Arsenal Women began their WSL campaign with a 4-1 victory over newly promoted London City Lionesses at the Emirates, though the scoreline hides how tough the match was.
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The visitors struck first when Kosovare Asllani converted a 17th-minute penalty, awarded after Katie Reid brought her down inside the box. For a spell the Lionesses’ high press unsettled Arsenal, and they came close to a second when Rofiat Imuran hit the post in the second half.
Arsenal’s record signing Olivia Smith equalised on 29 minutes with a spectacular shot from distance, before Chloe Kelly turned in Alessia Russo’s cross in first-half stoppage time to give the hosts a narrow lead at the break.
Depth eventually told. Stina Blackstenius and Frida Maanum, introduced late on along with Beth Mead who assisted both, each scored to put the result beyond doubt and underline Arsenal’s firepower off the bench.
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Smith, named Player of the Match, described her debut as “unreal”. She said: “Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better way to start. With the support of my teammates, the staff, and the fans, it made it so much sweeter.”
Manager Renée Slegers acknowledged her side had been tested. “The result is 4-1, so that looks very convincing, and I think we were convincing in the end,” she said.
“But the start of the game was very hard. Of course, it’s the first game back of the season, the first competitive game. They got the penalty in that moment, and we had to come back from that. But I’m so proud that the players stayed calm, they stayed constructive, and they found the solutions.”
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Slegers, who has become the first manager to with their first nine WSL home matches, added that Smith had shown “great threat” but highlighted the collective work behind the victory.
The Lionesses, with debutants Nikita Parris and Katie Zelem, showed enough to suggest they will trouble established WSL sides and will probably escape relegation, but Arsenal’s depth and options in attack ultimately carried the day.
