Arsenal secured their first win of the Barclays Women’s Super League season with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The match saw Katie McCabe clinch the Barclays WSL Player of the Match award with a stunning stoppage-time equaliser, setting the stage for Alessia Russo to complete a remarkable comeback.
Arsenal were 1-0 down from a Maz Pacheco header in the first half but turned the game around with two late goals.
A crowd of 35,829 supporters watched as McCabe fired the ball into the roof of the net and Russo netted the winner moments later, thanks to an assist from Beth Mead, who made a much-anticipated return from injury.
“It was an unbelievable team performance,” McCabe said in her post-match interview. “We played right til the very end and I think it shows the mentality in this team. The girls coming off the bench and making the impact they did, and you know what, 35,000 fans here to cheer us on at the Emirates was unbelievable, so we’re just delighted to get the win for them today.”
The match started with Arsenal generating the first chance, as McCabe attempted a long-range shot that failed to trouble Villa‘s goalkeeper, Daphne van Domselaar.
Villa opened the scoring in the 25th minute when Pacheco headed a corner kick into the bottom right corner of the net. Arsenal goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger was then called into action, catching a header from Rachel Daly.
Despite early efforts that saw shots from Frida Maanum and Lia Walti go wide, as well as a header from Russo cleared off the line, Arsenal struggled to break down Villa’s defence.
Arsenal’s first substitutions came in the 63rd minute, with Victoria Pelova and Cloe Lacasse replacing Amanda Ilestedt and Maanum.
With just under 15 minutes remaining, the home side ramped up their efforts. Two attempts by McCabe were blocked, and a header from Steph Catley went wide. But the Emirates Stadium rose to its feet in the 87th minute when Mead made her long-awaited return, replacing Noelle Maritz.
McCabe’s equaliser came after a brilliant challenge from Pelova, followed swiftly by Russo’s winner, set up by Mead, all in the 12 minutes of injury time that had been signalled.
“(My goal) could have came from anyone to be fair, I felt we were really on top of them and Caitlin had a chance and we hit the post, so we knew it was coming, we just had to be patient and I think our composure really showed in our play today and ultimately got us the win,” McCabe said.
“The reception (Beth Mead) got coming on from the fans was unbelievable and obviously we’re all so proud of her. We’ve seen the hard work she’s put in over the last 10-11 months, so yeah, we’re delighted to have her back.”
The win lifted Arsenal to seventh in the WSL standings with four points from their first three games, while Villa fell to 11th place.
Jonas Eidevall
After Arsenal’s 2-1 win against Aston Villa Women, head coach Jonas Eidevall was particularly impressed by the team’s improved decision-making.
“I think we were far better in our decision making in terms of when to cross or when to go for the final pass,” he said, comparing the game positively to the previous match against Liverpool.
He highlighted how this led to better team shape and more effective pressure on the opposition, stating, “the number of counter pressures that we did today far exceeds what we have done in the first two games of the season.”
Eidevall also applauded the substitutes’ influence, saying they “made a big difference” and noting, “for each substitution, we became a little bit more aggressive.”
On Arsenal’s goals, Eidevall described the first as a “really good goal” that displayed a “much more intent to press” from the team.
Beth Mead’s return was another positive. “It makes me happy because she deserves that reception,” he said, alluding to her challenging year. “She’s worked so hard. She’s had a really difficult year, both being injured and her mum passed away.
“We know that it’s been incredibly tough for her and it’s so nice to see her being back on the pitch, seeing her being able to perform straight away. You never know that. You have to hope, otherwise I would never have put her on, but you don’t know it until you’ve seen it and that was very nice, so a special moment.
Eidevall went on to discuss her significant assist for Alessia Russo’s goal, stating, “Beth Mead is extremely good and extremely intuitive in those moments.
“That’s what I mean when I say she’s coming onto the pitch and will she get that straight away? Sometimes you don’t, but she does obviously because she’s Beth Mead and we’re happy about that.
Finally, on team mentality, Eidevall mentioned the importance of “good decisions,” saying, “that’s what makes her [Mead] special, that she knows the shot is not on. It’s going to get blocked, so she sets up a really good pass to Alessia Russo instead and it’s a goal.”