WSL: Arsenal beat Liverpool, Chelsea ease past Brighton to go 2nd

Updated: Oct 12, 2023, 03:20 pm
Arsenal celebrate their opening goal against Liverpool scored by Stina Blackstenius.
Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

Arsenal made it back-to-back wins this month with a comfortable 2-0 WSL victory at home to Liverpool in wintery conditions on Wednesday.

Full of confidence after their WSL League Cup final win on Sunday, Arsenal took to their home pitch at Borehamwood with renewed vigour and swiftly pushed to the front foot against eighth-placed Liverpool.

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Denied an opening goal from Leah Williamson when the play was called back for an offside after the defender had tucked the ball home, the hosts broke the deadlock 28 minutes in when Stina Blackstenius brought the ball down and swept it home.

Controlling the match, the Gunners doubled their advantage six minutes later when Rachel Laws parried a Blackstenius effort back into the danger zone for Caitlin Foord to nod over the goalkeeper.

Creating until the last, the hosts finished the match with 22 shots but couldn't find another goal.

The win keeps the Gunners in fourth but back in touching distance of the top three, just three points adrift, and with a game in hand, of Manchester City in third.

Title hopefuls Chelsea were also in midweek action, facing off against a Brighton side who had just dismissed with their manager, Jens Scheuer, and reinstated Amy Merricks as the interim head coach.

Coming off of the Conti Cup final loss, the Blues went to work with a point to prove and had the Seagulls penned in over the opening exchanges. They took the lead through Guro Reiten 12 minutes in after they'd been awarded a controversial penalty.

The visiting defence gave up a second goal less than 10 minutes later when Jess Carter flicked the ball home at a corner.

A square pass across the box from Sam Kerr to Johanna Rytting Kaneryd saw Lydia Williams in the Brighton goal beaten for a third time. The visitors rallied to pull a goal back thanks to Dan Carter's close range finish but the damage had already been done in Kingston.

The win takes Chelsea back up to second, just a point off of the top spot currently occupied by Manchester United.