Arsenal defender Teyah Goldie has signed for FA Women’s Championship side Watford on a duel registration deal until the end of the season. Back Teyah Goldie joins Watford Arsenal defender Teyah Goldie has signed for FA Women’s Championship side Watford on a duel registration deal until the end of the season. via Watford Women 24 January 2022 By Josh Bunting The 17 year old defender will play at the Hornets until the end of the 2021/22 campaign, as part of a dual registration agreement between the two clubs. The new addition will bring leadership qualities to the Hornets; she is an England Under-19 international and captain of the side. Goldie made her debut at just 16, playing a part in the Gunners 10-0 win over Gillingham in the Vitality Women’s FA Cup. She would go on to make further appearances in the competition, including in the semi-final versus Brighton & Hove Albion. Goldie was also a part of the Gunners’ squad for the final defeat against Chelsea back at Wembley in December. In total, she has made six appearances for the north London side and has been a regular in match-day squads this season. The defender will wear number 23 and was eligible to make her debut against Blackburn Rovers at the weekend. Goldie has turned into Watford’s second signing of the transfer window. She joins Anna Patten, goalkeeper Natalia Negri and midfielder Halle Houssein in leaving the club on loan in January to further their development. News

Turner and Magill join the Villans Back Everton duo sign for Villa Turner and Magill join the Villans 5 August 2022 By Charlotte Stacey Longstanding former Everton captain, defender Danielle Tuner has signed a two-year deal with Aston Villa. She is joined by teammate, Northern Ireland international Simone Magill who has also confirmed her move after spending the last nine years with the Toffees. On Magill’s move, head coach Carla Ward said, “she’s a front-footed player with an eye for goal and someone I feel will fit in brilliantly to what we’re trying to do.” News

Arsenal have announced the loan move of defender Anna Patten to Aston Villa for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. Back Patten to Villa: A Wise Move Arsenal have announced the loan move of defender Anna Patten to Aston Villa for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. Lewis Storey 5 January 2022 By Charlotte Stacey Patten has a history with the Gunners having her way through the ranks after joining the club at twelve years old. She made her senior debut against Bayern Munich in 2017, aged 18, before going on to play in every match of the Women’s Super League Spring Series that year. After studying in the States for four years, in which Patten played successful stints with both the Florida State Seminoles and the South Carolina Gamecocks, she re-joined The Arsenal last January. Patten has enjoyed plenty of ‘firsts’ since returning to North London, including her first goal, and a break into Champions League football against Gillingham and HB Køge respectively. Further illustrating her ever-maturing potential, on the international stage Patten has been a regular feature of England’s youth camps representing her country at under-15, under-17, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels. Patten has secured two bronze medals during her time with the national side; the 2016 U-17 Euros and the U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2018. Patten’s move to Aston Villa can perhaps be viewed as surprising. The loaning of a lifelong Gooner, the foreknown absence of their trade left back, and the injury of their staple centre-half, indicates that the Gunners are looking to reinforce their backline from elsewhere. Nevertheless, this is not to say that in the long-term, this move will considerably benefit all parties. A talent as distinct as Patten must be cultivated, yet such progression can only be achieved through playing consistent minutes, something that, since returning to England, Patten has not received. With a title to reclaim and a reassertion into European football, between developing players, evolving on-field relationships and rotating a dependably robust starting eleven, Jonas Eidevall has a bit of a balancing act on his hands. In saying this, one would still not be indecorous to question Patten’s lack of game time. Enter Aston Villa. Although the Villans lay within the bottom half of the table, Patten could not have secured a better move. Now under the wing of renowned defence curator Carla Ward, and playing alongside the likes of Women’s Super League vets Anita Asanti and Remi Allen, she is about to have the education of her life. The likelihood is that Patten will play with far more regularity given Villa’s league position and Ward’s preference to lock in defensive stability before anything else. Yet Patten brings her own profits to her new club. She is able to adopt the profile of a centre-back, as well as a central midfielder if assigned, however when looking at her most prevalent skills, Patten is best used as a fullback. Upon viewing, one attribute that is highlighted is Patten’s inclination to push fairly high up the field. There is an obvious desire for pitch progression within her play and typically, it is well executed. Being a quality ‘ball player’ is not something that comes naturally to all, yet Patten shows a great deal of worth here in both carrying and releasing. Pairing this with bursts of pace and shrewd counter awareness, Patten’s time on the ball is altogether valuable. Utilising Patten as such will provide Villa with an added attacking outlet, as well as the perfect complement to offset left back, Maz Pacheco. In return, Villa will provide the opportunity for Patten to exercise and develop her defensive competence against regular competitive opponents. Developing further know-how on opportune periods to apply pressure, favourable positions to intercept and block passages of play, and heightened recognition of opponent’s body shape, areas in which Patten is perhaps not quite as well versed in just yet, will serve her well in fulfilling her undeniable promise. Come May, whether Patten returns to her childhood club or not will remain to be seen. But if this is the case, one would certainly bet on a more well-rounded, self-assured, defensively sound player returning to Meadow Park than the one who left in January. News

We caught up with author and analyst Abdullah Abdullah to speak about his latest book 'The Evolution of Chelsea Under Emma Hayes' and his new series of tactical interviews with players and coaches on his website Pressing Matters. Interview with analyst and author Abdullah Abdullah Saturday, 5 February 2022 By Charlotte Stacey We caught up with author and analyst Abdullah Abdullah to speak about his latest book 'The Evolution of Chelsea Under Emma Hayes' and his new series of tactical interviews with players and coaches on his website Pressing Matters. On Her Side Firstly, congratulations on your new book, Europe’s Next Power House: The Evolution of Chelsea Under Emma Hayes. Would you be able to tell us a little bit out the book and what readers can expect? First of all, thank you, and second of all, what can you expect from the book. Well, the general premise of the book essentially depicts the rise of Emma Hayes over the years, but also the evolution of Chelsea as a club from several years ago to now, their growth over time. Mostly on the pitch in terms of tactical ideas, but also off the pitch, what are the factors that contributed to them getting to where they are and what that means for the future of the club. We put that all together and you can get a decent overview of Chelsea from 5-7 years ago to now, and beyond, in terms of what they want to achieve, what they have achieved and what they’re doing on the pitch tactically and learn all about it. --- You mention the book is full of tactical insights, so for those of us who are perhaps not particularly tactically minded, is it written in a way that we can easily follow Chelsea’s journey on the pitch in this respect? Yes, I like to think, and pride myself on making sure that the way I write is both accessible to people who are tactically savvy and people who are just maybe getting into tactics or who just generally know about football. So both sets can understand without one feeling like it’s targeted too much the other way. I think it’s a good balance between being too technical and not very technical, so I’d like to think I’ve pleased both sets. It worked for the first one! Firstly, Abdullah congratulations on your new book, Europe’s Next Power House: The Evolution of Chelsea Under Emma Hayes. Would you be able to tell us a little bit out the book and what readers can expect? "First of all, thank you, and second of all, what can you expect from the book. Well, the general premise of the book essentially depicts the rise of Emma Hayes over the years, but also the evolution of Chelsea as a club from several years ago to now, their growth over time. "Mostly on the pitch in terms of tactical ideas, but also off the pitch, what are the factors that contributed to them getting to where they are and what that means for the future of the club. We put that all together and you can get a decent overview of Chelsea from 5-7 years ago to now, and beyond, in terms of what they want to achieve, what they have achieved and what they’re doing on the pitch tactically and learn all about it." You mention the book is full of tactical insights, so for those of us who are perhaps not particularly tactically minded, is it written in a way that we can easily follow Chelsea’s journey on the pitch in this respect? "Yes, I like to think, and pride myself on making sure that the way I write is both accessible to people who are tactically savvy and people who are just maybe getting into tactics or who just generally know about football. So both sets can understand without one feeling like it’s targeted too much the other way. I think it’s a good balance between being too technical and not very technical, so I’d like to think I’ve pleased both sets. It worked for the first one!" Speaking of your first book, that was written about Lyon. So, what was it that then drew you to Chelsea, why was Chelsea your second choice? "I think, plain and simple, on the men’s side Chelsea are the team I’ve been supporting since the year 2000, they’re my childhood club. Whilst the men’s side was very saturated, I focus a lot on women’s football and I thought I’ve got to do something on Chelsea. "For me, I’ve always said Lyon is the club I support on the women’s side, but I’m a very close second fan of Chelsea so it was an obvious choice. I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else, it had to be Chelsea because it’s so close to me. It was opportunistic as well, they were doing so well under Emma Hayes. Sam Kerr was just about to sign and the club was really going somewhere. I knew a lot about the club so it was a no-brainer. I thought, let’s do it." Obviously, we speak a lot about Emma Hayes and the focus of this book revolves around Chelsea’s growth under her leadership, have you managed to speak to her? "You’re not the first person to ask me and unfortunately no, I have not been able to speak to her. It was unfortunate, she was covering the Euro’s in the summer when I wanted to try to speak to her but I got the next best thing which were journalists and people around her at the club. I am told she has received a copy of the book and I’ve no clue what she’s going to think so we’re going to have to see what happens!" As well as the book you have another exciting project happening, Pressing Matters: a series of tactical insights with players and coaches. Can you tell us where the idea for this project came from? "I’m not going to lie to you, I was just sitting around thinking ‘what can I do to take Pressing Matters to the next level? I’m loving the analysis that I’m doing but I need to take it a step further.’ I will give Mia Eriksson some credit here! She’s doing a podcast called ‘ Their Pitch ’ (podcast in which Mia and co-host Amanda Zaza speak to players, coaches and other football personnel about their history and professional development, as well as their tactical take on the game). It’s a fantastic idea and people should go and listen to it (interviewer seconds this!). "So, I used that as inspiration and thought about how I could do something that’s equally as innovative and different. It was just one of those things, I was sitting around doing nothing and it just popped – tactical interviews with players! And I’ll make it a written thing rather than a podcast. I asked a couple of people what they thought and they said ‘yeah, not a bad idea’ and the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. From there the journey began and I started sending out a gazillion emails. "The first entry is out, an interview with former Everton manager Willie Kirk, and from this it’s clear that this series will provide analysis from coaches and players, which, aside from Mia’s podcast, has not really been done in the women’s game." Looking at that first article, it feels as if your guests have an awful lot to say about the tactical side of the game. Have you been surprised at the level of insight and the volume of information that they have given? "Yeah, really I have. Willie was great, it was really insightful. He gave me a lot of insight into the way he was working with Everton and the decisions that he made. I guess it was a little bit easier for him to explain simply because he’s left the club so he can give me more detail than others could’ve. "But I think with the players I’ve already spoken to, some of them have really surprised me in terms of their level of insight and their knowledge. When I start some of them [interviews], it starts off with a good answer. But the minute it goes to questions 2, 3, and 4, they really start getting into it and they put time and energy into their answers. You can actually see them sitting there and actively thinking ‘oh wait, no hold on’ – they think about one thing then suddenly they’ll change it and go ‘oh you know what, actually I can add this’. "Every single player in their own way has surprised me with their level of understanding and knowledge, not just their own game and what they’re supposed to be doing, but the deeper meaning of that and they ask a lot of questions which has surprised me. So I think it’s really going to surprise people and will be quite enjoyable." Going off of that, do you think players have enjoyed speaking about tactics and the more technical aspects of their game? It’s not something they generally have the opportunity to do, so what’s the response been in that respect, would you say it’s something they have been crying out for? "Maybe not crying out for, but certainly, I’ve got about six or seven interviews recorded so far and every single one of them has said ‘really happy to do it because it’s not something we usually get to do and it’s totally different. We play football, we play the game so why can’t we talk about what we do on the pitch?’ "Some of them have a lot to say about roles, positions, how they think they should be playing and how to improve. Sometimes the feeling I get is that they get a little carried away with some of the things and I just have to sit there, listen and indulge, which is great! I really get a full insight into it. So I think so far they’ve all really liked it." That’s amazing. Could I be cheeky and ask if you could give us a couple of names we might see popping up in the future? "Alright, you know what, I’ll give you a couple of names that haven’t been posted anywhere else. I have spoken to Elin Landström of Inter Milan who is a left back, hopefully that will come out sooner rather than later. I think I’m safe to say that Rachel Daly might be another one that will be coming some point in the future. There you go, I can give you those two for now." Abdullah's books are available to buy on Amazon .

Get to know every member of the current Lionesses squad. Lionesses Squad Rachel Daly Rachel Daly is an experienced and adaptable player with a unique skillset. When playing domestically, Daly occupies the centre forward role and is currently wreaking havoc across defensive lines with Aston Villa. Her forward role is that of a deep-lying striker who excels in linking play, playing in other attacking players and creating interchangeable sequences of play. But of course, Daly does also possess that no. 9 killer strike. Internationally, however, Daly is usually situated further back, primarily featuring for England as a left-back. Here, Daly utilises her strikers’ tendencies and pairs them with the defensive qualities developed as a result of her slightly unusual placement. Daly’s ‘off the ball’ traits are under appreciated at times, but her pressing and positional awareness are key in bringing a balance to England’s backline. Photograph courtesy of the FA.

My Story by Kelly Smith My Story My Story by Kelly Smith All Kelly Smith ever wanted to be was a footballer. Blessed with brilliant talent which she honed with hours of practice, it was soon clear to all who saw her that Kelly was the best women's footballer that this country had ever produced. Yet for this shy girl from Watford, it would be a long and difficult journey to the pinnacle of the world game, and one which would involve the hardest of challenges. After starting drinking to mask her loneliness thousands of miles from home at college in the United States, a series of career-threatening injuries led to severe depression and a battle with alcoholism. But with the fighting spirit that was so essential on her path to be Britain's first women's professional player, Kelly bounced back to inspire Arsenal to countless trophies and become England's record goalscorer. Available to buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Footballer-My-Story-Kelly-Smith/dp/0593069331/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1685728134&sr=1-1

Get to know every member of the current Lionesses squad. Lionesses Squad Jess Carter Chelsea’s Jess Carter is now a regular addition in the national squad after being out of the fold for a few years. However, the defender has broken out once again with consecutively outstanding seasons with Chelsea and consistently impressive performances for England. Carter is a well-rounded and functional defender who is able to slot in anywhere across the backline. One-v-one situations and man marking is where Carter truly excels, demonstrating her insightful timing. She is also deceptively quick, which makes her a challenging opponent in a footrace. Carter is intuitively defensively minded and offers the Lionesses a stable marshal, thus allowing her fellow defenders to progress and support in attack. Photograph courtesy of the FA.

Back Nikita Parris Club Lyon Position Forward D.O.B 10/03/1994 Bio Instinctively attacking Parris is a player that is able to function well across the front line. The Lyon forward is arguably best placed in a wide area where she is able to decoy defenders by cutting on the inside with a quick shift of the ball. However, Parris can adapt her skillset to play centrally when needed and boasts a fine scoring ability. Parris is a workhorse and has no problem in chasing down a ball or tracking back to retrieve. Her positive energy drags a simmering momentum out of hiding. via Nikita Parris Twitter D2

Tottenham Hotspur boss is confident in her bolstered side as they head to Manchester this weekend Back Skinner hails the return of Kit Graham ahead of Man City clash Tottenham Hotspur boss is confident in her bolstered side as they head to Manchester this weekend 3 March 2023 By Finley Chung Ahead of Spurs’ weekend trip up north to Manchester City, boss Rehanne Skinner says the whole team “feels they’re close to a result” with Spurs still chasing their first win of 2023 and their first win in eight, since the eight goal thrashing of Brighton and Hove Albion at the back end of October. Specifying the last three games; a penalty shootout loss to Reading in the FA Cup, the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the 3-2 defeat to Chelsea, Skinner said, "it’s felt within the entire team, everyone feels they’re contributing to a way that plays to their strengths and causes issues for the other teams. We’ve scored goals in those games against (Man) United and Chelsea and it’s just the fine margins we aren’t just quite getting over the line at the moment." The trouble for Spurs is that fine margins are often a key deciding factor within football, especially when you are slugging it out at the bottom of the league, and with bottom club Leicester having cut the gap to safety to just three points. All in Lillywhite will be looking over their shoulder precariously if they don’t start quickly picking up points. Team News for Spurs is also something the fans will be keeping an eye out for, with Skinner confirming that she’s “hoping to have Bethany England back for the weekend” after the star forward suffered an injury in the defeat to Manchester United. A couple of positives for Spurs will be the return of Cho So-hyun to the squad, who is one appearance shy of 50 WSL career appearances, and the return to the pitch of Kit Graham, after she had been out since November 2021 with a ACL injury. On Graham’s return, Skinner added “i’m delighted for her, it’s been such a long process and she’s worked so so hard, I am incredibly proud of her. Even since she’s been back in training she just lifts the energy of what we do and the competitiveness of it, it’s a positive for the whole team.” It embodies the team spirit that Rehanne has built at Spurs too, with the boss saying “I think it tells you everything when every single member of the squad, injured or not was at the game because they thought that she (Kit) was going to be able to get back on the grass at the weekend. I think that tells you how well she is thought of within the group." On the challenge that the Citizens pose, “every game we have is a tough game, the result we have has eluded to us and we need to try and get it back on track, it’s not going to be easy to do this weekend at all, but we’ll get results sooner rather than later, whether its this weekend or not, we’re going to travel to Manchester to make life really difficult for them and try and get points out of the game, that’s the focus for us”. Tottenham Hotspur face Manchester City on Sunday at 2pm (GMT) at the Academy Stadium. News

Carla Ward talks January transfers, progress and goals and the ambition of her opponents ahead of Aston Villa's match against Spurs Back Carla Ward notes heightened competition within her Aston Villa squad Carla Ward talks January transfers, progress and goals and the ambition of her opponents ahead of Aston Villa's match against Spurs Girls on the Ball 13 January 2023 By Paul Donegan Aston Villa take on Tottenham Hotspur in the WSL on Saturday at 12:30pm. Here is what Carla Ward had to say in her pre-match press conference. How important are the signings of Jordan Nobbs and Lucy Staniforth for the club? "It is massive, I think it is important we keep progressing in the way that we want to and think it is important to have got a couple of experienced heads in the building”. She added they “will probably have to slightly adapt to the way they do things, they're used to winning football matches for fun, used to having the ball a lot”. “You can’t underestimate a winning mentality, a hunger and desire but most importantly an experience of winning football matches” “They have been exceptional this week, a breath of fresh air, positive, lively but most of all they are winners”. Ward also spoke about the pair bringing competition for an eleven that arguably didn’t have much competition for the first half of the season as they played the same players for most games. If bringing experienced players to the club helps improve the younger players? Ward said she suggests that the youngsters go and sit next to the experienced players, “soak up, ask them went well, ask about their failures, ask them how they got to where they got to, how they won trophies”. Is there pressure on you to get results after bringing in players of this calibre? Ward noted there is pressure everyday in the job and that is what she loves, to have to think everyday might be your last day in the job. Ward said she always wants more and bringing these players in allows you to grow and “pressure is a privilege”. If there is no pressure then you're not doing things well. Is progress at the club since you joined where abouts you expected? Ward said she believes it is and believes they are on track. She said “I like to think we are in a good place”. Thoughts on opponents Tottenham Hotspur? “Spurs are a good side, they have some great players, signing Beth England is a massive statement” Also said the England signing shows their ambition and intent and will help them massively as maybe been missing that cutting edge. Ward added that a lot of eyes will be on this fixture due to transfers both sides have made in January, and hope it is a good game of football with two teams with very good players and should be an exciting one. How is everyone after the break and team news? "The break came at the right time and everyone had a decent amount of time off. They have come back in recharged and refreshed and ready to go”. She added there are sixteen available players for the weekend which will put uVilla in a good position. Emily Gielnik is back and a couple more that are touch and go and will look at today (Friday). How much more competitive is the transfer market? Ward said that they will not be drawn into some of the big fees, Villa have spent pennies but have been clever with recruitment and what they need and getting the right players in. “We have a clear strategy and vision, and will continue to do things the way we feel best for the club and women’s football”. Are you revising the ambitions of the club or keeping them the same? “We want to be better every day, we want to win as many matches as possible, but we do want to keep on improving” Ward said, but also said she “will not come out and say something like they are going to finish really high, but want to improve everyday and finish as high as possible by doing things the right way and playing a brand of football I believe in”. Thoughts on the January transfer window? Ward said that this is an interesting window and she thinks there will be a lot more movement than most due to the World Cup in the summer and players wanting to play before that. She added they have done some summer business early by bringing in two midfielders. News

Back Sophie Ingle Club Chelsea Position Midfielder D.O.B 02/09/1991 Bio Wales captain Ingle acts as an added layer of protection in the defensive third. She is able to cover well and sweep away threats before they become a problem. However, Ingle’s excellence lies firmly in her passing ability. Ingle is able to accurately spray long balls which travel between lines, passes that subsequently play a role in creation. On top of this Ingle has also successfully played as a centre-back for Chelsea this season, another useful string to add to her bow. Girls on the Ball C1

Aston Villa held Arsenal right to the end but couldn't do enough to stop the Gunners two late efforts Back Match Report Two late goals from the Arsenal sees the Emirates rock Aston Villa held Arsenal right to the end but couldn't do enough to stop the Gunners two late efforts Arsenal FC Women 15 October 2023 By Finley Chung 35,829 people were in attendance at a battery cold yet sunny Emirates Stadium as Arsenal competed a stunning turn around with two injury time goals from Katie McCabe and Alessia Russo to wipe out a Maz Pacheco header in the first half to give The Gunners their first win of the season. Arsenals Jonas Eidevall named a side with five changes to the one that got a last gasp draw with Manchester United last weekend. Manuela Zinsberger returned in goal and there were starts for Lotte Wubben-Moy, Katie McCabe, Caitlin Foord and Frida Maanum. Perhaps the biggest news however, was the return of Beth Mead to a match day squad, taking her place on the bench for the first time in over a year after her injury hell. For Villa, Carla Ward made three changes from the team that lost to Liverpool, bringing in Maz Pacheco, Laura Blindkilde and Simone Magill from the start, in place of Adriana Leon, Alisha Lehmann and Jordan Nobbs. A fresh anticipation gripped the North London air with both sides awaiting their first win of the campaign. Arsenal got the game underway and had the first goalbound effort of the match, after some neat interplay between Katie McCabe and Kim Little saw the former’s low effort roll towards Daphne van Domselaar with it being an easy collection for the Dutch keeper. Kim Little and Lia Walti in Arsenal’s engine room were patrolling the middle of the park well and not allowing their Villa counterparts. Lucy Parker and Lucy Staniforth any room. Some high pressing from The Gunners saw the ball worked its way out to Caitlin Foord on the left, who’s low effort was deflected on it’s path to goal, forcing van Domselaar into a brilliant low save, which Maz Pacheco was then on hand to clear. The Gunners continued to pepper the Villa goal early on but two Katie McCabe efforts were well blocked and seen out well by the visitors. Bellowing home shouts for a penalty followed from a short Arsenal corner when Simone Magill challenged Katie McCabe in the area, but replays showed Magill took all of the ball with a brilliant tackle on the Arsenal Number 15. A huge miscommunication in the Arsenal backline saw Kim Little smash a ball out for a corner when it seemed Manu Zinsberger had all to herself and Aston Villa took full advantage. Maz Pacheco steamed in to connect beautifully with a Lucy Staniforth corner to power a header past the helpless Zinsberger and give The Villans the lead with their first effort on goal of any kind in the game to stun The Emirates into silence as Arsenal conceded from a set piece again. Villa went in search of a quiockfire second as Lucy Parker set up Rachel Daly, but the former’s effort was blocked well by Amanda Ilestedt, redeeming herself from letting Pachecho free to open the scoring moments later. The moment was even sweeter for the Villa left back, her first goal since 2016 and her first ever in the WSL. Aston Villa's Maz Pacheco | Photo: Aston Villa FC Women Arsenal responded well with Frida Maanum nipping infrtont of the Villa defender at the near post but her effort didn’t trouble Van Domselaar in the Villa goal. Russo had been kept well quiet by the home defence but spun away from her marker with her left footed cross almost catching Van Domselaar out, but the Dutch stopper was alert to the danger. Some desperate defending from Villa was needed to preserve their lead as we ticked towards half time, with Lia Walti nodding a deep free kick back across goal with Amanda Ilesdet waiting seemingly for a tap in, Rachel Daly steamed in and took the ball off the toes of the waiting Swede who seemed destined to prod home her first Gunners goal. Some really strong running from Frida Maanum, showing the Norwegian had shaken off the earlier head injury following a clash with the Villa goalscorer Pacheco, saw her shot had all the sting taken out of by a Villa body and become an easy collect for Van Domselaar. Half Time - Arsenal 0-1 Villa The Gunners pretty much started the second half like they started the first, controlling possession but not creating anything in the realms of clear cut. Russo unleashed a fierce goal bound effort that struck Rachel Corsie in the face leading to the referee stopping the game to administer treatment to the stricken Scot who was gladly back on her feet moments later. Simone Magill continued to have an impact on proceedings at both ends of the pitch, putting g in a brilliant last ditch challenge to block an Alessia Russo goal bound effort from inside the area. As the game tickled over into it’s last half hour, movement was aplenty on the Arsenal bench with Jonas Eidevall rolling the dice by introducing the hero from the draw at United, Cloe Lacasse and Victoria Pelova in place of Frida Maanum and Amanda Ilestedt. In the 65th minute, some way, somehow Arsenal didn’t level the scores, a brilliant turn by Caitlin Foord saw her left footed effort fly across the keeper and smash back off the post to the waiting Alessia Russo who seemed for all the world like she was going to tap in her first WSL goal for the Gunners, but some desperate defending from Aston Villa allowed their lines to be cleared and somehow, the ‘nil’ mark on the Arsenal side of the scoreboard to stay. Everything the Gunners were trying, cross wise were just being plucked out the air by the imperious Daphne van Domselaar who was coming to collect, Marshall and clear almost every ball that went into the Arsenal box. The tactical reshuffle that was required when Lacasse and Pevlova came on allowed Kim Little to occupy a pocket further upfield behind Russo and become that link that seemingly Arsenal had been lacking prior into the feet of Russo and and Foord. Villa then hit their first throw of the dice, Carla Ward bringing on Gunners legend, Jordan Nobbs in place of the very impressive Simone Magill. Every bounce seemed to be going Villa’s way which was epitomised a the game entered its final quarter, some. Brilliant closing down by Alessia Russo looked for all the world like it was going to loop into the path of Little, but low and behold there was a Vil;a shirt there read to clear the danger. Jonas Eidevall then rolled the dice once more, bringing off a central midfielder in Lia Walti and introducing forward, Stina Blackstenius for the final quarter. Another turn of penalty box pinball infant of the Clock End saw Katie McCabe’s effort well blocked and out for an corner which was eventually worked back in towards the taker Steph Catley, who’d taken up a brilliant position in the area, but the Arsenal Number 7’s header bounced wide of the post. Aston Villa looked to sure up proceedings, bringing on Ebony Salmon and Olivia McLaughlin coming on in place of goalscorer Maz Pacheco and Laura Blindkilde-Brown. Eidevall then threw his fairytale switch on, introducing Beth Mead for her first WSL appearance since November last year with four minutes to go at one down, you can probably tell what everyone with an Arsenal persuasion inside the Emirates wanted to happen. As the board went up for twelve added minutes, a huge roar around The Emirates went for the Arsenal players which seemed to work an absolute treat, Katie McCabe drove forward with intent, got the ball back on the run and smashed the ball into the roof of the net infront of The Clock End to bring Arsenal level. Late drama was clearly the order of the day as Stina Blackstenius was sent racing away with her effort bouncing back off the post. Arsenal tails were up and they wanted more. Beth Mead slipped the ball to Alessia Russo on the edge of the box and the latters low effort squirmed past Van Domselaar to take the roof off of The Emirates and give Arsenal the lead when they looked dead and buried. Carla Ward sent on Adrianna Leon and Alisha Lehmann to try and steal back a point for the crestfallen Villa players, Arsenal were denied a late third however with the ball falling to Stina Blackstenius after being picked out Foord, but a brilliant goal-line block from a Villa defender to prevent the hosts from making it three. That was the final action of a game that had everything, Beth Mead registering an assist on her return to allow Alessia Russo to score an injury time winner which gifts Arsenal their first win of the season. Full Time - Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa Arsenal - Katie McCabe 90+2, Alessia Russo 90+4’ Aston Villa - Maz Pacheco 27’