Here’s Suzanne Wrack’s match report from Meadow Park:
That will do from me! Thanks for all your company this afternoon. Not a fluent showing from Arsenal but they’ve taken the points; for Liverpool, maybe some encouragement that all is far from lost this season. Until next time, cheerio!
In men’s football, Sheffield United play Manchester United soon. Ben Fisher has that one for you:
Chelsea are now four up at Birmingham so you’d have to say that, even though Arsenal won, today hasn’t done their title defence that much good given the thumping victory margins of their rivals.
Full-time: Arsenal 1-0 Liverpool
Liverpool try to build some late pressure but that’s it: Miedema’s goal makes the difference. Not one for the end of season highlights compilers to dwell on, but a decent showing from the bottom-placed side and if that early chance for Bradley-Auckland had gone in it could have been so, so different.
90+1 min: We are into three added minutes ...
89 min: Miedema just can’t turn in a Roord cross and Liverpool, just a shade more enterprising in the last few minutes, ride again ...
88 min: And there’s a flutter as Zinsberger then drops a Lawley cross ... and is generously awarded a free-kick.
87 min: Mead can’t control a nice Miedema switch. It just hasn’t come off very often for Arsenal’s key players today. Chelsea lead 3-0 at Birmingham, we’re told, and in such a tight title race I’m sure Arsenal would have liked to score a couple more. Lawley has a rare shot for Liverpool but it’s not close.
85 min: It would be fairly amazing if Liverpool got something out of this, given their complete lack of threat since half-time, but Arsenal would only have themselves to blame.
83 min: Yet another Arsenal corner. Can they add some garnish? It’s played cleverly to Miedema and she’s not far off, her effort deflecting into the side netting off Bradley-Auckland.
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81 min: Meanwhile, Arsenal bring on Walti for Nobbs. The pace of this game is glacial at the moment.
80 min: This is, you could say, the kind of game that wins you titles – off colour but still doing the job. But on the other hand it’s a stark contrast with what Man City, for example, achieved at Bristol today.
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77 min: Evans slips while trying to cross in a good position and it sums up the majority of Arsenal’s performance, really. Liverpool make their second change, Murray – another ex-Arsenal player – replacing Linnett.
75 min: Arsenal continue to have all the play but they really aren’t looking very penetrative. It’s been sluggish fare from them except for, perhaps, the 15 minutes before half-time.
73 min: Another Arsenal corner, this time from the left side. It’s defended well, for far from the first time, by ex-Arsenal player Fahey.
71 min: We’ve seen nothing of Liverpool as an attacking force in this half, really, although they do have a long shot blocked as I write. Only one chance needed to score though ...
67 min: Arsenal win their latest corner; there’ve been a few this half without much reward. Mead’s delivery is met solidly by Beattie and then, in front of goal, pings off the head of Van de Donk and high.
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65 min: A Liverpool change, now, as Hodson replaces the hardworking Babajide.
64 min: Miedema and Van de Donk almost combine but Preuss just gets to the former’s cross before the latter.
63 min: Arsenal win a corner on the right but can’t make much of it. Liverpool must surely be growing in confidence from the way they have made this a game.
60 min: Mead strikes one off target but Arsenal are yet to put much together in this half, Williamson’s blast aside.
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58 min: The away side almost cause a scare as Zinsberger has to be out very sharply to clear a long ball towards Sweetman-Kirk, who had got away for a moment.
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57 min: Liverpool aren’t allowing many clear chances at this point in the half though. They just need to find something in opposition territory, because they do need a goal. Arsenal haven’t shipped one for nearly 600 minutes ...
54 min: They’re nearly seen off there, though, by Williamson – who wanders upfield from the back and launches a fine, dipping long-range effort off the top of Preuss’s bar!
53 min: Babagide halts an Arsenal attack but there is a touch of anywhere-will-do about her clearance. If Liverpool stay composed they still have a real chance here.
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51 min: Embarrassment for Evans as she takes so much time over a throw-in that it’s awarded to Liverpool instead. They really have been weirdly sluggish at times.
49 min: That apart, little to report in the second half yet. Arsenal are asking the early questions though.
47 min: Arsenal made a half-time change, Maier in for McCabe at left-back.
Peeeeep! We go again.
Arsenal get us going.
The second half will be underway very shortly. Any changes you’d like to see? Arsenal will want a marked change in tempo, although they did get better after going ahead.
Here’s another read from Suzanne Wrack for your half-time coffee, on the dwindling relevance of the salary cap:
Half-time: Arsenal 1-0 Liverpool
Van de Donk cannot quite reach a cross from the right and that’s the half. Far from Arsenal’s best, and they were a post’s width from going a shock goal down. But they have a lethal striker in Miedema, who got them off and running with a typically precise finish, and might have scored one or two more. In the event, Liverpool are not out of it yet and have put a couple of capable moves together themselves. Come back in 15 minutes!
43 min: Mead should score the crucial second! Miedema is sprung clear in the inside-left, picks out her colleague – who has made a fine diagonal run to the near post – and probably expects to see the net bulge. But Mead, perhaps under pressure from a defender, sidefoots wide from close in!
42 min: Another Arsenal goal now would probably see them off, however, and Preuss has to backpedal to turn a Mead cross out for a corner. The hosts work it short but can’t make a lot from it.
41 min: An encouraging spell for Liverpool ends with Linnett shooting straight at Zinsberger from 20 yards. She had teammates well placed and it wasn’t the best option to choose. A sign that they aren’t out of this though.
38 min: Chance for Van de Donk! Evans sashays into absolutely acres of space down that right flank, gets her head up and picks out her teammate ... but Van de Donk’s first-time effort is inches wide. Might have done a fair bit better.
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36 min: Miedema does brilliantly to get to the left byline but Nobbs, running in at speed and at an angle to the back post, would have to produce something extraordinary to convert a right-footed volley. She doesn’t; it’s slashed miles off target.
35 min: Arsenal play keepball for a while, although their passing has generally been a lot more purposeful in the last 10 or 15 minutes.
32 min: Evans is sent away to the right byline by some snappy interplay but her cutback is smartly defended by Liverpool.
31 min: For Liverpool, now, it’s probably a case of staying in the game for as long as possible, not conceding a second and then hoping something drops their way – as it so nearly did from that free-kick in the opening minutes.
Goal! Arsenal 1-0 Liverpool (Miedema 28)
Give her a chance and she’ll put it away. Not much had come off for Miedema or Arsenal until this but it doesn’t really matter now. A surging run into the right side of the box and a fierce, cracked effort across the diving Preuss open the scoring and it’s a big ask for Liverpool from here.
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27 min: Roberts has a pop from long range for Liverpool, and why not? She catches it quite well but Zinsberger catches it too, in the goalkeeperly with-her-hands sense.
26 min: Man City lead 5-0 at Bristol City, so it’s fair to say Arsenal won’t be leapfrogging them today.
24 min: Terrible decision there as the Evans-Mead combination, Arsenal’s most fruitful so far, clearly wins a corner off a defender but a goal-kick is awarded. That really was as clear as day.
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23 min: Just a few signs that Arsenal are starting to get into their stride, albeit without creating a great deal. Liverpool are finding it tough to get out.
20 min: The quiet Van de Donk finally pulls a few strings and a good Arsenal move ends up with Mead’s latest delivery being smuggled away. Liverpool remain dogged though, that one mishap apart.
18 min: The lively Babajide peels down the left for Liverpool but her low cross can’t find her fellow forward Sweetman-Kirk.
16 min: But that’s a big let-off for Liverpool there – they try to play the ball out from the resulting set-piece and concede possession, with Miedema eventually having a free shot at goal that Preuss blocks superbly. One big chance apiece!
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15 min: Mead is bundled over after a slick, fast set of passes releases her down the right. Arsenal have a very dangerous free-kick position on the right ... but Mead’s delivery is well defended and, in the event, a home players makes a foul.
12 min: Roord lofts high and wide after an Evans cross towards Miedema is half-cleared; it’s Arsenal’s first broadly threatening moment really.
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10 min: Will that wake Arsenal up? They attack instantly after that let-off but Mead crosses waywardly behind the goal.
9 min: And Liverpool nearly do even better than that! It’s a brilliant save from the Arsenal goalkeeper Zinsberger as Bradley-Auckland connects with a free-kick – the ball is turned acrobatically onto the inside of the post before it rolls along the line and away!
8 min: Better from Arsenal as Miedema and Nobbs attempt and give-and-go, but we’re yet to see a shot fired in anger and Liverpool – who I pointed out earlier do not really get thrashed – have bedded in well enough.
5 min: Evans is the next player to lose possession for Arsenal, who have not quite got going yet even if one suspects that early Liverpool spell was very much the exception to the norm.
3 min: It’s actually a decent start from Liverpool, who go on to enjoy some decent passing around the Arsenal box without managing to carve any chances out. They’ll be mildly encouraged.
2 min: Lots and lots of early Arsenal possession, as you’d expect, before Miedema breaks the spell with a sloppy touch and lets Liverpool get an early feel of the ball.
Peeeeep! Off we go!
Team huddles all round; Liverpool then kick us off and go right to left!
The teams are on the pitch now at Meadow Park! Kick-off is not far away at all ...
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Other WSL scores so far today:
Man United 4-0 Brighton (full-time)
Bristol City 0-1 Man City (64 min)
Everton 3-1 Spurs (68 min)
A reminder that we’ll see the nascent season’s joint second-top scorers in action today: Arsenal’s dynamic Dutch duo, Vivianne Miedema and Danielle van de Donk, have three goals apiece.
There’s just time before kick-off for you to read this excellent interview with Emma Hayes by Suzanne Wrack:
And Liverpool are below. The experienced Niamh Fahey spent many years at Arsenal.
Our line-up to face @ArsenalWFC 🙌🔴 pic.twitter.com/9M7QqdbmtV
— Liverpool FC Women (@LiverpoolFCW) November 24, 2019
Here’s your Arsenal team:
🚨 TIME FOR TEAM NEWS 🚨
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) November 24, 2019
💪 @LeahcWilliamson returns
🔥 @JillRoordNL keeps her place
🐐 @VivianneMiedema leads the line @BarclaysFAWSL 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ClETWM20wO
Afternoon
This looks like a home banker. Bear with us, because appearances can be very deceptive. But on the face of things Arsenal, in third place and a point off the top, should more or less pulverise a Liverpool side that has a single point – and a single goal – to its name so far this season.
The latter stat doesn’t really do much for the visitors’ chances because Arsenal have only conceded thrice in their six games. They’ll be coming into this on a high after winning away at Spurs in front of a raucous, bumper crowd – and perhaps Liverpool’s best hope is to catch them napping in rather more prosaic surroundings at Meadow Park. But it takes a lot to faze Joe Montemurro’s side and, for them, surely nothing short of a good win will do – particularly as the teams above them, Manchester City, both play away today.
Liverpool had their own heady derby experience last weekend, facing Everton at Anfield, but lost 1-0 despite raining the shots in throughout. They don’t actually take too many hidings at all, and scored a confidence-boosting six against Blackburn in the cup during the week. But it would be some surprise if they translated that into a positive result today.
Let’s see! Kick-off is not far away. Get your emails and tweets in with any thoughts, hopes, dreams and fears about what lies ahead.
