Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool: Blackstenius stunner secures late win at the Emirates
Olivia Smith and Stina Blackstenius both scored brilliant goals as Arsenal overcame Liverpool 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
Stina Blackstenius scored an 87th-minute winner for Arsenal, as they beat Liverpool 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
Both Blackstenius and former Liverpool player Olivia Smith scored stunning goals either side of Beata Olsson's strike, with the Renee Slegers' side moving up to fourth in the Women's Super League ahead of the rest of the weekend's action.
Arsenal started on the front foot, with Frida Maanum registering a shot on target after just 30 seconds, before Lotte Wubben-Moy and Mariona Caldentey also tested Faye Kirby with tame attempts inside the opening 10 minutes.
Wubben-Moy then struck the woodwork with her header from Caldentey's cross, but Smith made the breakthrough for the Gunners, as she dribbled past three players before firing the ball into the bottom-left corner from distance.
But that lead lasted just 14 minutes before Olsson levelled proceedings in north London. Alessia Russo was dispossessed, and the ball found its way to Mia Enderby, who slipped Olsson through on goal for a simple finish.
The hosts dominated the second half, with Liverpool not managing to register a single shot after the break.
However, Arsenal struggled to take any of their own chances. Russo and Caitlin Foord both went close, but neither player was able to hit the target from inside the box.
Blackstenius, who was denied with 10 minutes to go by an outstanding block from Gemma Evans, found the winner as she took down a long ball from Emily Fox, before finding the top-left corner from the edge of the box.
Data Debrief: Olsson breaks new ground in WSL
It was a deserved victory for Arsenal after their second-half performance. As a whole, the Gunners produced 2.08 expected goals (xG) from 19 shots to Liverpool's 0.17 from three attempts.
Much of that was thanks to Caldentey. The Spaniard created a match-high four chances, completed 31 passes in the final third and registered three interceptions.
Olsson, meanwhile, became the first player in WSL history to net in as many as four of her first five starts in the competition.
