WHAT HAPPENED
We had an afternoon to forget as a hat-trick from former Gunner Ellen White condemned us to defeat at Birmingham City.
With Chelsea and Manchester City in Champions League action, we had the chance to crank up the pressure on our title rivals but had no answer to White’s clinical display.
The hosts started well and Sari van Veenendaal did well to hold a fierce 18-yard volley from Charlie Wellings on eight minutes.
Birmingham went ahead not long afterwards as White ran on to Marisa Ewers’ through ball and, spotting Van Veenendaal off her line, lobbed the ball just inside the post from 25 yards.
Our first real chance came on 18 minutes but Kim Little’s fierce shot was straight at City keeper Ann-Katrin Berger.
The Blues doubled their lead on 40 minutes as Emma Follis’ low cross found White unmarked in the six-yard box and she squeezed home a first-time finish at the near post.
Birmingham could have had a third on 77 minutes when Follis was felled by Emma Mitchell in the area but Aoife Mannion’s penalty was saved by Van Veenendaal.
Dominique Janssen glanced a header wide soon after in search of their first goal but it wasn’t to be for us.
White completed her hat-trick in the final five minutes with a lob over Van Veenendaal to cap a disappointing afternoon for us.
WHAT IT MEANS
WSL table - April 29, 2018
WHAT’S NEXT
We have a big week ahead of us as we prepare for the final of the SSE Women's FA Cup against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
