Beth Mead and Alessia Russo both hit braces on Sunday as we delivered an outstanding team performance to defeat Bristol City 5-0.
We were also boosted by the long-awaited return of Laura Wienroither from an ACL injury, while lifelong Gooner and academy talent Katie Reid made her Arsenal debut off the bench.
WHAT HAPPENED
With an attacking starting XI, we got off to the perfect start at Meadow Park as we took control by scoring with our first sight of goal. From there on the goals just kept on goal.
Caitlin Foord made a dangerous driving run down the left wing and hit the post after cutting inside, but Beth Mead was in the right place at the right to fire home from close range on the rebound.
Victoria Pelova then came close with our next attacking move, curling a stunning right-footed effort off the woodwork, before Mead doubled our lead and her tally in similar fashion to her opener.
With more impressive wing play from Foord, the ball eventually dropped to Mead who converted at the second time of asking after seeing her first effort blocked.
Our No 9 has now scored six goals in 12 league fixtures this season.
Our left-hand side continued to wreak havoc on Bristol City’s defence and through a well-timed run and cross from Steph Catley, the ball deflected off Ella Powell and looped over Fran Bentley to nestle in at the back post.
Following the restart Catley produced another moment of quality, but this time in defence, making a vital last-ditch challenge to deny Bristol City a dangerous shot at goal.
Alessia Russo started as an attacking midfielder on the night and marked her impressive performance with a stunning goal, receiving the ball with her back to play and wriggling away from two defenders, before firing into the top left corner.
Full of confidence after that goal, Russo made it five and in some style too, finding the bottom right corner with a perfectly-placed snapshot from Katie McCabe’s cutback.
The celebrations weren’t finished there, though, as Wienroither was introduced off the bench to make her first Arsenal appearance since suffering an ACL injury back in May 2023, before academy graduate Reid replaced Leah Williamson to make her Arsenal debut.
WHAT IT MEANS
We remain third in the WSL table on 40 points, three and six points adrift of Chelsea and Manchester City respectively
TEAM NEWS
Arsenal XI: D’Angelo, Fox (Wienroither 81) , Williamson (Reid 87), Wubben-Moy, Catley, Little, Pelova, Russo, Mead (McCabe 63), Blackstenius, Foord (Lacasse 63)
Substitutes (not used): Zinsberger, Goldie, Lia
Bristol City XI: Bentley, Powell (Bull 69), Rodgers, Aspin, Connolly, Napier, Morgan, Syme (Furness 69), Stratigakis (Layzell 69), Thestrup, Evans (Ward 79)
Substitutes (not used): Struck, Clark, Jones, Yanez, Slocombe
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