Arsenal 4-0 Aston Villa
By Rachel Gore for Impetus with EXCLUSIVE photography by Lauren Kelly at The Emirates Stadium (8/12/24).
Above: Arsenal celebrate one of their four goals. Photo: Lauren Kelly for Impetus
Arsenal made a statement at The Emirates as they secured a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa to claim a top-three spot in the WSL table.
What were the keys to their success?
For the full 90 minutes, Renee Slegers’ Arsenal dominated Aston Villa as they proved their drive to secure victory and gain three points in the WSL.
At 10 minutes a set of clean passes between Mariona Caldentey and Caitlin Foord led to a save from Sabrina D’Angelo. Arsenal immediately fought back from this with Beth Mead making a run that was declared offside to the dismay of the Gunners in the stands. This initial attack set a precedent for the remainder of the match in which Arsenal continued to press.
Undeterred by this early offside call, Alessia Russo opening up the scoring at 17 minutes. This set the tone for the remainder of the game and highlighted Arsenal’s attacking intent.
The second goal of the match was a tap-in from Mead following a shot from Frida L. Maanum which had hit the crossbar. This goal was evidence of the resilience seen by Arsenal throughout the match; on numerous occasions, the Arsenal players continued to take shots on goal until the ball had been cleared out of the box or made it into the goal.
Russo shone as she played confidently on the ball. One particularly strong drive forward saw her win a one v one against D’Angelo and place the ball comfortably in the net, however this goal was declared offside.
Despite this, Russo still managed to score a brace; her second goal was a shot from the right-hand side which hit the top corner. This consolidated a solid performance for the striker and showed why Slegers kept her on the pitch for the full ninety minutes. Prior to this, Katie McCabe provided an assist for substitute Stina Blackstenius.
Arsenal’s squad depth and versatility was shown by their bench. In total the side made five substitutions which Slegers labelled “energy injections” in the post-match media conference. These changes not only freshened up the team but also allowed Arsenal to change their strategy as players moved into different positions.
At half time, Lotte Wubben-Moy took the position of left back with Steph Catley moving towards the centre of the pitch and McCabe playing as right back. At 75 minutes, Laura Wienroither was bought on and she took over as right back causing McCabe to move over to the left-hand side. These tactical shifts increased the pressure on Villa as they had to readjust multiple times to their opposition’s formation.
Whilst Arsenal’s performance was strong overall, there was potential for the score line to be even larger; the home team took 17 shots, nine of which were on target, and only four of which hit the back of the net.
What went wrong for Aston Villa?
Arsenal dominated Aston Villa for the full 90 minutes as the away team failed to gain control of the match.
While possession was evenly split, Villa made rushed decisions. This lack of composure nearly caused the away team to score an own goal as an aim to head the ball away from the goal resulted in it flying just over the crossbar.
Throughout both halves, Villa’s keeper D’Angelo made numerous saves which minimised the damage. She was also well utilised by outfielders who passed backward to her to retain possession and eventually bring the ball forward into their attacking half.
One player who made these passes to D’Angelo was Jordan Nobbs, who made a return to The Emirates to face her old club on her birthday. During the match, Nobbs strived to gain possession in the midfield and made some strong defensive efforts, however, like many of her teammates, she failed to make a significant impact on the game.
Arsenal managed to nullify Rachel Daly, Villa’s captain. Speaking about her performance, Robert de Pauw said that“sometimes she drops too far.” He added that “she should not drop further than our defensive midfielders.” Perhaps keeping Daly further up the pitch would have allowed for a stronger attack from Villa and potentially goals.
Speaking on the performance as a whole de Pauw described it as showing “where we are at the moment,” saying that the team “have to be honest and critical” with themselves.
Arsenal’s Australians step up to the plate
Three of the players in Arsenal’s starting eleven were Australian internationals Catley, Foord, and Cooney-Cross.
Cooney-Cross’ start, which had been highly requested by fans, was her ninth WSL start, and seventh this season. She proved that she had earned her place with what Slegers described as a “world class” performance.
The young midfielder was heavily involved in Arsenal’s set pieces; it was the Matildas star’s gorgeous shot from a set piece that acted as an assist for Russo’s goal. This set-piece shot also showcased her growing influence at the club.
Cooney-Cross was not the only Australian international who made an impact. Catley played a large role in defence and made key blocks that ensured a clean sheet was kept by Arsenal. Additionally, Foord has had a brilliant start to the season and made a couple of attempts on goal in this fixture. She played strongly down the wing, making clever passes and delivering the ball into the box.
What does this result mean for the WSL?
Prior to kick off, Arsenal and Villa sat in fifth and eighth place in the WSL table respectively.
The result led Arsenal to advance into third place but caused Villa to drop down to ninth.
Arsenal’s move into the top three is the result of a series of undefeated games. When asked post-match whether Arsenal can take on City and Chelsea for the title, Slegers said: “I think so, we have to believe that.”
For Villa, the fall in position is threatening; the team are now three points ahead of Crystal Palace who are at the bottom of the table. In order to stay out of the relegation battle and hold onto their spot in the WSL, de Pauw will be pushing for wins from his side. This idea was emphasised by the Villa boss in the post-match media conference when he said that “every game is a big game”. He added to this saying that “everything is close in the league”.
Teams: ARSENAL: Van Domselaar, Fox, Williamson, Catley, Caldentey, Mead, McCabe, L. Maanum, Foord, Russo, Cooney-Cross. Substitutes: Wubben-Moy (for Fox 46’), Blackstenius (for Maanum 60’), Wienroither (for Catley 75’), Hurtig (for Foord 75’), Kuhl (for Cooney-Cross 83’).
Scorers: Russo 17’, Mead 38’, Blackstenius 70’, Russo 90+4’.
ASTON VILLA: D’Angelo, Mayling, Tomas, Patten, Staniforth, Nobbs, Daly, Turner, Salmon, Hanson, Grant. Substitutes: Nunes (for Salmon 62’), Maritz (for Mayling 62’), Dali (for Hanson 62’), Robinson (for Grant 79’), Taylor (for Nobbs 79’).
Referee: Abi Byrne.
Attendance: 29,515.
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