Arsenal produced a dominant display to defeat Liverpool 4-0 at the Emirates Stadium, keeping their Women’s Super League (WSL) title hopes alive and closing the gap on leaders Chelsea to five points. The Gunners, playing in front of a crowd of 35,628, were superior throughout, showcasing an attractive attacking style.
Caitlin Foord opened the scoring in the 28th minute, finishing from close range after Liverpool failed to clear a right-wing corner. Arsenal doubled their lead just 90 seconds later. Alessia Russo released captain Kim Little, whose pullback was turned into her own net by Liverpool defender Jasmine Matthews.
Mariona Caldentey made it 3-0 in the 44th minute, curling a fine strike into the far corner from just inside the penalty area.
Substitute Beth Mead made an immediate impact, her cross diverted into the net by Matthews for her second own goal of the match. The goal meant Arsenal became the first side in WSL history to score at least four goals in six successive home matches.
Frida Maanum hit the post twice, while England captain Leah Williamson hit the side-netting and had another effort tipped over. England striker Russo also saw a deflected effort go narrowly wide.
Chelsea have won the WSL title for the past five seasons.
Gunners Bounce Back After Champions League Setback
The emphatic victory provided a positive end to a challenging week for Arsenal, who suffered a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday. That match was played at Real Madrid’s training ground, a venue criticized by Arsenal legend Ian Wright.
The win provides the perfect warm up for the second leg on Wednesday.
Liverpool had defeated Arsenal 1-0 in the Women’s FA Cup quarter-finals earlier this month, but were outclassed in this league encounter. Interim manager Amber Whiteley, in her fourth game in charge since Matt Beard’s sacking, saw her side struggle to create any meaningful chances. Liverpool failed to register a shot on target, with Sophie Roman Haug’s lofted effort their best opportunity. Liverpool did have appeals for penalty, when Taylor Hinds’ cross hit Emily Fox.
A minor negative for Arsenal was a fifth booking of the season for left-back Katie McCabe, who will now miss the next league game against bottom side Crystal Palace on March 30th. However, the match also saw the welcome return of midfielder Victoria Pelova, who made her first appearance of the season after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sustained in June, 308 days ago.
Arsenal manager Renee Slegers, while focused on the title race, acknowledged the need to capitalize on any potential slip-ups from Chelsea. “We need to push. We can do whatever we can do. If their [Chelsea’s] position slips, we want to be ready, we want to be there.” The dominant performance against Liverpool suggests Arsenal are well-placed to do just that.
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