Arsenal Ladies continued their unblemished start to the season with
an emphatic 9-0 victory at Fulham on Wednesday night.
Gemma Davison, Jayne Ludlow and Karen Carney each bagged a brace
while Katie Chapman, Lianne Sanderson and Rachel Yankey were also
on the scoresheet. For Arsenal's bevvy of England
internationals, it was a perfect way to celebrate after qualifying
for the World Cup four days earlier.
The game opened at a frantic pace and only five minutes had
elapsed when Davison pounced on a flick from Chapman to put Arsenal
ahead. Fulham regrouped and Emma Byrne produced a smart save to
deny the hosts an equaliser just before the half-hour mark.
Shortly after Byrne's save, Chapman doubled Arsenal's
lead. Ludlow's pass beat the Fulham offside trap and Chapman
made no mistake. Sanderson added a third 10 minutes before the
break after another through ball caught the Fulham goalkeeper out
of position.
Three minutes before half time Yankey ended any lingering hope
of a Fulham fightback when she latched onto a deep cross from
Carney and fired a fierce strike into the net from a tight
angle.
The second half was a similar story. Davison scored a fine
individual goal two minutes after the restart, weaving her way past
four defenders before finishing well.
It was left to Carney and Ludlow to grab two goals apiece, the
latter scoring the goal of the game with a sweet left-foot volley
after Yankey had delivered a fine cross from the left flank.
Arsenal now face a hectic schedule of up to five games in two
weeks. Doncaster Rovers Belles are up first in the League Cup at
Boreham Wood FC this Sunday. The two-legged UEFA Cup tie against
Breidablik follows on October 12 and 19 before a Premier League
clash with Everton on October 22.
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