Stoppage time goals from Katie McCabe and Alessia Russo saw us complete an outstanding comeback to beat Aston Villa 2-1 in the Barclays Women's Super League at Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Maz Pacheco’s first-half header gave the away side the lead but we stayed in the game and turned it on its head with two late goals. McCabe struck the equaliser when she slammed the ball into the roof of the net and Russo secured the three points moments later courtesy of an assist from the returning Beth Mead.
What happened
With 35,829 supporters in attendance, we had the first chance of the game when McCabe struck from long distance, but the shot was too soft to trouble Daphne van Domselaar.
The Villa keeper went on to spill a cross into the box from Caitlin Foord but the visitors managed to clear the danger.
In the 25th minute, Villa took the lead, Pacheco heading into the bottom right corner from a corner kick.
Manuela Zinsberger was on hand to catch the following header, which Rachel Daly provided from Lucy Parker’s delivery.
At the other end, Frida Maanum’s corner was headed wide by Lia Walti, before Russo’s header across goal was cleared by Daly on the brink of half-time.
The crowd urged Maanum to shoot with the half-time whistle approaching and she duly obliged, but the shot went wide of the post at the end of a cagey first 45.
Russo volleyed the ball against the head of Rachel Corsie early in the second half, followed by a stoppage in play.
We made our first changes of the afternoon in the 63rd minute, when Victoria Pelova and Cloe Lacasse replaced Amanda Ilestedt and Maanum respectively.
That’s when we burst into life, Kim Little finding Caitlin Foord, who turned her defender and crashed a shot off the far post.
With just under 15 minutes remaining, Walti was replaced by Stina Blackstenius.
McCabe had two consecutive efforts on goal blocked by Villa’s defence, before Steph Catley headed wide from the following corner.
Gooners were on their feet in the 87th minute as Mead made her long-awaited return, coming on for Noelle Maritz.
12 minutes were added on at the end of the second half as Foord met McCabe’s cross with an overhead kick that wasn’t powerful enough to cause concern for Villa.
Then, Emirates Stadium erupted.
A brilliant challenge from Pelova led to McCabe being put through on goal and she made no mistake, slamming the ball into the roof of the net to equalise.
It was so nearly 2-1 to the good moments later as Blackstenius burst through on goal and hit the far post.
Our second goal of the day came in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Mead laying it off for Russo to pick out the bottom right corner to complete the turnaround.
Blackstenius had a shot blocked on the line as we looked to make it three, but in the end a one-goal lead was enough as we claimed our first win of the season, Lotte Wubben-Moy making sure with a vital challenge at the death.
What it means
We rise to seventh in the WSL with four points point from our first three games, while Villa fall to 11th.
Team news
Arsenal starting XI: Zinsberger (GK), Maritz (Mead 87), Ilestedt (Pelova 63), Wubben-Moy, Catley, Walti (Blackstenius 76), Little (C), Maanum (Lacasse 63), McCabe, Foord, Russo
Subs: D'Angelo (GK), Beattie, Codina, Kuhl
Aston Villa starting XI: van Domselaar, Mayling (Lehmann 90+7), Patten, Corsie, Turner (Leon 90+7), Parker, Staniforth, Pacheco (McLoughlin 87), Blindkilde (Salmon 87), Magill (Nobbs 73), Daly
Subs: Leat
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