Arsenal mark Slegers’ head coach promotion with WSL thrashing of Palace | OneFootball

The huge welcoming cheer from the Arsenal fans crammed into the North Bank terrace at Borehamwood on the introduction over the PA system of their new head coach, Renée Slegers, shortly before kick-off was testament to the job she has done to date.

Slegers has gone from a relative unknown, as an assistant to Jonas Eidevall with an emphasis on one-on-one work with players, to interim manager and now the popular choice among players and the ­Arsenal faithful to take charge full time. “We’ve got super Renée Slegers, she knows exactly what we need,” the standing fans in the North Bank sang. And, it seems, she does.

For the manager, though, ­nothing feels different – a “no” and a smile were all that was given in response to the question.

Defeat of the bottom-placed Crystal Palace may have been somewhat of a foregone conclusion, but it was an important victory for the home team, one that kickstarts a new era and makes it 11 wins out of 12 unbeaten games since the former Netherlands international took over. There are bigger challenges to come but, for now, they can wait. You can only deliver results against the teams in front of you and that is what the Gunners have done under Slegers, over and over again.

It took six minutes for Arsenal to make their mark, Katie McCabe’s corner sidefooted in by the England captain, Leah Williamson for her first goal for the club since March 2023.

There was some irony in the goal, evident in the surprise as Williamson celebrated. Two days before, when talking about how she manages emotions and connects with ­supporters, the defender had said: “I’m not going to score a goal, am I? That’s not my way of connecting with fans.” There was more irony in the fact that by full time Williamson could have had four.

Slegers said: “She’s very intelligent on the pitch, getting ­positioning right, finding passes, knowing what the team needs at every phase. She brings leadership, she’s in a good place.”

Despite the early lead, though, it was far from a straightforward first half in the bitter cold. Arsenal were dominant, but they struggled with the final ball as ­Palace’s well-organised back five stood firm. Shortly before the break the visiting team went close to ­punishing the Gunners for their profligacy. Katie Stengel’s smart pass found My Cato but the Swedish forward put her effort wide.

The introduction of Caitlin Foord in the 57th minute was decisive in helping Arsenal to cement the points. The Australian forward swept in from the left six minutes after entering the fray and forced a low save from Shae Yanez at the near post. Alessia Russo was on hand to convert the rebound.

Five minutes later the Gunners had a third. Emily Fox found the run of Russo and the England forward fed Beth Mead who powered the ball in at the near post.

Palace’s resilience was broken, their inability to hold their form across 90 minutes in a new division a consistent problem. With 15 minutes to play they conceded a penalty when Annabel Blanchard brought down Foord. Mariona ­Caldentey stepped up and slotted the spot-kick coolly into the bottom corner.

The fifth arrived deep into added time, Caldentey powering in her second after Russo had rattled the post, taking the Gunners’ tally under Slegers to 36 goals in 12 games.

“We had great impact players,” Slegers said. “Our changes made a great impact on the game. We scored those goals, the second and third, and then we really wanted to go for more, and that’s what the girls did. That can be important at the end of the season.”

Header image: [Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/Reuters]