POTM Leah Williamson excels in Arsenal’s 5-0 WSL win over Crystal Palace Women

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·20 de janeiro de 2025

POTM Leah Williamson excels in Arsenal’s 5-0 WSL win over Crystal Palace Women

As if she needed to validate her appointment as Arsenal Women’s boss, Renee Slegers just kicked off her reign as Arsenal manager with a 5-star performance, in which Leah Williamson played a significant part. Arsenal Women recorded a 5-0 win over Crystal Palace, at Meadow Park on Sunday.

On Sunday afternoon, Arsenal Women gave their London rivals, Crystal Palace, a proper beating.

Vídeos OneFootball

Leah Williamson, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead, and Mariona Caldentey (with a brace) saw our Gunner women paint London red.

While Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo (for scoring in her 6th consecutive WSL game) may have been the players most people are raving about after that game, but Lionesses captain Leah Williamson played a blinder, opening the scoring and being defensively robust throughout.

Besides contributing to the team’s clean sheet and breaking the deadlock (ending a 679-day WSL goal drought), she had the most touches, completed the most passes, had the second most long balls completed, played the most passes into the final third, recorded the second most headed clearances, and won the most aerial duels.

Leah’s statistics versus Palace, as per Fotmob, were:

– 97 minutes played – 123 touches – 1 goal – 4 total shots – 1 chance created – 90% accurate passes (104/115) – 60% accurate long balls (6/10) – 100% accurate crosses (1/1) – 18 passes into the final third – 7 recoveries – 3 clearances – 3 headed clearances – 75% aerial duels won (3/4)

Hopefully, you read our Leah Williamson piece where we highlighted Leah as a more calm defender now, stepping back from her proactive nature. It seems this new Leah Williamson is just what we always wanted but didn’t know we needed.

leah williamson strike

She and Steph Catley have formed quite a partnership at central defense. Our Arsenal women’s defense (like the men’s) is now a department you’re sure will keep you in games.

It’s fortunate that their great defensive plays have been complemented by the team finding balance in attack. Now, Arsenal don’t just defend and pass the ball around—they defend, move the ball forward, and punish their opponents.

Arsenal Women now sit 2nd in the WSL. Opponents looking at the 5-0 win over Crystal Palace need to be wise and understand that it’s a declaration of our girls’ desire to dispatch anyone that stands in their path..

What did you think of Leah’s performance Gooners?

Michelle M

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