It is hard to find more superlatives for Joe Montemurro’s Arsenal side after another thumping win. This defeat of Everton, which took their goal tally to 38 in eight games, was marred only by a late and seemingly serious injury to Jordan Nobbs.
“We’re disappointed,” said Montemurro of Nobbs, who left the ground in a leg brace, on crutches and tear-stained. “We’re just fighting battle after battle, with Kim Little [fractured fibula] obviously, Viktoria Schnaderbeck going down, Tabea Kemme’s not right. But this is football, we have to put up with these ups and downs and while the football is an up, maybe these other areas are the down.”
A visit of unbeaten Arsenal is an unenviable task at the best of times. For Everton, who sacked their manager Andy Spence in midweek following a 12-year association with the club and sit bottom without a win, a miracle was needed.
In the first half it seemed the 21-year-old goalkeeper Kirstie Levell would be that miracle. Levell was called into action almost immediately, first as the England forward Beth Mead swung in a cross for Nobbs only for Levell to parry the ball away for a corner. Then Levell saved well from Mead and the rebound was put wide.
Moments later Levell saved well from Viv Miedema, and Everton’s interim manager, goalkeeping coach Jen Hurst, was full of praise for her charge post-match: “She was fantastic, made some brilliant saves and kept us in the game for a large part of it but the defenders in front of her were fantastic too. I think we defended really well as a team throughout. I’m pleased with the girls’ performance, they stuck to the game plan and put in a lot of effort.”
With their defence just about holding up against the Arsenal onslaught, Everton were not without chances of their own, giving their goalkeeper a smidgen of breathing space. Simone Magill, breaking free down the left, played a one-two with Hannah Cain before being crowded out as she prepared to shoot. Shortly after, the captain Gabby George made a driving run from deep and delivered a cross on to the head of Magill but the save was easy for Sari van Veenendaal.
From then on Arsenal set up camp in the Everton half. Danielle van de Donk cut back for Miedema whose shot was cleared off the line by Georgia Brougham with Katie McCabe’s follow up effort from 10 yards saved by the feet of a diving Levell. A header from Miedema was then tipped on to the bar and away by the keeper.
However on the stroke of half-time, Miedema’s blocked shot fell kindly for Van de Donk who hammered her strike into the roof of the net past a helpless Levell. Montemurro tweaked Arsenal’s tactics at the interval. “It was a couple of positional things, a little adjustment in midfield and we were able to get the ball forward a lot easier and in more dangerous positions a lot quicker. It was just a tactical tweak but it worked well.”
It worked more than well, Arsenal were ruthless and quickly extended their lead. First, Mead, racing down the right, fed Miedema. She, in turn, cushioned the ball back to Nobbs who looked for the opening before slotting an easy finish past Levell.
Then it was Miedema’s turn. A poor Everton pass bounced off Mead and the Dutchwoman, left one-on-one with Levell, made no mistake after pouncing on the loose ball. The second-half goalscorers then combined for Arsenal’s fourth, Nobbs pulling the ball back from the byline for Miedema to thump in her 13th league goal of the season.
Everton still looked hopefully for a reply but Cain’s strike over the bar and substitute Elise Hughes’s late poke wide were not enough to trouble Van Veenendaal.
A comprehensive Arsenal win was soured at the close when Nobbs punched the ground in agony after a challenge from Chloe Kelly with eight minutes left, her screams audible from the quiet main stand. The midfielder, whose importance to Arsenal and England is hard to overstate, was carried off.
Arsenal are six points clear of Manchester City, having not dropped a point. And though injuries mean their midfield looks a lot weaker, Montemurro is confident he has the depth to handle the losses. “We’ve got some good players that sit on the bench so we’re quite comfortable and happy going forward. I’m comfortable with whoever I put in.”
