Here’s a roundup of the rest of the WSL action on Sunday.
Having received her 150th England cap on Tuesday, Jill Scott scored the winner as Everton recovered from two goals down to beat Tottenham.
Two penalties inside 20 minutes, scored by French forward Valerie Gauvin, gave the visiting side the advantage but Spurs struck back through forward Angela Addison and midfielder Gemma Davison. However Scott’s header just past the hour mark sealed the win and keeps the Blues within four points of fourth-placed Arsenal.
Making her return to action following an injury, US midfielder Sam Mewis scored twice in Manchester City’s 4-0 rout of Birmingham. The win moves City to within two points of league leaders Chelsea.
Mewis headed in her first from a Chloe Kelly cross, before turning in from Alex Greenwood’s corner. Winger Lauren Hemp added a third and Scotland’s Caroline Weir tapped in the fourth. Mewis’s compatriot Rose Lavelle came on as a substitute and whacked the top of the crossbar moments before the final whistle.
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The pithy socials are in.
𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 😎
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) February 28, 2021
Onto the next one - together! ✊@BarclaysFAWSL 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Tzoi5xtpMJ
Arsenal stamp their authority on the game in the second half and come away with the points. pic.twitter.com/kt9ssSRpba
— Aston Villa Women (@AVWFCOfficial) February 28, 2021
Full-time: Aston Villa 0-4 Arsenal
After a laboured first half, that was much better from the Gunners as they converted four clinical strikes just when it looked like Villa might frustrate them. Good signs for Joe Montemurro, not so good for Marcus Bignot in the Villa dugout. The game closes out to the sound of motorbikes racing round the Bescot once more.
90 min: Into time added on, and surely not long to be supplemented. Three minutes, in fact.
89 min: An Aston Villa attack, and Larsen’s shot goes out for a throw. Unfortunate. The first half’s good work has been rather ground into dust.
Goal! Aston Villa 0-4 Arsenal (Evans, 88)
The sub heads one in. That’s the first win of 2021 confirmed and Evans’ first goal of the season.
86 min: The sound of speeding motorbikes can be heard outside the Bescot, which is fully visible from the M6, as anyone who has driven that way knows. The old place, opened 1990 or 1991, used to host business conferences, and may do again one day and the odd gig. The Wonder Stuff played there in 1991 too. I didn’t go.
85 min: First yellow card of the afternoon is awarded to Nadine Hanssen for an injudicious foul. It’s been played in a good spirit, as Jimmy Hill might have said.
84 min: Aston Villa granted some possession at last. Larsen who has worked very hard to very little reward chases the ball.
82 min: All those personnel changes have slowed down Arsenal and probably saved Villa from a bit more of a beating. Birmingham next for Arsenal as they seek to get back into the top three. They have games in hand too.
80 min: Another two Arsenal changes: Beattie and Maritz go off. One of those who comes on is Wubben-Moy.
79 min: “Wait,” says Joe Montemurro, confident in his team and no longer urging them forward. Marcus Bignot has been quieter apres le deluge.
77 min: Iwabuchi soon to depart having been given little time on the ball. Follis comes on, we think. There’s a bit of guessing going on here.
76 min: Two Arsenal subs: Van de Donk off, and on comes Maier. Roord goes off, halving the “oord” count, as Evans replaces her.
75 min: A Villa attack that looks promising is curtailed when Larsen is ruled offside.
Goal! Aston Villa 0-3 Arsenal (McCabe, 73)
That’s a cracker, taken down and pinged past Weiss. Arsenal chasing goals now and look like getting plenty more.
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72 min: And here’s Roord, rather than Foord, with a low shot that whistles past Weiss.
71 min: An Arsenal sub is made. Miedema, who had made a gesture to the bench, goes off. Foord comes on too to double the count of Gunners whose names end in “oord”.
69 min: Arsenal hit the bar. Again, an unspecified player. Whatever, they’ve created a host of chances as this game has gone on. Weiss was beaten.
68 min: Much better from Arsenal and Villa clearly tiring after all their defending of the first half. A shame for Weiss who could only pat the ball into Nobbs’ path.
Goal! Aston Villa 0-2 Arsenal (Nobbs, 67)
Roord attacks down the inside left position, Miedema gets a chance to shoot that is blocked and then Nobbs slots in.
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64 min: Arsenal look much more relaxed after their goal. Marcus Bignot is making even more noise than before on the Villa bench.
62 min: Lovely save from Weiss, from a long-range shot from an unspecified Arsenal player (the tv commentator doesn’t know either).
61 min: Villa had started pushing forward a little and as soon as they did, they were caught out. Their hard work undone.
60 min: Villa make an immediate change with Gregory, the teenager, replacing Hutton.
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Goal! Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal (Miedema, 59)
At last! Mead gets to the byline and her cross is knocked in by none other by the Dutch striker.
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57 min: Villa again clear some danger but their attempts to get forward are a little laboured until Iwabuchi
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slots in N’Dow whose shot drifts over the bar. That’s the closest Villa have come.
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55 min: Same pattern as the first half really, with a tad more openings for Arsenal and the suggestion Villa can make a breakaway at the other end.
54 min: Another Arsenal corner, and this time Weiss does well in claiming the ball at the first time of asking.
52 min: Arsenal go closer still. Van de Donk is presented with a chance to volley in but misses the target.
51 min: First Arsenal corner of the half to follow the multitude of the first half. McCabe takes, Miedea volleys over. Getting closer? Maybe.
49 min: Iwabuchim gets space and then releases Larsen, who has to go it alone and ends up whacking the ball over the bar. That was her only available course of action.
47 min: It not long until we hear the clarion call of the coaches. There’s a low sun out there, with the Villa goal in shadow. Miedama cuts in from the left and whacks it wide. Space had opened up and she really needed to hit the target from there.
46 min: OK, we are back, to quote LFO and there don’t seem to have been any changes at the Bescot. There was a lengthy delay before they could kick off. The hi fives and motivational exercises done and and away we go.
Half-time: Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
It’s been a session of attack versus defence and it’s the Villa defence that is winning out, with Arsenal reduced to half chances. Arsenal need to find much more and hope Villa run out of energy and concentration.
45 min: Mead has a shot blocked just as Miedema plays her into position on the edge of the penalty area. Then Roord fails to control a pass as it’s played through.
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44 min: Another glimpse of Iwabuchi
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but deep in her own half. That skill would come in handier up the other end.
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43 min: Yet another Arsenal corner, though this time from the right-hand side rather than left. Weiss has to climb to claw away the ball. She’s had a good game so far, looked very solid.
42 min: Better from Arsenal. Villa are perhaps a tad tired from their efforts in the first 40 minutes. They have been camped in their own half all game.
40 min: Another corner, and Miedema’s header is beaten away. Mounting pressure, and Miedema the ball taken off her toes just as she shaped to shoot.
38 min: Villa lose the ball in midfield, and then Weiss makes a fine save from a Nobbs shot. That’s the best football of the same so far.
36 min: Weiss again collects the ball with ease when Nobbs has a shot blocked. Not much attacking quality from Arsenal here.
34 min: All Arsenal still and yet Villa still sitting pretty. The ball comes across to Jill Roord, whose shot is saved easily by Weiss.
32 min: Arsenal free-kick, from 20-25 yards out, Mead takes it, beats the wall but her cross goes miles over the crossbar.
30 min: Miedema kept very quiet by Villa. Larsen at the other end has been more involved and briefly has a glimpse of goal. She ends up running into heavy traffic.
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28 min: Another Arsenal corner, another clearance by Villa. That’s the pattern of the game so far.
26 min: Foul on Iwabuchi
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, who gets her second touch of the game but can’t stay on her feet.
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25 min: Lydia Williams in Arsenal’s goal could have brought her sudoku book for all the work she has had to get through. Not that Weiss in the Villa goal has had much to do either.
23 min: This is no classic, it has to be said. It is full of indications why Arsenal are yet to win a game in 2021. No spark, not much else, either.
21 min: More Arsenal pressure, and another corner. Taken short again, and cleared again. Trying to be too clever by half? There’s a lot of that about.
19 min: A brief glimpse of Iwabuchi
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in midfield for Aston Villa. The game has passed her by until now.
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17 min: Aston Villa, while offering very little in attack, don’t actually look in much danger. Haigh, in their defence, does well to turn and spin off Mauritz in the penalty area.
15 min: Arsenal attempt a quick corner, nice idea but Roord lofts the ball over the bar.
14 min: Van de Donk is stopped in her tracks as Arsenal attempt an overload down the right-hand side.
12 min: Nobbs lobs the ball up and Villa eventually clear up the danger when McCabe’s shot is blocked. All Arsenal but none too convincingly.
11 min: Mead gets a chance to shoot, but fires wide of the target.
10 min: Mead spreads the ball, Maritz crosses and Villa’s numbers again snuff out the danger. Villa mount an attack, and when they lose the ball Marcus Bignot implores his players to “keep ‘em in”.
8 min: Arsenal seem to be lacking fluency once more. They have plenty of the ball but are doing little with it. Villa don’t look too discomfited by their attacks as yet.
6 min: Arsenal corner, taken short. Eventually, Aston Villa get the ball clear after a couple of attempts to cross the ball at Miedema.
5 min: Joe Montemurro is highly vocal, as is Marcus Bignot, the Villa coach. “Press it!”
3 min: Arsenal look the more comfortable in possession as might be expected. Villa sat back deep in numbers.
2 min: Lisa Weiss for Villa gets an early touch on the ball. Larsen, at the other end, has a shot blocked. That was a speedy counter.
1 min: And away we go, with Jordan Nobbs leading Arsenal in the spring sun.
Those teams again.
Aston Villa: Weiss, Ale, N’Dow, Asante, Haigh, Hutton, Ewers (C), Hanssen, Arthur, Iwabuchim, Larsen. Subs: Rogers, Follis, West, Siems, Syme, Gregory, Hayles.
Arsenal: Williams, Maritz, Williamson, Beattie, McCabe, Walti, Roord, Van de Donk, Nobbs, Miedema, Mead. Subs: Stenson, Zinsberger, Maier, Evans, Patten Wubben-Moy, Gut, Foord.
The players are on the pitch at the Bescot, and the game will go ahead at the fourth time of asking.
Some quotes, courtesy of the excellent Tim Stillman of Arseblog, from the Arsenal coach Joe Montemurro.
(This international round) was really important for the players, just so they don’t have to look at my ugly face day in and day out if nothing else! I’ve always been a big supporter of players going away with their countries, it’s an honour and whatever they can get from that perspective is really important for them. We support that. It’s been an interesting one because some teams have just gone into camp to get their players together. All the testing that is required to get players back into our group has been a bit challenging. It has been a good round in terms of getting our players more game time and getting them into a different environment with their international colleagues- that’s been really important from the mental health perspective and the football perspective but it has also been challenging in terms of the protocols.
And here’s the Aston Villa team.
🟣 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🟣@chloearthurx returns to the starting XI for the first time since January! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/LXDHTtdKCC
— Aston Villa Women (@AVWFCOfficial) February 28, 2021
Here’s the Arsenal team.
📋 Today's team news...
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) February 28, 2021
🇨🇭 @NoelleMaritz starts
🏴 @JBeattie91 returns
🏴 @JordanNobbs8 as captain @BarclaysFAWSL 🏆 pic.twitter.com/F1cCCPkjOO
Preamble
Arsenal’s last WSL game didn’t go well when they were picked apart by the expertise of Chelsea, and their hopes of cracking the top three and returning to the Champions League took a serious jolt. Joe Montemurro and his players have had time to regroup and travel to the Midlands, where Villa are perhaps flirting with relegation at the bottom of the league. Their last outing, a 1-0 defeat of Tottenham courtesy of a wonder strike by Mana Iwabuchi allayed fears somewhat, and they will probably present a difficult proposition for an Arsenal team struggling for the flow of previous seasons. For Arsenal, Jordan Nobbs and Jen Beattie are both back and Caitlin Foord will face a late fitness test. At Villa, there’s been a recent coaching reshuffle with manager Jemma Davies stepping down to work under Marcus Bignot. This game has been postponed three times this season already, but with the weather hale and hearty and Covid not quite as rife as it previously was, then it’s fourth time lucky.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea Women | 15 | 39 | 38 |
| 2 | Man City Women | 14 | 35 | 33 |
| 3 | Man Utd Women | 15 | 16 | 32 |
| 4 | Arsenal Women | 13 | 26 | 23 |
| 5 | Everton Women | 13 | 4 | 19 |
| 6 | Reading Women | 15 | -5 | 19 |
| 7 | Brighton & Hove Albion Women | 15 | -19 | 15 |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur Women | 12 | -10 | 12 |
| 9 | Birmingham City Women | 11 | -6 | 11 |
| 10 | Aston Villa Women | 12 | -19 | 10 |
| 11 | West Ham Women | 13 | -16 | 8 |
| 12 | Bristol City Women | 14 | -45 | 6 |
