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Arsenal beat Everton as Russo scores on her 100th appearance

Alessia Russo shoots at goalReuters

At a glance

Katie McCabe gives Arsenal lead with half-volley

Everton's Honoka Hayashi responds with brilliant long-range strike

Alessia Russo marks 100th WSL appearance by re-establishing Arsenal lead

Smith caps Arsenal win with volley in second half

England captain Leah Williamson plays first Arsenal game of season after injury

PLAYER RATER

Ciara Fleming

BBC Sport journalist

Alessia Russo scored on her 100th Women's Super League appearance as Arsenal beat Everton at Goodison Park to move second in the table.

The England striker diverted captain Kim Little's volley goalwards with her chest to put the visitors back in front in fortuitous fashion on the 15th minute.

Everton goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan had tried in vain to keep Russo's unwitting finish out with it later confirmed that Russo's effort had crossed the line. Caitlin Foord had slammed home the rebound from two yards in any case.

Second-half substitute Olivia Smith made the points safe late on, hitting a volley from 25 yards that bounced over the flailing arm of Brosnan.

Arsenal had dominated proceedings straight from kick-off, and their early pressure was rewarded after 11 minutes. Katie McCabe strode on to Rion Ishikawa's superb goalline clearance at the edge of the box to loop a half-volley across goal and into the far corner.

Yet with the Gunners' jubilation still fresh in the air the hosts equalised.

Honoka Hayashi, the match-winner against Chelsea last weekend, drove forward from midfield, before curling high into the top corner from distance.

Everton's celebrations were also short-lived though, as Arsenal re-established their lead through Russo moments after the restart to complete a four-minute goal flurry.

The Toffees had Brosnan to thank for remaining a sole goal down at the interval, with the highlight of her stream of late first-half stops was a springing save to her left to deny Russo a second goal.

The second half played out in the same manner as the first, with Everton being pinned inside their defensive third by a relentless Arsenal attacking effort before Smith quelled any fears of an Everton fightback.

The standout moment in an otherwise tame half was the introduction of Leah Williamson to play her first minutes of the season after being out through injury. The England captain had not played since the Lionesses' Euro 2025 final triumph against Spain in July.

The defeat leaves Everton in ninth spot in the table, as they close out the first half of the season without winning a single point at home.

Arsenal analysis: Gunners finally put a game to bed

Manager Renee Slegers warned of the "very unpredictable" nature of Everton before Arsenal's maiden trip to Goodison Park, and her caution was justified.

Two minutes after McCabe's opener the Toffees went straight down the other end of the field to equalise. Hayashi produced a contender for goal of the season with the hosts' first shot on target.

Indeed, Everton had not even touched the ball in the Gunners box in the opening quarter of an hour and yet they managed to get themselves level.

However, Slegers will be pleased to see her team react positively, having come into the game on the back of unconvincing wins against Liverpool and FC Twente.

While unorthodox, Russo's finish was that of a typical striker - right place, right time, and technically her first shot on target.

In the end it was comfortable as Arsenal's dominance continued into the second half with Brosnan only able to keep them at bay for so long before ex-Liverpool star Smith scored off the bench to make the points safe.

After three consecutive wins by a single goal, the Gunners were finally able to convincingly put a game to bed.

They will expect Manchester City to win at Crystal Palace on Sunday to restore their eight-point lead, but the Gunners' victory keeps them within five for now.

While a sizeable margin to chase down, it offers hope that Arsenal's title fight will at least reach the new year.

Everton analysis: Toffees undone by star quality

Everton came into their final fixture of the year on a high after Sunday's shock victory at Chelsea - the Blues' first WSL defeat since May 2024.

However, this time around their defence was breached by the star quality of the European champions.

Skipper Brosnan did her best in goal, producing six saves and three clearances. As did her defence, churning out 46 clearances.

But the quality strikes from McCabe and Smith, plus the fortune of Russo, proved enough for the Toffees to fall to a fifth consecutive home defeat of the season.

In truth, it was deserved. Hayashi's wonder strike aside, they offered very little for the Arsenal defence to worry about. They attempted just three shots in 102 minutes, generating an xG of 0.22.

While their low block, battling approach frustrated Chelsea last weekend, it was a big ask to repeat the feat. Top teams have star quality in abundance, and Arsenal used every bit of theirs to walk away with all three points.

What's next for these teams?

The WSL ends for the winter break this weekend, so Everton are not back in action until Sunday, 11 January when they head to league leaders Manchester City (12:00 GMT).

European champions Arsenal still have a few fixtures left in 2025. They have their final league phase match in the Champions League at OH Leuven on Wednesday, 17 December (20:00), before closing out the year at Crystal Palace in the League Cup on Sunday, 21 December (13:00).

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Player of the match

A. Russo

8.92

Everton

Arsenal

30R. Mace

5.96

1C. Brosnan

5.06

6H. Hayashi

4.88

19K. Robinson

4.61

18Ornella Vignola

4.50

13H. Kitagawa

4.24

5Martina Fernández

4.12

11K. Gago

4.12

9T. Payne

4.10

16H. Ladd

4.09

7C. Wheeler

4.07

25K. Snoeijs

3.97

28K. Holmgaard

3.91

8R. van Gool

3.89

3R. Ishikawa

3.85

29Y. Momiki

3.76

Back to team tabs

23A. Russo

8.92

6L. Williamson

8.06

15O. Smith

7.94

11K. McCabe

7.90

9B. Mead

7.65

32K. Cooney-Cross

7.63

10K. Little

7.45

2E. Fox

7.38

19C. Foord

7.37

3L. Wubben-Moy

7.31

7S. Catley

7.18

21V. Pelova

7.00

25S. Blackstenius

6.93

8Mariona Caldentey

6.88

24T. Hinds

6.85

28A. Borbe

6.58

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After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.

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