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GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool (Beata Olsson, 30)
Olsson equalises for Liverpool and makes history in the process, becoming the first player to score four goals in her first five WSL matches!
25 min: Chance for the Gunners as Smith goes for goal from the left side of the box, but it is blocked and Russo strikes with the follow-up, but the visitors can eventually clear.
23 min: Fox sends the ball through to Maanum just outside the box, whose first touch is too heavy and falls to Silcock. The defender then plays a short pass to Kirby, who picks the ball up and thinks nothing of it at first, until Arsenal players appeal for a pass back which, really, should have been given.
Liverpool are lucky to get away with that one.
20 min: Arsenal are fully in control and hunting for a second to calm any nerves that might still be felt around the stadium.
17 min: Smith skips through three Liverpool players before making her way into space and shooting from around 30 yards out. Her effort sneaks into the bottom-left corner to put the Gunners ahead.
The 21-year-old chooses not to celebrate against her former club and instead just accepts some high-fives from her team-mates.
ShareGOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Liverpool (Olivia Smith, 16)
It just had to be her! Olivia Smith with a screamer!
Olivia Smith lets fly to give Arsenal an early lead. Photograph: Jess Hornby/WSL/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 07.21 EST
14 min: Caldentey floats a cross deep into the box and Wubben-Moy rattles the post with a header from just a few yards out! A huge opportunity missed for Arsenal.
12 min: A long ball is played over to Olsson in attack and Catley mis-judges the header. The Liverpool forward runs through and Borbe comes way out of her box in an attempt to clear, but misses it.
Olsson then goes to ground, perhaps anticipating contact from the goalkeeper, and Arsenal can eventually clear.
That is the first attack Arsenal have faced here, and it could have had disastrous consequences.
9 min: A long ball is played over to Russo, who runs through before cutting it back into the box with a low cross, which doesn’t find anyone at first. Several players follow it in but nothing comes of the attack eventually.
8 min: We’re just eight minutes into this game but Olivia Smith is already playing like she has a point to prove. The young winger is already proving to be a handful for the Liverpool defence on that left side.
6 min: Mead floats the ball into the six-yard box for Wubben-Moy to run onto, but Kirby gets there first to collect.
5 min: Smith is brought down on the edge of the box by Silcock and Arsenal have a free kick in a dangerous position.
3 min: As expected, Smith starts over on the left with Mead on the right. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them switch positions at some point though.
1 min: Arsenal come out of the blocks quickly as Smith and Maanum attack down the left before the midfielder unleashes a shot which is easily saved by Kirby. Maanum probably should have set the ball to Smith there, who had a bit more space in front of her.
ShareKick-off
We’re under way at the Emirates Stadium!
The teams are out and we’re about to get under way!
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Suzanne Wrack
A cheeky shout out to my sister-in-law Sarah at her first football match today with my nephew Cillian and their friends Sarah and Lola.
ShareSuzanne Wrack
In response to the reporting on Arsenal’s dressing room culture, manager Renee Slegers said she didn’t agree with it but didn’t deny the claims of difficulties, stressing that high performance environments can be “very challenging” and that not “single sports team in the world has things being run perfectly every single day”.
Slegers said: “We won the Champions League, historically we are the most successful club in England. There is noise on the outside, there will always be noise, but on the inside we know what we are doing.
“It is a high-performance environment, it’s a very challenging environment, we demand a lot of things from each other, and it should be like that. It should be like that, if you look internally you see a lot of really, really good things going on.
“Every group of people has to manage things but I am very positive about where we are. I can say that full-heartedly because I am on the inside and can see what is happening.”
She added: “Things aren’t always constantly perfect. I think not a single sports team in the world has things that are being run perfectly every single day. But we have a really good process and we know where we’re at at the moment and we know where we want to go.”
ShareSuzanne Wrack
Despite the noise following The Athletic’s reporting into friction in the Arsenal squad, much of which the Guardian understands to be accurate, and Arsenal’s stuttered start to the season that has left them eight points off leaders Manchester City, the Emirates stadium mood on matchdays isn’t dampened. Arsenal’s WSL home for the women continues to have a buzz. Kids pose by the cannons outside The Armoury shop. Adults, male and female, flow towards the stadium in their ones and twos and threes. Names of women’s players on the backs of shirts are just the norm. It’s a testament to the work done to really get the club fanbase to embrace the women’s team. The Block by Block project run with the supporter’s group to stamp the women’s team on the identity of the ground is also elevating the matchday experience. Now, they need the play on the pitch, and culture of the dressing room, to match the vibe off it.
16-year-old midfielder Maizie Trueman could become the youngest player to appear for Liverpool Women if she comes off the bench today – which is likely to happen considering they only have five subs.
Arsenal will move back into the top three with a win today. It’s crucial they get three points if they want to remain in contention for the title – which is already a huge ask at this point in the season.
Arsenal stars Alessia Russo, Mariona Caldentey and Leah Williamson were named in the top 10 of The Guardian’s 100 best female footballers in the world for this year.
Caldentey was ranked second, only behind Spain team-mate Aitana Bonmati. Russo was ranked third, with Williamson 10th. Chloe Kelly finished just outside the top 10 in 11th.
You can view the full list here:
Olivia Smith and Taylor Hinds start for Arsenal against their former club at the Emirates. Both players joined the Gunners this summer from Liverpool.
Hinds starts at left-back, while Smith is likely to line up on the left wing opposite Beth Mead, although the attacking duo could swap places during the game.
Olivia Smith of Arsenal inspects the pitch prior to the WSL match against Liverpool. Photograph: Jess Hornby/WSL/WSL Football/Getty ImagesShare
Liverpool have just five players on the bench today. Just one injury this afternoon could seriously hamper them…
ShareTeam news
Arsenal starting line-up: Anneke Borbe; Emily Fox, Lotte Wubben-Moy (C), Steph Catley, Taylor Hinds; Kyra Cooney-Cross, Mariona Caldentey, Frida Maanum; Beth Mead, Olivia Smith, Alessia Russo.
Substitutes: Amy Liddiard, Laia Codina, Leah Williamson, Kim Little, Katie McCabe, Caitlin Foord, Victoria Pelova, Jenna Nighswonger, Stina Blackstenius.
Liverpool starting line-up: Faye Kirby; Lucy Parry, Hannah Silcock, Jenna Clark (C), Gemma Evans; Lily Woodham, Fūka Nagano, Kirsty Maclean; Cornelia Kapocs, Mia Enderby, Beata Olsson.
Substitutes: Rachael Laws, Leanne Kiernan, Sofie Lundgaard, Alejandra Bernabé, Maizie Trueman.
Updated at 06.12 EST
Preamble
The WSL is back! After the final international break of the calendar year, the WSL returns with a bang as Arsenal play host to Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners will be hoping to close the gap on their title rivals this afternoon with a much-needed win. Meanwhile, Liverpool are seeking their first league victory of the campaign.
Renée Slegers will be boosted by the return of both Leah Williamson and captain Kim Little. However, Chloe Kelly and first-choice goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar are unavailable due to injury.
Meanwhile, Grace Fisk will be unavailable for Liverpool due to the calf injury she picked up while on international duty with England this week. Sam Kerr is also set to be absent with a slight stress fracture.
Both teams will see this one as a must-win game, so we’re in for a real treat!
Kick-off is at 12pm GMT – join me!