WSL: Arsenal dismantle Brighton in biggest Emirates victory | OneFootball

Arsenal welcomed Brighton and Hove Albion to a Friday night under the lights at the Emirates. The Gunners cruised to a 5-0 win over the Seagulls to close the gap between them to just one point in the Women’s Super League table.

It was a dominant and brutal display by the Arsenal that marked their biggest win at the main stadium.

Starting XIs

Arsenal

Arsenal made two changes from their one all draw with Manchester United. Manuela Zinsberger and Beth Mead came in for Daphne van Domseelar and Mariona Caldentey.

Zinsberger; Fox, Williamson, Catley, McCabe, Wälti, Little, Mead, Maanum, Foord, Russo

Brighton and Hove Albion

Brighton made three changes from their 1-0 win over Leicester City. Maria Thorisdottir, Maisie Symonds and Kiki Seike came in for Bruna Vilamala, Marisa Olislagers and Rachel Mclauchlan. Michelle Agyemang was unavailable to play against her parent club.

Baggaley; Thorisdottir, Bergsvand, Pattinson, Losada, Symonds, Haley, Seike, Parris, Kirby

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Silky, smooth Arsenal

Brighton were out of the blocks first with an early cross stopped by Leah Williamson. However, a dominate opening ten minutes followed for the home side, rewarded by a Beth Mead goal in the 13th minute. Receiving the ball out wide on the right, a missed interception by Poppy Pattinson saw the winger in space in the box. A dink past the defender saw Mead curl it on her left foot and into the back of the net.

The Gunners’ confidence continued to follow. Arsenal once again were successful off their right-hand side. Kim Little sent the ball into the six-yard box for Caitlin Foord to scissor-kick off her left foot into the goal. The opening two goals exposed Brighton’s fragility at the back, whilst adding some pizzazz to the score.

The best of the first three was Frida Maanum’s goal in the 24th minute. With the ball at her feet on the edge of the box, the Norwegian saw Sophie Baggaley off her line and took the shot. The ball soared into the top corner on the far side and summed up a dominate Arsenal first half.

Maanum’s confidence was sky high as she took another shot from range just past the half hour mark. Her shot was saved well by Baggaley. A series of saves by the goalkeeper saw out the first half 3-0 to the home side. Arsenal were smoother than they have been for much of the season and exposed Brighton’s backline.

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Brighton down but undeterred

Brighton were uncompromised in their style of play. The larger pitch did not suit their stretched back three but the Seagulls were quick and sharp on the counter-attack. A Kiko Seike shot almost identical to Maanum’s forced a good save from Manuela Zinsberger. Minutes later, she hit the bar in a series of moves that summed up Brighton’s night.

Arsenal approached 70 minutes with a change of style. With Alessia Russo pulling back into the No.10 after the introduction of Stina Blackstenius, play was more central as opposed to out wide. The introduction of Lina Hurtig saw her pull into a front two with her Swedish teammate, with Kyra Cooney-Cross pull up in midfield.

A ball from wide met Foord centrally but she was unable to pull the ball in at close range with Baggaley. It was the Swedish substitute that put the next past the goalkeeper. A corner swung into the box by Mead saw Hurtig head it home, marking her first goal back since a long spell on the sidelines. A penalty was coolly dispatched in added time by Russo after Blackstenius was brought down in the box.

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Arsenal may have put another two past the Seagulls but the home side knew what was needed in an ever increasing league. Strong and confident, Arsenal exposed their opponents’ weakness. Arsenal now look ahead to the midweek visit to Italy, as they face Juventus in the UEFA Women’s Champions League next week. Brighton will look to pick themselves up next weekend as they host West Ham at the AMEX.

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