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Vivianne Miedema left Arsenal when her contract expired this summer Vivianne Miedema scored and made another goal on her return to Emirates Stadium as Manchester City drew with former club Arsenal in their Women's Super League opener. A brilliant long-range effort from England international Jess Park looked to have given City the victory before Arsenal substitute Beth Mead volleyed in a late equaliser. Netherlands international Miedema, who was allowed to leave Arsenal when her contract expired this summer, was fortunate her strike took a heavy deflection off defender Laia Codina and she did not celebrate her goal. "I'm not really a big celebration person anyway, " Miedema told Sky Sports after the game. "You saw a bit of emotion but that's normal. Besides that, be respectful to the [Arsenal] fans that supported me for the last seven years as well. "Me coming back here today was a big thing. I'm really happy with the reception I got from the Arsenal fans, " she added. "The most important thing today was to start the season well with the new team. It's always nice to get off that zero again and get a goal. " Frida Maanum had earlier struck powerfully past City's new goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita from inside the box as Arsenal got off to the perfect start in London. Jonas Eidevall's side dominated large spells and created the better chances - they should have been 2-0 up when striker Stina Blackstenius raced through one-on-one with debutant Yamashita, but the City goalkeeper did well to block her effort. Further chances came and went for Arsenal and they were almost punished by City before Mead reacted quickly when Rosa Kafaji's effort struck the post. City top-scorer Khadija Shaw, who missed their 5-0 thrashing of Paris FC this week due to a visa issue, returned and forced goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger into a smart save in the second half, while Miedema also had efforts parried away late on. In the end, they had to settle for a draw after a pulsating encounter between two sides who hope to have their hands on the WSL trophy at the end of the season. Manchester City arrived in London on Sunday knowing what was at stake and the significance of the match, despite it being their first of the season. They missed out on the title by scoring seven goals fewer than Chelsea last season and a defeat by Arsenal on the penultimate weekend ultimately cost them heavily. Buoyed by an impressive victory over Paris FC earlier in the week, City started off on the front foot, pressing Arsenal's backline and getting Lauren Hemp into dangerous positions. But Arsenal quickly settled and soon found space to exploit, with Maanum taking advantage after smart work down the right-hand side by Caitlin Foord and Emily Fox. The hosts were a constant threat and they were largely the better side but failed to capitalise when they were on top, with substitute Alessia Russo also wasting a chance when faced only with Yamashita in the second half. City, on the other hand, grew stronger as the match wore on and thought they had sealed all three points through Park's stunning strike, which bounced off the underside of the crossbar and over the line. But just as Arsenal looked to have come under pressure, the introductions of Mead and Russo began to stretch City's defence and they capitalised when Kafaji's strike hit the post and bounced back out to Mead to volley home. It was an important goal which prevented a second defeat in four days for Arsenal after their loss to BK Hacken in Women’s Champions League qualifying. More importantly, it ensures they can match the level required to compete with title challengers Manchester City this season. After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 22nd September 2024 at 16: 00 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Jonas Eidevall Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Gareth Taylor Formation: 4 - 3 - 3 Women's Super League All competitions All competitions All competitions Match ends, Arsenal Women 2, Manchester City Women 2. Second Half ends, Arsenal Women 2, Manchester City Women 2. Attempt saved. Laia Aleixandri (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Kerstin Casparij (Manchester City Women) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by Rosa Kafaji (Arsenal Women). Lauren Hemp (Manchester City Women) is shown the yellow card. Khadija Shaw (Manchester City Women) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Khadija Shaw (Manchester City Women). Lia Wälti (Arsenal Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt missed. Rosa Kafaji (Arsenal Women) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Katie Mc Cabe. Foul by Lauren Hemp (Manchester City Women). Manuela Zinsberger (Arsenal Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Fourth official has announced 7 minutes of added time. Attempt blocked. Alex Greenwood (Manchester City Women) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Jessica Park (Manchester City Women) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Kim Little (Arsenal Women). Attempt missed. Rosa Kafaji (Arsenal Women) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Jessica Park (Manchester City Women) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Jessica Park (Manchester City Women). Alessia Russo (Arsenal Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half. © 2024 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.