Arsenal 1-0 Everton: Super sub Blackstenius seals win to edge closer to Women’s Champions League | OneFootball

Stina Blackstenius rescued a 1-0 win for Arsenal over Everton in Beth Mead’s final match at the Emirates Stadium, reaching a club-record 19 games unbeaten at home to edge closer to automatic qualification for the Champions League.

Beth Mead, on a mission to mark her final match at the Emirates Stadium after a nine-year stay at the club, stuck the woodwork twice in the first half before being substituted after the hour mark, with Olivia Smith’s curling strike also finding the bar.

The Swedish striker eventually made the pressure tell in the 93rd minute, tucked her 16th goal in the WSL from the bench after a collision between Leah Williamson and goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan, as the Gunners go within a point at Liverpool on the final day from securing European football.

As it happened

Chants of “Meado” rang around the ground in the early stages, in the home fans’ tribute to long-serving striker Mead after it was announced she would be leaving North London to a close at the end of the season.

And not long after Alessia Russo sent a shot over the bar after a header away by Martina Fernández fell kindly to the England international, her teammate Mead was cruelly denied by the crossbar as she met a great cross from Emily Fox with a header of her own.

She was then cruelly denied by the bar a second time as she crashed a vicious shot towards goal from the right, connecting with fellow departee Victoria Pevlova’s neat cutback.

Having both been restored to the side that triumphed 4-0 against Aston Villa last time out, the stars simply wouldn’t align for the Arsenal pair both desperate to end their careers with the Champions League winners on a high.

The only sight of goal for the visitors in the first half came a few minutes prior when Clare Wheeler pounced on a loose pass and attempted a deft chip over Anneke Borbe that found the roof of the net.

Laia Codina, the last of Arsenal’s outgoing trio, thought she had scored on her final home match for the Gunners mere minutes after the restart, but she had guided a header back into the box following a corner from an offside position.

Canadian winger Olivia Smith was soon twisting and turning inside from the left and past Wheeler, yet remarkably found the bar for a third time in the match with her curling effort that seemed destined for the top right corner of the net.

Smith sent in a dangerous low cutback from the byline on the left on the hour mark, but Rosso’s stab towards goal was saved by Brosnan before she left Fernández on the floor after a collision from trying to punch clear a cross from substitute Chloe Kelly.

Off the bench to try and snatch all three points, Ornella Vignola came close to a winner on the break with three minutes left of the second half when her deflected shot spun just wide of goal, with time for Arsenal to find the net ticking away.

Blackstenius made herself the hero at the death, calmly slotting the ball into the bottom right corner of the net with goalkeeper Brosnan out of the game after contending with Gunners captain Williamson for a looping cross in from the right.

Brosnan, who required treatment for a head injury while the Gunners celebrated a crucial goal in their bid for Champions League football, confronted the officials at full time to demand why a foul wasn’t given.

There was also a question of offside against centre-back Lotte Wubben-Moy, who had headed the ball on towards Williams, but the flag did not raise.

Nevertheless, Arsenal took a huge step in returning to Europe’s top club competition next season on an emotional night for their departing trio.