a player scoring a goal against us. It doesn’t make a difference.”
As Miedema was replaced in the 74th minute, an applause erupted. She clapped hands with her new team-mates and coaches. In the stands several rows above her, an Arsenal fan held up a small cardboard sign with her name on it alongside a heart.
And then the crowd were on their feet screeching as Russo barrelled through on goal. Moving on has to happen quickly in these spaces.
(Top photo: Miedema at full-time; by John Walton/PA/Getty Images)
