We booked our place in the Conti Cup semi-finals with a decisive victory over London City Lionesses.
A brace from Cloe Lacasse, along with goals from Kim Little and Alessia Russo, was enough to bring us one step closer to defending our Conti Cup title.
What happened
Jonas Eidevall named several changes to the side that lined up against Man City at the weekend, with only Lotte Wubben-Moy, Katie McCabe, Caitlin Foord and Victoria Pelova returning. Wednesday evening also marked the first start for captain Kim Little since December.
Championship side London City Lionesses lined up with a point to prove and stifled some early attacking chances. Caitlin Foord came incredibly close to opening the scoring as Katie McCabe floated a perfect cross to the back post, but our Aussie winger was denied by Grace Moloney.
We continued to bear down on the London City penalty area, with Lia Walti, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Laia Codina sure to sweep up any danger at the other end.
It was Cloe Lacasse who found the inevitable breakthrough in the 39th minute. A McCabe corner was delivered to Stina Blackstenius, who rose well to head the ball goalwards, before Lacasse completed the move with a close-range header.
Once the opener came, we didn’t have to wait long to double our advantage. Blackstenius, in the thick of it once again, was brought down whilst through on goal and the referee did not hesitate in pointing to the spot.
Kim Little stepped up to take the penalty and in characteristic fashion, our skipper buried the spot-kick to give us a two-goal cushion at the break.
We carried this intensity through to the second half, and Lacasse doubled her personal tally before the hour mark with a resounding strike from just inside the area.
Stina Blackstenius made way for Alessia Russo after 70 minutes and our number 23 made an immediate impact from the bench. Frida Maanum, on her 100th appearance for the club, sent a superb cross into the area for Russo to head home.
With our Gunners firmly in the driving seat, it was time for a senior debut from winger Vivienne Lia. The 17-year-old academy prospect was subbed on in the 82nd minute and shone down the left flank with some fine footwork and excellent vision.
Despite a few late chances to further extend our lead, the scoreline remained 4-0 to make our spot in the Conti Cup final four official.
What it means
We'll now host Aston Villa at Meadow Park in the Conti Cup semi-final on Wednesday, March 6.
All the action starts at 7.15pm and will be shown on BBC iPlayer.
Team news
Arsenal starting XI: Zinsberger (GK), McCabe (Lia, 82), Codina, Wubben-Moy, Catley, Walti, Pelova (Maanum, 53), Little (C) (Cooney-Cross, 53), Lacasse, Foord (Mead, 53), Blackstenius (Russo, 71)
Subs: D'Angelo (GK), Bouhaddi (GK), Williamson, Earl
London City starting XI: Moloney (GK), Fitzgerald, Culver, Mukandi, Brougham, Boye-Hlorkah, Groves, Joel, Scofield, Douglas, Carter
Subs: Cull, Satchell, Wilde, Dolby, Bailey, Cowan, Jarrett, Uttridge, Farrelly
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