Watching Arsenal draw 2-2 with Man City twice in the same day: ‘I’ve never been more stressed’

From cheering a late equaliser to conceding one only a few hours later, Sunday was not a day for Arsenal and Manchester City fans of a nervous disposition. The clubs’ men’s and women’s teams faced each other and neither match disappointed, with Arsenal’s men cementing their status as serious title contenders and the women kicking off their season eager to show their similar ambitions are justified.

It was a double dose of stress for those matchgoing supporters who follow the men’s and women’s teams, particularly since both games featured late equalisers (one for City’s men, one for Arsenal’s women). Arsenal Women went 1-0 up early on only to need a late equaliser to make it 2-2, while Mikel Arteta’s men experienced the exact opposite — conceding a stoppage-time equaliser after coming from behind to lead 2-1.

“It’s always stressful watching Arsenal!” Yui, a supporter who travelled 12 hours on bus, coach and train from Scotland to watch the women’s game at the Emirates and the men’s game at local Arsenal pub The Tollington, tells The Athletic.

“But when I watch Arsenal, at the end I just feel happiness. Even if we lose or draw, I feel like I love Arsenal more for some reason. Today Beth (Mead) equalised and that was the happiest moment and then the men conceded a last-minute equaliser, but the players never gave up.”

This is not the first time Arsenal’s men and women have played important matches on the same day, and on this occasion the club’s executive team split so they had representatives at both matches. When Jonas Eidevall’s side travelled to Wolverhampton for last season’s Continental Cup final win over Chelsea on March 31, the goalless draw between Arsenal and Manchester City kicked off in the second half of the women’s game. It led to a juggling act for those who cared about both matches, albeit one some have become accustomed to.

The logistics of Sunday’s matches, with the kick-offs staggered at 12:30 and 16:30 as they were both on Sky Sports in the UK, was actually a major help for those like Yui who have a love for both teams.

“We had a very early morning,” says Lexi, who travelled from Bristol with friend Adam. “We had a two-hour drive to the women’s game, which was stressful in its own right, but it’s way more stressful watching your team hold on to a lead. I hated every second of the men’s game because it was so tense.”

Before the women’s game even kicked off the subplots were enough to create tension for the 41,818 in attendance at the Emirates. The reality of an opening-day return to north London by Vivianne Miedema hit when her early effort crept just wide, prompting a collective gasp from a stadium that did not know how to feel about a player widely revered until only a few months ago.

Arsenal taking the lead barely a minute after that miss seemed cruel on Miedema. “It had to be written in the stars that she would score,” says Courtney Needham, a supporter of the men’s team predominantly. “As an Arsenal fan, I’ll be shameless and say it looked like an own goal, but City’s second goal was an absolute peach — if that happened in the men’s game everyone would be talking about it.”

Still thinking about that Jess Park goal 🤩#BarclaysWSL @ManCityWomen pic.twitter.com/ymSrs5MFrK

— Barclays Women’s Super League (@BarclaysWSL) September 22, 2024

Having been 1-0 up, and coming off a Champions League loss to BK Hacken in midweek, Eidevall’s side could not afford another defeat — especially since last season started with defeat on the opening day and they struggled to recover. It is partly why the Manchester City Women head coach, Gareth Taylor, described games like these as “finals”, while Eidevall spoke about how stimulating they are to be a part of.

“Sometimes in games I can feel nervous — that’s human, but there’s no nervousness whatsoever in these games,” Eidevall said in his post-match press conference. “You’re so switched on that you can’t allow yourself to be nervous for one second in those games.

“It’s a state of alertness when you’re there. Afterwards you’re tired. You feel like you stimulated your brain a lot without doing any physical work, so I think I need to go for a run later today…”

The line about going for a run was then followed by an admission that he would hope to watch the men’s game. There was not a viewing session this time around for the women’s team, but they have watched men’s games together before — most recently on their U.S. tour when they arrived for lunch as David Raya made a spectacular save to deny Ollie Watkins at Aston Villa in August.

Had the Swede started his run fairly soon after speaking, he would have heard those at The Tollington chanting ‘We’ve got McCabe, Katie McCabe!’ way before the pub was in view. Already full by this time, fans were being let in on a two-out, two-in basis with the customary ‘Are you Arsenal?’ question on entry. Here, there was a mix of fans who had made the short trip from the Emirates — like Adam, Lexi and Yui — and others who had slightly different plans.

“We’re actually travelling and a good friend of mine recommended here,” Omar, who is from California, says. “Walking down the street, we were surprised with everyone making their way here because we were only following the men’s team, but it was really impressive.”

The blend of the fanbase became more obvious the deeper you went into the pub. There were as many shirts with Russo, Mead or McCabe on the back as there were Odegaard or Saka.

Yui, wearing this season’s third shirt with Lia Walti’s name printed on the back, says: “I sometimes come to The Tollington before I watch the men’s games at the Emirates and I always feel safe here. Everyone is so welcoming and cares for me. Nobody’s going to be like, ‘Who’s that girl over there, why is she here alone?’. Sometimes things aren’t always so nice online, but when you come to the Emirates and Islington, you feel the safety and happiness of people.”

Fans congregate inside The Tollington after the women’s match (Art de Roche/The Athletic)

The chants became more specific to the men’s team as kick-off for their game approached, but that was not an issue for anyone as the female and male voices merged into one. The slow-motion pictures of Rodri’s knee jolting — not Erling Haaland’s opener — caused the first major gasp of the game, but the shock did not stop there. The noise when Riccardo Calafiori curled in his equaliser was special, but was taken to an ear-splitting level when Sky showed Pep Guardiola kicking his seat in the dugout.

Gabriel prepared everyone apart from Kyle Walker for his customary set-piece goal with his near-miss minutes earlier, but the twists in the rest of the game seemed to transport those just outside the Emirates hundreds of miles north to the Etihad. Genuine disbelief filtered around when Michael Oliver showed a second yellow card to Leandro Trossard, but everyone was strapped in for the ride.

Within minutes of the second half starting, the entire pub had cheered three Raya saves as if they were goals. Forget the players — would the fans living every kick have the energy to keep up that level of fervour for 45 minutes? They did not disappoint, all the way up to John Stones’ late equaliser and beyond.

“It is annoying, but at least we didn’t lose because a lot of people thought we would lose both games,” Lexi says.

“If you told me at the start of the season that we’d take seven points from Villa, Tottenham and City away by October, we’d have snapped your hand off,” Adam adds. “As frustrating as it is with where we were in added time, we’re not too upset.

“Today was way better than the Conti Cup and City away clash last season. I was at home for that and started on the Conti Cup before switching over to the men’s game on the TV with the women on my phone.

“It was nice to actually be able to properly watch both games, even if I’ve never been more stressed in my life!”

“It was such a long journey, but it was worth it,” Yui says. “Like at The Tollington, I feel safe at the Emirates — especially when it’s a women’s game because everyone is welcome. I feel like I belong, so that’s why I love going to games and why I’d happily spend another 12 hours travelling here.”

(Top photos: Getty Images)