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          Arsenal vs. Man United sets new WSL attendance record

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          How Arsenal held off pressure to keep in touch of Chelsea, Man City (2:22)

          Sophie Lawson breaks down Arsenal's 3-1 victory against Manchester United in front of a Women's Super League record crowd. (2:22)

          • Tom Hamilton, Senior WriterFeb 17, 2024, 02:29 PM
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              • Joined ESPN in 2011
              • Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours
              • Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018
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          Arsenal's 3-1 Women's Super League win against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday set a new attendance record for the league.

          Arsenal had announced in the run-up to the match that they'd sold over 60,000 tickets and all hospitality packages -- the first time the club has managed to reach this feat for a WSL match.

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          And confirmation came during the match on Saturday that the overall attendance was 60,160 -- surpassing the 59,042 who watched Arsenal beat Chelsea 4-1 in the league in December.

          Arsenal netted three first-half goals to keep themselves in the race for the title after Chelsea's 1-0 loss to Manchester City on Friday.

          The visitors got off to a flying start and looked dangerous in the opening exchanges, but their day was derailed in the 10th minute when a Katie McCabe corner to the near post was deflected into her own net by Geyse.

          Things went from bad to worse for the visitors when an attempted clearance from Katie Zelem ended up being a perfect cross for Cloe Lacasse to double Arsenal's lead, and they went in 3-0 up at the break thanks to a Kim Little penalty.

          Even though Lucía García netted a consolation goal deep into second-half stoppage time, a comeback never looked on the cards for United as Arsenal cruised to their 10th win of the season.

          It is the second time Arsenal have sold out the Emirates, following their Women's Champions League semifinal against Wolfsburg in May 2023 which played out in front of 60,063 fans.

          Arsenal are playing six of their 11 home league matches at the Emirates Stadium, which allows for a sizeable increase in attendance compared to their usual 4,500-capacity home at Meadow Park.

          Arsenal now hold all five of the top attendance records for the WSL, with the next four: Arsenal 4-1 Chelsea (Dec. 10, 2023 - 59,042); Arsenal 0-1 Liverpool (Oct. 1 2023 - 54,115); Arsenal 4-0 Tottenham (Sep. 24, 2022 - 47,367); Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea (Jan. 15 2023 - 46,881).

          The club hopes to one day play all of their WSL matches at the Emirates and lead the charge for league games to be played in bigger stadia across the division.

          "The next step is delivering this on a consistent basis -- not just at Emirates Stadium but across the league," Arsenal CEO Vinai Venkatesham said.

          "We must continue to nurture this audience and deliver sustainable growth for the whole women's game."

          Speaking postmatch, United boss Marc Skinner added: "In the bigger context in women's football, it's fantastic and I hope it continues to grow."