Leah Williamson made her 200th Arsenal appearance in their 1-0 Women's Super League win over Everton after a triumphant return from injury.
Vivianne Miedema produced a moment of magic with a superb finish on 24 minutes to set the Gunners on a path back to winning ways. But the most poignant moment of the match came when Williamson, who has spent two months out of action with a foot injury, made a hero's return to Meadow Park when substituted on for Jen Beattie.
The defender reached her double-century of appearances for the Gunners by entering the field, a huge positive for manager Jonas Eidevall as his team claimed an important win. Williamson, 25, made her Arsenal debut back in March 2014 when she came on as an 81st-minute substitue for club legend Rachel Yankey in a UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final defeat by Birmingham City.
"It means everything to me," said Williamson. "I'm very proud to get to 200, but I'm very grateful as well.
"Thinking about it, I'm 25 years old and I've been out (injured) for the accumulation of what feels like three years as well. It feels like I've been here forever, but for sure 200 appearances is a really nice milestone to get to.
"The girls have been great while I've been out, so I just want to keep building on what they have been doing. After the loss to (Manchester) United, we wanted to come back and start again really.
"I felt way off the pace when I first came back to training, to be honest, but that was great because it means the team is firing. Hopefully, I'm catching up now."
Since making her Arsenal debut, Williamson has won the FA Women's Cup twice, the Women's League Cup twice and the 2018-19 WSL title in a trophy-laden spell in north London. This led to national success for the Milton Keynes native, who was called up to the senior Lionesses squad for the first time in November 2017.
Less than five years later, she lifted the European Championship under the Wembley arch, after a historic 2-1 win over Germany in the final as England secured a first major trophy. Now, she has notched up her second century of games for the Gunners, with her return to action a timely boost for their title ambitions.
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Before the Everton win, the Lionesses skipper last played for her club side in a 1-0 Champions League win over Ajax that ensured Arsenal qualified for the group stage. However, the defender has missed the subsequent two international breaks with England.
Despite having been missing for a such significant chunk of the season so far, Williamson showed no signs of ring rust in her 20-minute cameo. Everton threw everything forward in the dying minutes in search of a point, but Williamson was composed under pressure and made some important clearances to relieve the pressure.
Arsenal could have won by a greater margin but Everton goalkeeper Emily Ramsey made a string of excellent saves in the second half, the most notable falling to Caitlin Foord, Frida Maanum and Lotte Wubben-Moy. The win allows Arsenal to keep pace with Chelsea and Manchester United at the top of the WSL after both recorded big victories on Saturday, over Leicester and Aston Villa respectively.
Williamson revealed that although she was disappointed to have missed out on big games in recent weeks, she believes she needed a rest after leading her country to Euros glory in the summer.
"I think it may have needed the rest," she added. "I wasn't in the best place and thought, 'I need to get something out of this time'. I've tried to use the injury to the best of my advantage if that makes sense. I've now got myself back on track which is great."
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