Arsenal down Spurs on penalties; Liverpool down Everton; Villa win big | OneFootball

The Conti Cup returned Wednesday evening with a slate of matches across England. Here is what went down around the grounds.

Arsenal vs Tottenham

Scorers: Blackstenius 19′, Manuum 37′ ; Thomas 17′, Naz 30′, 48′

Arsenal downed north London rivals Tottenham after penalty kicks in a scintillating Group D showdown.

It was a frantic affair from the start, and Tottenham took advantage to snatch the lead through Martha Thomas inside 20 minutes, but it would not last long.

It took the Gunners just two minutes to respond, and they did so when Sweden international Stina Blackstenius levelled the scoreline just rapidly.

The tennis-like first half continued, as Spurs reclaimed their advantage through Jessica Naz as the clock struck the 30 minute mark.

Yet again, Arsenal struck back. This time it was Frida Maanum reclaimed parity for the home side.

It was much of the same after the break, as the visitors found the lead for a third time in the match thanks to another Jessica Naz goal.

Surprise, surprise – Arsenal pulled it back again. Defenders scoring was a theme around the Conti Cup Wednesday night, and Laia Codina kept up the trend as she scored to erase Spurs’ lead once again, and send the match to penalties.

By a scoreline of 4-3, Arsenal snatched the win in penalties to take home the victory on a dramatic night at Meadow Park.

Everton vs Liverpool

Scorers: Duggan 90+9′ ; Román Haug 5′, Daniëls 56′

Liverpool eased past local rivals Everton to pick up their first win in Group B.

Liverpool wasted no time taking control of the local derby, as Sophie Román Haug popped up to score inside five minutes and stun the home side.

While Everton looked to pull themselves back into the tie, Liverpool had other ideas after the break.

The Reds took a big step towards victory when Yana Daniëls scored to double the visitors’ lead before the hour mark, making Everton’s task far harder.

The lead proved to be insurmountable despite a stoppage time goal from Toni Duggan, as Liverpool held on to collect their first win in the group.

Aston Villa cruise past Durham

Scorers: Leon 49′, Corsie 53′, Daly 68′, 76′, 89′ ; Andrews 87′

Aston Villa took control of Group A with an emphatic win over Durham.

It was tough sledding for Villa in the opening 45 minutes, as they struggled to breakdown their inferior opposition.

But the hosts would finally find their breakthrough after the break through Adriana Leon, who struck in the opening five minutes of the second half to give Carla Ward’s side the lead.

It quickly got better for Villa as Rachel Corsie popped up from defence to score and double the home side’s advantage only four minutes later.

Villa all but slammed the door shut past the hour mark when England international Rachel Daly came off the bench to bag a hat-trick in just over 20 minutes to ensure the victory.

Durham found the back of the net through second half sub Amy Andrews, but it was merely consolation.

Other matches

More matches to come tomorrow!