Arsenal romped to a thrilling victory over Liverpool in the Women’s Super League on Sunday and a 5-1 trouncing of the Reds means the Gunners are in the box seat at the top of the pile just ahead of rivals Manchester City.
And with the two powerhouses of the game vying for the title, supporters are eagerly anticipating the final game of the season when the two meet in what could well be a head-to-head that could decide the destination of the title.
Arsenal have 42 points from 16 games while City are a point behind but have played one game more than the frontrunners.
Gunners coach Joe Montemurro watched his side endure a slow start against the Merseyside outfit in a game which was played at Prenton Park, the home of Tranmere Rovers. But they soon got in their stride and the assessment from Montemurro proves that he is prepared to be patient in matches if the overall target of victory is achieved.
He said: “Liverpool had numbers behind the ball and they were dropping into a 4-5-1, really. But we found the right solutions, sometimes bringing full backs inside or wingers inside, sometimes dropping attackers a little bit shorter. It was very professional. Some of the movement was fantastic and our ability to position ourselves well to go forward was very good.
“The momentum is starting to take shape. We just need to start focusing on the next job and keep hammering home the details. Every game is a final for us.”
Beth Mead was at the double for Arsenal with a brace of goals in this rampant win, with Kim Little opening the scoring before Mead hit the second and third goals. Then the lively Dominique Bloodworth headed home a fourth. In between Vivianne Miedema’s strike, Courtney Sweetman-Kirk’s penalty gave Liverpool a consolation.
It all means that if Arsenal can maintain their form, they require nine points from their last four games to collect first WSL crown since 2012 and this will mean that they will be champions by the time they play City on May 12 if they can win their next three games.
As for Liverpool, coach Vicky Jepson was philosophical as she summed her team’s display. She said: “That’s us all season, to be honest. We’re looking to rebuild for next season. We’ve got key players that are out injured like Niamh Charles and Jess Clarke that are clinical and we can rely on them. Courtney normally would finish those. It’s tough when you do create those opportunities and you don’t see them going in the back of the net.”
Meanwhile, Juventus Women’s 1-0 victory over Fiorentina in their first game at the Allianz Stadium was remarkable in in that it came before a capacity 39,000 supporters, creating an unbelievable a record for a women’s game in Italy.
Tickets were free for the league game and supporters flocked to the stadium in Turin, smashing the previous record of 14,000 for a women’s match. Ex-England star Eniola Aluko played for Juve, who got the win thanks to goal from Sofie Junge Pedersen.