Renée Slegers and her team secured a dominant 4-0 win over Liverpool in the Women’s Super League. The visitors conceded two own goals from Matthews and had little influence throughout the match. Arsenal now have 39 points and sit in second place, five points behind Chelsea, who are yet to play this weekend. Read our match report on Arsenal vs Liverpool here.
Match Highlights
Caitlin Foord scored her 50th Arsenal goal.
Mariona Caldentey scored a banger from the edge of the box.
Two own goals by Matthews.
Victoria Pelova came back from her ACL injury.
Statistic read out by Sky Sports: “Arsenal become the first team to score 4 or more goals in 6 consecutive league home games”.
Katie McCabe’s 250th appearance.
Source: Arsenal on X
High intensity right from the start
Arsenal were on top of the game from the get-got. After their painful defeat against Real Madrid in the Women’s Champions League, Slegers’ side came out confidently against Liverpool with high intensity.
The biggest chance fell to Russo when Kelly found her in the box. Her shot fired into the side netting, but it was good buildup play. In general, the Gunners don’t have trouble reaching the opponent’s box, but connecting in the final thirds can be a problem.
Arsenal are close to opening the scoring
The Gunners nearly found the back of the net when a beautiful touch from Russo goes through to Maanum, who kept the defenders at bay, but her effort rattles the woodwork. Eventually, it was Caitlin Foord who found the back of the net from a corner. Maaum flicked it on to Foord, who beat Fisk and Hinds to the ball. she
The second goal came just a minute later. The buildup was fantastic as Foord dispossessed Sam Kerr. Kim Little received the ball in the box and sent a low ball across goal. Foord was ready to tap it in ,but unfortunately for Liverpool, Matthews scored it.
As halftime approached, Liverpool had yet tp register a shot on target, a corner or much else in terms of attacking.
Near misses and continued pressure
The Gunners could have gone 3-0 up when Foord’s ball back found Maanum, who was free in the box. Her effort hit the post, again. The opportunities kept coming for the Gunners as they earned another corner. McCabe sent the delivery to the far post, but Williamson’s effort goes into the side netting.
A minute before halftime Mariona Caldentey scored an absolute banger from the edge of the box. Clark tried to clear a cross sent in by Foord, but it landed right before Caldentey, who fired it into the top corner.
Source: Liverpool on X
Second Half: McCabe off for Nighswonger
Renée Slegers took McCabe off as she received a yellow card in the first half for a foul on Olivia Smith. Nighswonger replaced her. Liverpool was slightly better at the start of the second half but that did not last long. The Gunners picked up right where they left off.
Slegers brought on Lia Wälti and Beth Mead around the one hour mark. Kim Little and Emily Fox came off. The change forced Caitlin Foord to move to the right back position.
Another own goal for Liverpool
Beth Mead had been on the pitch for about a minute when she scored the 4-0. Williamson sent the ball over the top to Mead, who tried to find a teammate in front of goal. Matthews blocked her delivery but inadvertently sent it into the back of her own net.
A special moment for Arsenal
The squad has been plagued with ACL injuries over the past two years. Victoria Pelova being one of the latest to sustain the injury in June 2024, during a qualifier with the Netherlands. She made her long-awaited return.
Julia Bartel came on for Fuka Nagano and Olivia Smith made way for Leanne Kiernan
The final stretch
Arsenal did not slow down in the final ten minutes. They kept overloading the Liverpool box, looking for their fifth goal of the night. Slegers made a final change: Katie Reid on for Leah Williamson. The Gunners have a big match on Wednesday, March 26th, against Real Madrid at home. The confident win over Liverpool will definitely help in preparation for the game.