Liverpool 0-3 Arsenal Women Match Report: Montemurro’s first league win closes the gap between Gunners and Reds

WSL Match Report

Arsenal Women won their first league game under Joe Montemurro as they beat Liverpool 3-0 to close the gap between the two sides.

Scoring for Arsenal were Vivianne Miedema, Dominique Janssen and Lisa Evans but like Arsenal’s previous match against Yeovil, there was a missed penalty.

The result saw Liverpool’s run of four straight wins, which has seen them score 15 goals come to an end.

For some members on both sides, the match could have been an audition as new England manager Phil Neville was in attendance.

After a backing and forth beginning, the first sight of goal came just before the ten-minute mark.

After maintaining possession for some time, the ball broke to Lisa Evans whose shot on arrival in the box looked destined for the bottom corner until Becky Flaherty tipped it wide.

Shortly after, Liverpool had a goalscoring chance of their own. An attempt to play out of the back went wrong and the home side pounced but in-form Beth England could only put the ball over.

Liverpool’s Caroline Weir almost stunned Select Security Stadium after a quarter of an hour. Picking up the ball just inside the Arsenal half, she evaded two challenges expertly before trying her luck from range and hitting the crossbar.

England then had another great chance to open the scoring as she was put through one-on-one with Sari Van Veenendaal in the Arsenal goal who outfoxed the striker on this occasion.

As we reached the midway point in the first-half Arsenal began to get a foot-hold in the game. This was best shown in a slick passing move which freed Evans behind the Liverpool defence before cutting back for Jordan Nobbs whose shot was saved.

Arsenal were then given a golden opportunity as Nobbs sprayed a well-weighted ball behind the Liverpool defence for Vivianne Miedema who was brought down for a penalty by Sophie Ingle.

Like on the weekend, the penalty wasn’t converted but luckily the rebound fell back to the feet of Miedema who was able to tap the ball home for her fifth goal of the season.

In the dying moments of the first-half Arsenal’s lead was doubled in spectacular fashion.

After the ball was directed onto the post from a corner before coming back out to Dominique Janssen about 30 yards out who bent her effort into the top corner and silence the home fans:

After the break Arsenal made a very strong impression controlling much of the early proceedings.

Their first chance of the half almost saw them score their third of the night as Nobbs drove down the middle of the pitch before hitting a strike just outside the box which Flaherty needed to tip over the bar.

Arsenal finally got their third goal just after the hour-mark through Evans who got on the end of a deflected pass before baring down on goal and firing the ball past Flaherty at her near post.

Liverpool got back into the game soon after and had a penalty shout of their own. A corner was whipped in and caused mayhem in the Arsenal box before a Liverpool body hit the deck in what as adjudged a dive.

Arsenal didn’t take their foot off the gas as late on substitutes Katie McCabe and Laura James came close to further stretching the lead.

The win sees Arsenal move a point behind third-placed Liverpool in the WSL 1 giving them a better chance of leapfrogging the Reds this weekend if they van beat bottom of the league Yeovil, while Liverpool take on Manchester City.