Arsenal dogged by inconsistency as Beth Mead boosts European knockout hopes
Arsenal 1 FC Twente 0
Arsenal have struggled to live up to their European championship title this season, having already lost twice in the new Champions League group stage. The win saw them climb to sixth place in the standings, increasing their chances of finishing in the top four, which would guarantee automatic qualification for the knockout stage.
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Beth Mead’s deflected curling effort proved the difference, as Arsenal took control early on and easily rounded Twente’s low block. But for all their dominance and effort, the hosts showed familiar signs of inconsistency that have dogged them this season.
“We could have maybe taken a little more risk in the final third. We had some really good chances today and we didn’t put some of them in the back of the net, which is very frustrating,” Mead told Disney+.
“We obviously want to score more goals. We had chances to do that. We weren’t ruthless enough in front of goal today. When you have chances you have to score.”
Their slim lead almost certainly prevented the introduction of Leah Williamson, who was set to make her first appearance since the Euro final following minor knee surgery. Without a two-goal buffer, Renée Slegers, the Arsenal manager, did not end up deploying the England captain. Her side nearly doubled their lead when Alessia Russo’s close-range header rattled the crossbar late in the game, but it was a familiar story of Arsenal’s inability to convert in the final third.
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The Dutch visitors were outplayed and offered few advances for much of the match and without the defensive efforts of their tenacious backline it could have been a cricket score. They threw their bodies in front of every attempt, on a night when the hosts should have hit them for six.
Olivia Smith, Arsenal’s record £1m summer signing, was a live wire from the start and was targeted repeatedly by the Twente defence. The young Canadian was sent flying when she was flagrantly fouled by Danique van Ginkel on the edge of the area after Mead’s opener, but to the dismay of the Meadow Park crowd, referee Michalina Diakow waved play on. It was not the first misfortune Smith had suffered on a frustrating evening – she was booked after the break despite winning the ball clearly against former Arsenal striker Jill Roord.
Olivia Smith was repeatedly targeted by the FC Twente defense – Getty Images/Alex Burstow
There was slight concern when Anneke Borbe, Arsenal’s third goalkeeper who started following injuries to Manuela Zinsberger and Daphne van Domselaar, suffered a blow to the face. Amy Liddiard, the 17-year-old Arsenal goalkeeper waiting in the wings, was set to make a rare first-team appearance.
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The hosts wasted a number of chances late on, after Slegers brought in new personnel. Lotte Wubben-Moy’s header was palmed away by Twente goalkeeper Diede Lemey, while Katie McCabe asked questions of the Dutch defense with a series of low deliveries. But with only one of their 15 shots on target, this Arsenal performance raised more questions than answers.
Match Details
Arsenal (4-3-3): Borbé 6; Hinds 7 (Fox 82), Wubben-Moy 6, Catley 6, McCabe 6; Cooney-Cross 6, Pelova 7 (Petit 59), Caldentey 6 (Manuum 59); Mead 8, Russo 6 (Blackstenius 93), Smith 9 (Foord 58).
Reserve: Black-smith.
Unused subs: Liddiard, Williamson, Harwood.
Twente (4-3-3): Lemey 7; Tuin 5, Carleer 5, Knol 8, Van der Vegt 6 (Te Brake 88); Groenewegen 4, Roord 5, Van Ginkel 5; Proost 4 (Hulst 78), Ravensbergen 5, Oude Elberink 5.
Reserve: Oude Elberink, Van Ginkel.
Unused submarines: Bussman, Abali, Hulst, Vliek, Andradottir, Verdaasdonk, Ivens, Gelevert.
Arbitrator: Michalina Diakow (Poland).
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