Arsenal will be looking to extend their winning run in the Women’s Super League on Sunday after being crowned Continental Cup champions.
The Gunners thwarted Chelsea to lift the trophy, before going on to beat Liverpool 2-0 in a midweek league clash.
Arsenal fans will be happy to see themselves as the winning side after a few frustrating performances recently. For example, the 2-1 loss against Man City, which saw Arsenal lose vital points in the title race this season.
Additionally, an admirable defensive display from West Ham managed to keep Arsenal to a 0-0 draw.
Liverpool fans will not be best pleased, especially since their team lost a crucial match against Leicester in February. This leaves them five points clear from the bottom of the table with nine matches left to play.
Embed from Getty ImagesArsenal vs Liverpool — Starting Lineups
Arsenal: Zinsberger; McCabe, Rafaelle, Williamson (Wubben-Moy, 61′), Wienroither (Maritz, 70′), Wälti (Kühl, 61′) Little, Maanum, Foord (Queiroz, 70′), Blackstenius (Beattie, 83′), Pelova.
Liverpool: Laws, Hinds, Robe, Silcock (Bonner, 45′), Koivisto, Kearns, Nagano, Holland (Lundgaard, 72′), Taylor (Campbell, 45′), Humphrey (Daniëls, 45′), Stengel.
Absentees
Arsenal’s January singing, Sabrina D’Angelo is still unavailable due to the knee injury she sustained in the SheBelieves Cup, however she is taking part in some training.
Lina Hurtig was available last weekend, but seemingly not fit enough to make the squad against Liverpool, perhaps due to the injury she picked up during the international break.
More worryingly for Arsenal fans, Steph Catley was seen on crutches and in a protective boot. Eidevall stated that it was a “non-contact foot injury.”
How have Arsenal performed?
Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-0 at home, with both goals coming in the first half, just several minutes apart.
Stina Blackstenius continued her newfound goalscoring form when she scored the opener in the 28th minute. It was a lovely touch and finish into the bottom corner of the net.
The second goal came when Caitlin Foord bagged a header in the 34th minute, following a save from Rachael Laws to deny Blackstenius.
Embed from Getty ImagesThroughout the match, Arsenal were the most dominant. They tallied six shots on target compared to just one for Liverpool, which was an easy save in order to gain another clean sheet.
Leah Williamson believed she had scored her first WSL goal of the season, however these celebrations were cut short when the offside flag was raised.
Liverpool made a triple change at the break, and switched their formation to a back five. This added defensive presence proved successful for the Reds, as Arsenal were unable to break them down in the second half.
Upcoming Matches
This weekend, Arsenal will face Reading on Sunday evening for an 18.45 GMT kick-off. It will be the second time within a week that Arsenal play teams in the bottom half of the table.
The Gunners must pick up the three points to remain in contention for the title. Additionally, they will have to switch their focus to the Champions League in the upcoming weeks, where they face Bayern Munich.
Eidevall and the fans will hope that Catley’s injury doesn’t keep her sidelined for long with these fixtures on the horizon.
