Arsenal 4-1 London City Lionesses: Gunners begin season in style with a convincing win over London City Lionesses | OneFootball

Arsenal opened their WSL campaign in emphatic fashion, dispatching newly promoted London City Lionesses 4-1 at Emirates Stadium to set the tone for their pursuit of domestic silverware, in front of 38,142 fans.

The visitors briefly threatened a fairytale start, with captain Kosovare Asllani converting from the spot to net London City’s first-ever WSL goal. But the Gunners quickly reasserted control, with debutant Olivia Smith, Chloe Kelly, and late substitutes Stina Blackstenius and Frida Maanum all getting on the scoresheet.

As it happened

The Lionesses entered their maiden WSL fixture with intent, enjoying spells of possession in the opening 20 minutes. Their breakthrough came when Katie Reid clipped Asllani inside the box. The Swedish international made no mistake from the spot, and capitalised on the opportunity.

The setback jolted Arsenal into gear. From that moment on, Renée Slegers’ side seized control of the game, dictating tempo and pressing relentlessly. Their equaliser came just before the half-hour mark, and it was a debut to remember for record signing Olivia Smith. Picking up Steph Catley’s pass, setting herself up on a solo effort, the Canadian rifled a thunderous strike from distance into the top corner to level the score.

Momentum firmly shifted in the hosts’ favour, and the turnaround was complete just before half-time. Alessia Russo drove into the box and squared the ball for Chloe Kelly, who made no mistake from close range. For Kelly, it was her first goal since sealing a permanent move to Arsenal following her successful loan spell, a moment that visibly lifted both player and crowd.

After the interval, Arsenal turned the screw. Their high press suffocated London City, who were limited to just three shots on target compared to Arsenal’s ten, overall. The Gunners, however, had to wait until the closing minutes to finally kill the contest.

Substitutes made the difference, with Beth Mead injecting fresh energy down the flank. Her cross was turned in by Blackstenius for Arsenal’s third, before Mead’s persistence seconds later led to Frida Maanum rising highest to head home and complete the 4-1 scoreline.

Overall, a historic first WSL goal for London City will be a proud moment, but ultimately Arsenal’s quality and depth proved decisive. With goals from both new signings and returning stars, The Gunners showcased their attacking firepower and squad depth, the kind of statement performance that underlines their title ambitions

London City Lionesses will now gear up for their next challenge, away at Manchester United on Sunday. Meanwhile, Arsenal will now recover and get ready for West Ham away next Friday.

The lineups

ARS: Van Domselaar; Fox, Reid, Catley, McCabe; Mariona, Little, Kelly, Pelova, Smith; Russo

LCL: Lete; Fernandez, Linari, Kennedy, Imuran ; Perez, Kumagai, Asllani, Zelem ; Goodwin, Parris