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Full time: Aston Villa 1-3 Arsenal
It was, ultimately, impossible for Arsenal to not win this game after creating so many chances in the second half. The third goal really should not have counted but Villa were never going to earn an equaliser against the dominant Gunners.
90+4 mins: Villa Park is very flat now. Arsenal are just killing time.
90+2 mins: Leon is replaced by Taylor for Villa.
Cooney-Cross goes into the book for pulling back Mayling.
90 mins: Six minutes added.
Blackstenius latches onto a pass, helped by being a yard offside and then trips inside the box, resulting in her cuddling the ball. She still has time to get up and finish, though. Daly is booked for protesting because it is a ludicrous goal to be awarded. Blackstenius looked a little sheepish. The officials have questions answer.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-3 Arsenal (Blackstenius 86)
The striker is A. Offside and B. Commits handball but still finishes and the officials do nothing. Appalling officiating.
Updated
85 mins: Arsenal deserve the goal and Villa deserve to concede because they have played next to no part in this second half. They have shown absolutely no ambition despite having the lead at the break.
Arsenal finally get their reward for their utter domination. Russo pings a cross to Wubben-Moy who heads back across goal into a vacant net because Leat is well out of position.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal (Wubben-Moy 84)
The centre-back heads home.
Updated
83 mins: Fox gets to the byline once more and sends in another fantastic cross which is perfect for Russo but she is denied by the bar.
82 mins: Villa bring on Mullett for Salmon in an all-fish substitution. Pelova is replaced by Cooney-Cross.
80 mins: More shots in quick succession for Arsenal, the best coming from Catley that pings into Daly. It is very much all one-way traffic, which I believe is the reason the game was delayed in the first place.
78 mins: Russo swings in a perfect cross from the left for Blackstenius to attack. The striker flicks towards foal but Leat is there again. Sadly, she then sends the clearance straight back to Arsenal. Villa need to change something here because this is not a plan that looks like working at the moment.
76 mins: Aston Villa are really just clinging on at this stage. It’s been a proper struggle for them since the break. They have created absolutely nothing.
74 mins: Leat with another terrible pass out to Mead who picks out Foord in the box but somehow the goalkeeper keeps the volley out. Maybe she should just learn to launch it.
The corner reaches Pelova but Leat produces a stunning save to tip the ball over the bar.
It is starting to feel like a case of when, rather than if, Arsenal get their winner. Villa look tired and are making some very silly errors. Naturally, they will now make me look stupid by scoring next …
72 mins: Blackstenius is on for Maanum. Her pace will be dangerous against a tiring Villa defence.
Kári Tulinius emails: “I’ll admit that during the first half, my hopes that Arsenal would trouble Chelsea next Sunday ebbed away. Perhaps the team also had their minds on the League Cup final, but they’ve clearly remembered they need to focus on this match.”
70 mins: This time it is an awful Leat pass to Mead, who drives towards the box and pings a shot but the goalkeeper redeems herself with the save.
Russo goes down in the box but it looks like a mildly ludicrous dive because the fall is extremely exaggerated. Maybe Daly makes a little contact but it is not a penalty.
Little has the latest shot but it is straight at Leat.
68 mins: Mead lifts the ball to the back post where Wubben-Moy is in plenty of space. The centre-back heads towards goal but Leat produces a fine save. A more critical individual would say that Wubben-Moy should have done better.
More appalling passing around at the back from Villa as Turner’s pass is charged down. The ball reaches Russo who passes to Maanum but she sends it over.
66 mins: Foord, who has just on, gets into space down the left and pulls the ball back into the box, eventually reaching the onrushing Fox but her shot is deflected wide.
Corsie on for Pacheco for Villa. McCabe and Lacasse off, Catley and Foord on for Arsenal.
64 mins: Another smart move from Arsenal sees Mead slip the ball to Maanum who whacks her shot against the post and Russo sends the rebound over.
62 mins: Fox does well to get to the byline and puts in a decent cross but Villa deal with it well.
60 mins: Arsenal are moving the ball a lot quicker in this half, making it a lot more difficult for the Villa defence to cope.
58 mins: If there were stats for backward passes available, then I suspect Villa would be breaking records in this match.
56 mins: McCabe clips a cross towards the penalty spot where Russo is waiting but he header lacks power.
I really do not understand why Villa are not trying to be more direct because that is when they cause Arsenal problems.
Aston Villa’s passing around at the back was always a little concern. It is their downfall as Nobbs is caught in possession, resulting in Russo breaking through on goal, only to see Leat produce a fine save but Pelova is there for the follow to equalise.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-1 Arsenal (Pelova 54)
Nobbs gives the ball away inside her defensive third and Pelova makes her pay.
Updated
53 mins: Mead is tripped on the edge of the box and goes down. The referee does not give it for some reason or other and eventually Villa are awarded a free-kick instead.
Dali looks so comfortable on the ball but she is far too eager to look backwards rather than forwards. She needs a bit more positivity.
51 mins: Another concerning moment for Wubben-Moy as she misjudges Nobbs’ ball over the top, allowing Salmon to reach it first. A pass goes into Daly but she cannot control it and Arsenal manage to clear.
Villa should try to turn Arsenal’s centre-backs more often because Salmon’s pace is dangerous.
49 mins: Arsenal have started brightly and look sharp. Mead gets to the byline and pulls the ball back into a great area inside the box but no colleagues are there.
47 mins: Russo plays a smart pass into Lacasse but her cross to the back post is too strong, making Maanum’s touch too heavy, allowing Villa to clear.
Second half
Here we go again!
Arsenal have 12 shots without really testing Leat. They need to be better in the final third.
Charles Antaki emails: “Fair to say , isn’t it, that Beth Mead hasn’t really come back to anything like the kind of inventiveness and sharpness that we saw before her in injury. Miedema still missing, of course. The whole team looks limp at out of sorts. Oh and they’ve just conceded… Missing out on the Champions League would be a disaster, so things are going to have to improve… Somehow….”
There is not much cutting edge in the final third this evening, that’s for sure.
Half time: Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal
The Gunners looked in control but, equally, rarely troubled the Aston Villa goal and were made to pay when Wubben-Moy fell asleep, allowing the hosts to open the scoring through Salmon.
45+1 mins: McCabe sends in a cross from deep but Pelova cannot put any sort of direction her header and it floats wide.
45 mins: Three minutes added on.
44 mins: I think Villa are playing for half time. They are knocking it about and Arsenal aren’t bothering to put them under pressure. It feels a bit like a testimonial.
42 mins: Salmon runs at Williamson and tries to go past the centre-back but the England skipper puts in a fine tackle.
Ward is very busy in the stands with her walkie-talkie. I thought it was all mobile phones and earpieces nowadays. Ward instead giving off the impression that she is an undercover detective in the 90s.
40 mins: Maanum gets a chance just inside the area, she takes aim for the top corner but Patten heads over the bar. Another corner comes in and is cleared.
Villa are excellent defensively but not many teams can sustain this level of pressure without conceding.
38 mins: Villa have had one shot in the match compared to Arsenal’s six. There was a post-mortem on the edge of the Gunners box after the goal went in. They have been dominant without excelling and need to improve.
Wubben-Moy completely forgets to track Leon’s run into the box as she latches onto a smart pass from Nobbs. The Canadian pulls the ball back to Salmon who steers into the corner at the first time of asking.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal (Salmon 36)
It is against the run of play but Salmon produces a calm finish.
Updated
32 mins: Arsenal win a corner on the left. Mead comes over to take and swing the ball to the back post and a Villa head flicks it clear.
Villa are very organised at the back and are making Arsenal work hard for the chances.
30 mins: Russo does finally get a chance but her header from Mead’s cross lacks power and is easily caught by Leat.
28 mins: Fox gets down the right and pings the ball back into the box. It eventually falls to Maanum but her fierce strike is blocked.
Russo has barely had a kick so far. There are a lot of Villa defenders, making it very hard for Arsenal to find their central striker.
26 mins: Aston Villa make it into the Arsenal box for the first time in the match. Salmon puts in a cross and the ball hits Wubben-Moy on the hand after bouncing up off her boot. Villa want a penalty but they are rightly told that ain’t happening.
24 mins: It should be said that Villa boss Ward is not in the dugout today, instead watching from the stands because she is feeling under the weather.
Russo tries to latch onto a pass from Maanum but Leat is out quickly to claim.
22 mins: There’s a delay with Mayling receiving treatment on the pitch. The other players use the time to get some instructions from the sidelines.
20 mins: Mead is found on the overlap and cuts inside to give herself space to shoot from around six yards but it whacks Turner in the midriff.
18 mins: Villa are doing quite well at slowing things down whenever Arsenal get on top.
16 mins: Little gets the ball around 25 yards from goal and she decides to test Leat, who is Villa’s second choice, but the goalkeeper gets down easily to stop.
Arsenal produce a really slick move from back to front but Fox’s cross is headed clear. The Gunners look the better team.
14 mins: Williamson passes the ball straight to Nobbs for reasons unknown and Villa break but it breaks down before they reach the Arsenal box. There have been some low quality passing out of defence today.
12 mins: Leat operates as a centre-back while Villa have possession at the back. They knock it around for a while until it becomes clear they cannot find a pass out of the back and Leat just pings it clear.
10 mins: Mead whips in a corner from the left. The ball is cleared as far as Little but her shot is weak, although it does earn another corner thanks to a deflection. The second corner results in a bit of pinball until Pacheco whacks the ball clear.
8 mins: Villa are enjoying a spell of possession but it mainly involves passing between their own defence and they make no progress.
6 mins: “Do we know why were they late?” asks Cara Riggall. “Do you think someone forgot the socks again?”
Traffic-related, I believe.
In case you were wondering, Arsenal have all the right kit on this week. Although it does look like an Aston Villa away kit from the early 90s.
4 mins: Arsenal are looking to control this match with some patient buildup play. Villa are happy to give the ball at the moment.
2 mins: Leat sends a dreadful kick straight to Mead just outside the box but the winger’s pass is wayward to let Villa off in the early stages.
There is another chance for Arsenal soon after as Maanum collects a pass inside the box but she drags her shot wide.
Villa have barely touched the ball.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
There is a light show, which every seems to be enjoying. Here comes the teams …
Ebony Salmon starts up top for Aston Villa, leading to Rachel Daly dropping back into midfield. Will Villa be a touch more direct today?
Chelsea defeated West Ham.
Laura Wienroither is back for Arsenal after a recovering from an ACL injury.
328 days later…
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) March 24, 2024
Laura Wienroither is back in our matchday squad 🩷 pic.twitter.com/K38cdPhA5R
Catch up with today’s events.
Starting lineups
Aston Villa: Leat, Mayling, Patten, Nobbs, Daly, Dali, Turner, Salmon, Leon, Maritz, Pacheco
Subs: Poor, Corsie, Lehmann, Gregory, Mullett, MaGill, Taylor, MacPhail, Sallaway
Arsenal: Zinsberger, Fox, Wubben-Moy, Williamson, McCabe, Mead, Little, Pelova, Lacasse, Maanum, Russo
Subs: D’Angelo, Williams, Catley, Wienroither, Codina, Reid, Cooney-Cross, Foord, Blackstenius
Preamble
Arsenal’s arrival was delayed by travel issues. We will now be kicking off at 7.30pm GMT, 45 minutes later than the original plan.
Arsenal are desperately clinging to the hope they can still win the title but, in all honesty, the chance went with defeat to Chelsea. But here they are for another week of WSL larks as they look to maintain distance between themselves and fourth. Arsenal will be aiming to get back on track in the West Midlands, not least by bringing the correct socks for the fixture.
Villa are highly unlikely to match last season’s fifth place but are desperate to finish in the top half. They currently sit seventh and will be little nervous after their recent 4-0 defeat to today’s opponents in the Conti Cup. The very exciting news is that Carla Ward’s side are hosting the match at Villa Park and will be hoping for a big as part of Women’s Football Weekend.
Here’s to a cracker.
(Delayed) kick off: 7.30pm GMT
