Match reaction: Kim Little impact as Arsenal frustrate Man City WSL title charge | OneFootball

Manchester City were denied a record-equalling 14 consecutive Women’s Super League wins on Sunday after a defeat to Arsenal. The Gunners puts the brakes on City’s title charge with a successful afternoon at the Emirates, thanks to Olivia Smith.

A sole goal from summer signing Smith denied the Citizens from matching the competition’s longest winning streak. The decisive moment came in just the 17th minute, when Mariona Caldentey’s stunning through ball was pounced upon by the Canadian forward. Smith took the ball past Ayala Yamashita and coolly finished into the open net.

The result has little impact on the league standings, as City still remain top, eight points clear of derby rivals Manchester United. Arsenal however, have a game in-hand due to their participation in FIFA’s Champions Cup, and could close the gap to seven points if they defeat Leicester.

Arsenal’s dominance

Renée Slegers’s game plan was clear: disrupt City’s rhythm, press high in the central areas, and force defensive mistakes. The first half alone saw Arsenal have nine shots, four of these being on target. Meanwhile, City struggled linking up play between midfield and the attacking third. The away side managed just one shot on target throughout the 90 minutes, which came via Bunny Shaw moments before half-time. The midfield partnership of Caldentey and Kim Little proved pivotal in Arsenal’s victory as Man City were forced to play wide, limiting space and time for Vivienne Miedema to dictate play much like she has this season.

Defensively, the Gunners were rock solid. Daphne van Domeselaar looked calm and assured in her first start since November. While Lotte Wubben-Moy and Steph Catley marshalled their lines, limiting City’s attacking prowess.

Embed from Getty Images

Captain Kim Little’s influence

Winning the Player of the Match, Kim Little’s influence cannot be overlooked. Now 35 years old, the former Scottish international seems to get better with each passing season.

Little helped the Gunners control the tempo, disrupt City’s flow, and provide calm distribution throughout the 90 minutes. Her experience and reading of the game was pivotal in Arsenal’s dominance and shown in the second half, when a well-timed slide tackle prevented a City counter-attack and allowed the home side to calm the match.

After the win, Arsenal’s captain spoke to SkySports and highlighted their growing momentum after recent victories against Chelsea and Corinthians.

“I think we’ve obviously had quite a big week of fixtures when you look at Chelsea and then the Champions Cup last week and now going into Man City,” Little said. “We’ve put in some really great performances throughout the squad, and all the players have done really well.

“We’ve raised to the occasion and obviously a huge part of that is our fans. Being able to play here in North London, to have I think close to 40,000 again today, it’s a pretty special atmosphere.”

Despite trailing in the WSL standings, Little hopes her side can maintain the pressure to the final day.

“I think obviously City have put themselves in a really good position, and our job now is to just push as much as we can until that end game of the season.”

Next games for Arsenal and Man City

Arsenal will hope to continue their fine winning run as they travel to Belgium to face Oud-Heverlee Leuven in the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League play-offs. Having won their previous encounter 3-0, the Gunners will hope to put the tie to bed and continue their title defence.

City, however, will have five days to prepare ahead of their next league clash against bottom-of-the-table Leicester City.

Related articles from Her Football Hub: