Bethany England marked her 200th career Women’s Super League appearance with a goal, but it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback as we suffered a 5-2 defeat at the Emirates on Saturday.
Our captain stepped off the bench and – along with our other substitutes – made an impact, but the damage had already been done as a first-half hat-trick from Alessia Russo put the Gunners firmly in the driving seat in front of over 46,000 fans at their home stadium.
All three of the goals could have been avoided from our perspective, while a Cathinka Tandberg effort – later ruled as a Frida Maanum own goal – was our only reply before the break.
Arsenal sub Caitlin Foord made it 4-1 just beyond the hour mark and although we rallied after Martin Ho’s changes, England scoring from the right angle with goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar unable to keep it out, a cheap turnover in possession allowed Stina Blackstenius to run through and find the net deep into added time, making for an unflattering 5-2 final scoreline.
More to follow...