After Beth Mead scored the 300th goal in Jonas Eidevall’s 118 matches in charge of our women’s team, we’ve taken a look back at 22 of the most important strikes from the past three years.
1. Mana Iwabuchi v Okzhetpes - August 18, 2021
The first goal scored following Jonas’ appointment was netted from the edge of the area by debutant Mana Iwabuchi at the Sapsan Arena in Moscow in the first qualifying round for the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
We went on to win that game 4-0 and then beat PSV Eindhoven 3-1 to setup second round qualifiers against Slavia Prague, which we won 7-0 over two legs to reach the group stage of the competition.
Mana would go on to play for Tottenham Hotspur on loan before retiring from football in September, 2023.
2. Beth Mead v Chelsea - September 5, 2021
Curling the ball into the top right corner from the edge of the area with her weak foot, Beth Mead gave us the lead for the second time at home to defending champions Chelsea in a 3-2 win at Emirates Stadium, helping us to a perfect start to the Women’s Super League campaign.
3. Vivianne Miedema v Tottenham Hotspur - November 13, 2021
Helping to continue our unbeaten start to the season, Vivianne Miedema rescued a point with a 92nd minute equaliser in the north London derby.
We left it late but when a delivery into the penalty area from Katie McCabe reached Miedema, she rose highest to thump a powerful header beyond the reach of Tinja-Riikka Korpela.
4. Tobin Heath v Manchester City - January 23, 2022
After suffering our first league defeat of the season away to Birmingham City, we went 1-0 down to Manchester City when Khadija Shaw opened the scoring in the 65th minute.
But our never-say-die attitude shone through again, Tobin Heath the hero this time to pounce on a loose ball and net a 92nd minute equaliser.
Heath joined Seattle Reign in June, 2022.
5. Stina Blackstenius v Manchester United - February 5, 2022
Responding to Alessia Russo’s early opener, Stina Blackstenius equalised with her first goal for the club in the 79th minute at Meadow Park to rescue a point and keep us top of the league with a 1-1 draw.
We had been reduced to ten players just four minutes earlier when Katie McCabe saw red for a foul on Ona Batlle, but Blackstenius slotted the ball past Mary Earps after a great threaded pass from Miedema.
6. Lotte Wubben-Moy v Wolfsburg - March 23, 2022
After finishing second in our Champions League group stage with nine points from six games, we advanced to the quarter-finals of the competition.
We played the first leg at home against Wolfsburg and suffered an early setback when Tabea Sellner gave the away side the lead, but Lotte Wubben-Moy stepped up in the 89th minute to equalise, profiting from a Heath free-kick.
It gave us a fighting chance going into the second leg, but two Wolfsburg goals gave us a mountain to climb in Germany.
7. Vivianne Miedema v Ajax - September 28, 2022
Entering the 2022/23 UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying in the second round, there was nothing to separate ourselves and Ajax in the first leg, which we drew 2-2 at Meadow Park.
One week later though, Vivianne Miedema scored the vital goal in the 51st minute of the second leg to secure our progression to the group stage of the competition, driving towards the area and drilling a shot into the corner from 20 yards out.
8. Beth Mead v Lyon - October 19, 2022
We kicked off the Champions League group stage in style with an emphatic 5-1 win away to then French and European champions, Lyon.
Following goals from Caitlin Foord, Frida Maanum and Mead, it was the latter who capped off the performance in style with our fifth of the night in the 69th minute.
We would go on to finish top of the group, two points clear of Lyon and four ahead of Juventus.
9. Stina Blackstenius v Manchester City - February 8, 2023
Entering the 2022/23 FA Women’s League Cup at the quarter-final stage due to our progression in the Champions League, we comfortably advanced to the semi-finals with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa.
It was in the semis where, in extra-time, Blackstenius provided a 93rd minute winner by pouncing on a Lina Hurtig cross to win 1-0 against Manchester City and reach the final of the competition.
10. Kim Little v Chelsea - March 5, 2023
Into the final of the League Cup, we went 1-0 down at Selhurst Park when Sam Kerr gave Chelsea the lead inside just two minutes.
But Blackstenius equalised later in the first half before a Kim Little penalty sent us on our way.
We forced a Niamh Charles own goal on the brink of half-time and were able to hold onto our two-goal lead for the rest of the match to lift another piece of silverware - our first trophy since 2019.
11. Frida Maanum v Bayern Munich - March 29, 2023
We were on the back foot after the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals in March, 2023, having lost 1-0 away to Bayern Munich.
But Maanum changed all that in the 20th minute of the second leg, blasting the ball into the top left corner with an exquisite strike following a perfect back heel from Leah Williamson. It was so good it finished second in our Goal of the Season awards!
Blackstenius made it 2-0 moments later and we held on to a 2-1 lead on aggregate to reach the semi-finals for the first time in a decade.
12. Katie McCabe v Manchester City - April 2, 2023
Khadija Shaw put Manchester City ahead early on in this WSL fixture, but we pulled level on 62 minutes when Maanum swept the ball into the bottom corner from point-blank range.
13 minutes later, the turnaround was complete. McCabe received a short corner before unleashing a rocket towards the top of the net, winning our Goal of the Season award in the process!
13. Jen Beattie v Wolfsburg - May 1, 2023
After drawing the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals 2-2 away to Wolfsburg, Blackstenius gave us an early lead at home in the return fixture.
Jill Roord equalised for the visitors before Alexandra Popp made it 2-1, but Jen Beattie kept us in it with a header in the 75th minute that gave us hope.
But, a sucker punch from Pauline Bremer in the 119th minute meant we couldn’t reach the final of the competition.
14. Cloe Lacasse v Manchester United - October 6, 2023
The 2023/24 season wasn’t getting off to the start we had hoped for.
Having lost 1-0 at home to Liverpool on the opening day, we then found ourselves 2-1 down away to Manchester United after the hosts had responded to Blackstenius’ opener with goals from Leah Galton and Melvine Malard.
But, cometh the third minute of added time, cometh Cloe Lacasse! With a swing of her left foot from distance, she smashed the ball into the top left corner.
15. Alessia Russo v Aston Villa - October 15, 2023
We didn’t make our first win of the season easy for ourselves! Mayumi Pacheco gave Aston Villa the lead at Emirates Stadium and it took us until the 92nd minute to equalise through McCabe.
Then, in the fourth minute of added time, our new signing Alessia Russo showed that patience is a virtue as she nestled the ball into the bottom right corner for 2-1.
16. Stina Blackstenius v Manchester City - November 5, 2023
Back at Borehamwood for the first time in the 2023/24 WSL season, there were ups and downs in the first half of this game against Manchester City.
Steph Catley put us ahead in the 14th minute, but Kim Little missed from the penalty spot moments later.
After Chloe Kelly’s 72nd-minute equaliser, Gooners could breathe a sigh of relief when Blackstenius stepped up in the 87th minute to profit from an error by Khiara Keating.
17. Alessia Russo v Chelsea - December 10, 2023
With an attendance of 59,042 at Emirates Stadium (a record that has since been broken), we put on a delicious display to give Arsenal fans plenty to cheer about.
It was 1-1 inside just 13 minutes thanks to goals from Mead and Anna Rytting Kaneryd, before Amanda Ilestedt put us in front in the 36th minute.
The stadium was full of joy when Russo made it 3-1 just two minutes later, before she netted her brace from the penalty spot in the second half.
18. Jen Beattie v Tottenham Hotspur - December 13, 2023
We had a positive start to our 2023/24 League Cup campaign with wins against Bristol City and Southampton, but the prospect of a north London derby can always throw up something spicy.
So it proved as we came from behind not once, not twice, but thrice to earn a 3-3 draw with our local rivals. With the game going to a penalty shootout, it was Beattie who dispatched the decisive spot-kick to all but ensure our progression to the quarter finals of the competition.
19. Cloe Lacasse v Manchester United - February 17, 2024
Once again proving how comfortable we are at handling the pressures of the big occasions, we put on a show for the biggest ever crowd for a women’s game at Emirates Stadium with 60,160 supporters in attendance.
Lacasse’s header was the pick of the bunch, coming between an own goal from Geyse and a Little penalty. Lucia Garcia netted a late consolation as we won 3-1.
20. Stina Blackstenius v Chelsea - March 31, 2024
After beating London City Lionesses 4-0 and Aston Villa 4-0 on the way to the League Cup final, the clash with Chelsea was a much more cagey affair at Molineux Stadium.
It took until the 116th minute for the sides to be separated when Blackstenius secured the glory with a shot into the bottom right corner.
It meant we retained the title and won the League Cup for a record-extending seventh time.
21. Caitlin Foord v Rangers - September 4, 2024
Foord was on fire at Meadow Park for our Champions League first qualifying round semi-final against Rangers, which we went on to win 6-0 thanks to four goals from Foord and one each from Russo and Little.
Completing her hat-trick, Foord’s third goal in particular was a joy to watch, meeting a ball over the top from McCabe and striking it sweetly on the volley.
22. Beth Mead v Man City - September 23, 2024
Goal 300 couldn’t have come at a better time, earning us a point on the opening day of the new Barclays Women’s Super League season.
After Frida Maanum gave us an early lead against Manchester City, the visitors turned the game around with strikes from Vivianne Miedema and Jess Park.
But substitute Beth Mead was on hand with less than ten minutes remaining to pounce on a loose ball in the penalty area after Rosa Kafaji struck the post.
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