Arsenal ran out 3-0 winners away to Liverpool on Wednesday 7th February, to move within one point of the third-placed Reds.
Wednesday 7th February
FAWSL 1
Liverpool 0-3 Arsenal (Att: 461)
Arsenal’s Lisa Evans hit an early low drive from outside the box that was tipped wide by Becky Flaherty and Liverpool responded with Caroline Weir’s long-range strike crashing back off the crossbar.
Liverpool’s Bethany England was denied by a point-blank save from Sari van Veenendaal, before it took both Laura Coombs and Martha Harris to thwart Jordan Nobbs.
Arsenal then took a 28th-minute lead via a penalty, Flaherty initially saving the spot kick but Vivianne Miedema slotting the rebound over the line.
It was 2-0 a minute before the break, when Dominique Janssen hit a fantastic strike from 20 yards out that flew high into the far corner.
Flaherty did well to deny Nobbs from distance but the scoring was completed soon after on 61 minutes, Evans fed through to the corner of the box and firing high into the net.
As Liverpool looked for a way back into the game, Kate Longhurst saw her shot saved by van Veenendaal and Casey Stoney had an effort blocked on the line, before the visitors managed to scramble the ball clear.
WHAT THEY SAID
Liverpool manager Scott Rogers said: “In the first half I thought it was quite an evenly-matched game.
“The second half you can see we’re trying to chase it. We’re leaving gaps everywhere, but we’re trying to chase the game.
“I said to the girls we gave ourselves a mountain to climb at half-time and unfortunately we couldn’t climb it. It’s just one of them things — it’s football.
“In the first half I thought we had the better chances. We just didn’t take them.
“We lost 3-0 so you can’t just say that the penalty cost us the game, but I think it had a major impact on it because I think it did change the game.”
Arsenal manager Joe Montemurro said: “We’re trying to instil a brand of football and the way we want to play. It’s important that those elements are starting to come out.
“Yes, the result is important obviously, but we also believe in the way we want to play and it’s a possession brand with building up from the back – hopefully it’s starting to show some of its fruits.
“In the end the result says what it says. Liverpool are a very, very good side. They hurt you in some areas going forward and they can be a very damaging team in some areas that can hurt you.
“It’s about the way we want to play and for me it was very, very important that we saw some of the patterns and some of the things we’re working on and that’s coming to fruition.”
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