Arsenal cruise to FA Women's Cup fifth round with new…

Arsenal cruise to FA Women's Cup fifth round with new signings off the mark in 9-0 rout

Arsenal cruised into the fifth round of the FA Cup with an empathic 9–0 rout of fourth-tier Leeds United Women.

Jonas Eidevall fielded a heavily rotated side and granted full debuts for Gio Quieroz and new signings Kathrine Kuhl and Victoria Pelova, the latter duo combining for the second goal of the match and both etching their name onto a crowded score sheet for the Gunners.

Caitlin Foord opened the scoring in the 10th minute from a Katie McCabe cross, followed by Kuhl three minutes later, before a penalty from Kim Little just before halftime gave Arsenal a 3-0 lead heading into the interval.

And it was a second half to relish for Jonas Eidevall’s side as Lina Hurtig opened the scoring in the 58th minute before Stina Blackstenius netted a brace within three minutes and Michelle Agyemang and Pelova put the finishing touches on the day's demolition job.

Arsenal’s incisive victory ensured they joined fellow WSL sides Chelsea, Manchester City, West Ham and Brighton in the tournament’s fifth round. The club last won the FA Cup in 2016, after defeating Chelsea 1-0 but since then the silverware has been shared between Manchester City and Chelsea, with the latter current successive title holders.

Eidevall was keen to praise his squad after making seven changes to the team that beat Aston Villa in the Continental Cup in midweek - with the manager particularly impressed with new signings Pelova and Kuhl, youth prospect Agyemang and returning Brazilian starlet, Gio.

He explained: "I'm really excited about all of them. You can see the qualities that they bring. Their technical ability is great but you can also see that they have good game intelligence, because they learn our principles quickly.

"Some of those things are of course new to them, but I can see in training and I saw today in the match that the more they get exposed, the better they get it. I'm excited to see where that can lead to."

He went on to tell the club's official site: "It shows the quality of the squad. It also shows the importance of having a good training environment so everyone is prepared. But also, one of the values we have as a team is to be 100%. No matter what the situation: 100%. And we lived that value today and that pleases me a lot."

After two consecutive Cup games, the Gunners will turn their attention back to the Women's Super League when they head across London to play West Ham United next Sunday.

They follow that up with two crucial ties against Manchester City, who they will first face at home and over a four-day period as both clubs continue to compete in the Continental Cup and the WSL, respectively.

Win a pair of tickets to the Premier League or Women's Super League match of your choosing! Enter below. CLICK HERE

READ NEXT:

Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here