Arsenal Women's boss Jonas Eidevall shared his assessment of Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City in the opening game of the Barclays Women’s Super League season.

With the headlines dominated by the return of Gunners legend Vivienne Miedema, Arsenal snatched a point through substitute Beth Mead’s late effort after Miedema and Jess Park had cancelled out Frida Maanum’s opener.

“In a game like this, there are different faces, and I think that’s what makes a game like this so stimulating,” Eidevall told the media post-match.

“I hope it’s stimulating as a player. It’s certainly stimulating as a coach, and I hope for you guys that watch the game as well. The game gets determined by such small margins.

"I think you could see that we had a clear plan throughout the game and how we’re going to play out from their pressure, as that’s one of Manchester City’s really strong points.

“I think we did that overall, incredibly well. We created a lot of opportunities as a result of being really good in our build-up. What pleases me a lot is that we are turning the ball over in the build-up just 30 or 40 seconds before Frida scores the first goal.

"And I think it really shows what we are about as a team, that we don’t start to question if that’s the right way to try and make small adjustments in order to be successful.”

The Arsenal manager also touched on the availability of fan favourite Leah Williamson, who had earlier been revealed to have been suffering from concussion, ruling her out of the City game.

“She was not close to play today. In a concussion protocol, I have to be guided by the medical team when she can return to play,” he added.

The return to the line-up of Stina Blackstenius surprised observers before the game as she went on to miss numerous chances throughout the game, but Eidevall leapt to the defence of the Swedish forward.

“The thinking behind that change was knowing that in the first half there was going to be space in behind them,” he added.

“Both when we win the ball against them, as we were a little bit lower in our defence, but also when we are playing out of their high pressure that there’s going to be moments to go in behind.

"I think you could see that in the first half. Stina was coming into a lot of opportunities with a number of good runs, and that was the reason why I thought it was good to start her.

“When legs got a bit more tired, we brought on Alessia [Russo].”

The Gunners boss also added that he ‘hoped’ to be able to watch the men’s team face off against Manchester City in the Premier League later that afternoon - which ended in another 2-2 draw between the clubs.

Arsenal’s next task is to overturn a 1-0 deficit in the UEFA Women’s Champions League second round at home to Hacken on Thursday, after Eidevall’s side fell to a late goal last week.