Arsenal women's player ratings vs Man City: Olivia Smith steps up to boost Gunners' top-three hopes as Emily Fox and Katie McCabe shut down leaders' flying wingers
Olivia Smith's composed finish gave Arsenal a huge 1-0 win over Women's Super League leaders Manchester City on Sunday, providing the Gunners' push for Champions League qualification a huge boost. Renee Slegers' side, who were crowned champions of Europe last season, have now heaped the pressure on a stuttering Chelsea to keep up with them in the race for the top three, while still holding a game in hand over the rest of their rivals.Arsenal came into this game full of confidence after last week's FIFA Women's Champions Cup triumph, plus the significant 2-0 win over Chelsea that preceded their participation in that tournament. It was going to be needed for the visit of the champions-elect, too, with City looking to equal the WSL record of 14 wins in a row while re-extending their lead at the summit to 11 points, having seen it marginally cut when Manchester United beat Leicester City on Saturday.The Gunners, though, had other ideas, with Slegers making an excellent tactical decision by deploying Smith as the centre-forward, with Alessia Russo sitting in a deeper role. That paid off with just 17 minutes on the clock when Mariona Caldentey took advantage of the 21-year-old's pace and put her through on goal, where she rounded Ayaka Yamashita and coolly finished for what would ultimately prove to be the match-winning moment.It was no less than Arsenal deserved. The Gunners were the better team from the get-go, forcing Yamashita into some good saves and putting the WSL's runaway leaders on the back foot repeatedly. City did rally in the second half and there was a huge call for a red card to be awarded to Caldentey, when she appeared to bring down Lauren Hemp as she burst through on goal. But nothing was given and City struggled to create much of note otherwise, as Arsenal's defence held firm and stifled a star-studded attack that has set the division alight this year.GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Emirates Stadium...Daphne van Domselaar (6/10):Didn't have much shot-stopping to do at all on her first start since November. Composed on the ball and confident collecting crosses, though.Emily Fox (8/10):Extremely solid at the back all game to keep Hemp quiet.Lotte Wubben-Moy (7/10):Worked well with Catley to restrict the space in dangerous areas that both Miedema and Shaw had.Steph Catley (7/10):Solid in possession and positioned herself well to limit the opportunities City could create.Katie McCabe (8/10):Carried the ball well and found a solid balance between defence and attack to ensure she did offer something in the final third, albeit without leaving gaps for City to expose. Intervened brilliantly in the latter stages to prevent Miedema levelling the scores.Kim Little (8/10):Tidy and incisive in possession, while winning plenty of duels when she didn't have the ball.Mariona Caldentey (7/10):Played the excellent through-ball which Smith converted in the first half to ultimately win this game. That was the stand-out moment of a good performance, albeit one she was fortunate not to see end after just an hour when she brought Hemp down as she burst through on goal.Alessia Russo (6/10):Didn't steal the show in a deeper role, as she didn't have enough possession to do so, but did a lot of work off the ball that took defenders away and created space for others. Beth Mead (6/10):Created a couple of good openings but, overall, her end product in the final third was a little off.Olivia Smith (8/10):Took her big chance with wonderful composure and generally posed a real threat to the City back line throughout with her pace and intelligent movement.Caitlin Foord (7/10):Had a really lively first half in particular, consistently putting City on the back foot with her direct and positive play. A little quieter in the second period.Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingFrida Maanum (6/10):Came on just before the 70th minute but couldn't really make her mark on the game as City pushed for an equaliser. Did a lot of hard work to contribute to Arsenal seeing the result out, though.Leah Williamson (N/A):Came into the back line for the final few minutes.Smilla Holmberg (N/A):Another late sub, giving McCabe a well-earned breather.Chloe Kelly (N/A):Replaced Smith for the closing stages.Laia Codina (N/A):Added an extra defender to the cause as Arsenal saw the win out.Renee Slegers (8/10):Decision to play Smith as the centre-forward paid off brilliantly, so much so that it was central to the goal that won Arsenal the game.
Olivia Smith's composed finish gave Arsenal a huge 1-0 win over Women's Super League leaders Manchester City on Sunday, providing the Gunners' push for Champions League qualification a huge boost. Renee Slegers' side, who were crowned champions of Europe last season, have now heaped the pressure on a stuttering Chelsea to keep up with them in the race for the top three, while still holding a game in hand over the rest of their rivals.Arsenal came into this game full of confidence after last week's FIFA Women's Champions Cup triumph, plus the significant 2-0 win over Chelsea that preceded their participation in that tournament. It was going to be needed for the visit of the champions-elect, too, with City looking to equal the WSL record of 14 wins in a row while re-extending their lead at the summit to 11 points, having seen it marginally cut when Manchester United beat Leicester City on Saturday.The Gunners, though, had other ideas, with Slegers making an excellent tactical decision by deploying Smith as the centre-forward, with Alessia Russo sitting in a deeper role. That paid off with just 17 minutes on the clock when Mariona Caldentey took advantage of the 21-year-old's pace and put her through on goal, where she rounded Ayaka Yamashita and coolly finished for what would ultimately prove to be the match-winning moment.It was no less than Arsenal deserved. The Gunners were the better team from the get-go, forcing Yamashita into some good saves and putting the WSL's runaway leaders on the back foot repeatedly. City did rally in the second half and there was a huge call for a red card to be awarded to Caldentey, when she appeared to bring down Lauren Hemp as she burst through on goal. But nothing was given and City struggled to create much of note otherwise, as Arsenal's defence held firm and stifled a star-studded attack that has set the division alight this year.GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Emirates Stadium...Daphne van Domselaar (6/10):Didn't have much shot-stopping to do at all on her first start since November. Composed on the ball and confident collecting crosses, though.Emily Fox (8/10):Extremely solid at the back all game to keep Hemp quiet.Lotte Wubben-Moy (7/10):Worked well with Catley to restrict the space in dangerous areas that both Miedema and Shaw had.Steph Catley (7/10):Solid in possession and positioned herself well to limit the opportunities City could create.Katie McCabe (8/10):Carried the ball well and found a solid balance between defence and attack to ensure she did offer something in the final third, albeit without leaving gaps for City to expose. Intervened brilliantly in the latter stages to prevent Miedema levelling the scores.Kim Little (8/10):Tidy and incisive in possession, while winning plenty of duels when she didn't have the ball.Mariona Caldentey (7/10):Played the excellent through-ball which Smith converted in the first half to ultimately win this game. That was the stand-out moment of a good performance, albeit one she was fortunate not to see end after just an hour when she brought Hemp down as she burst through on goal.Alessia Russo (6/10):Didn't steal the show in a deeper role, as she didn't have enough possession to do so, but did a lot of work off the ball that took defenders away and created space for others. Beth Mead (6/10):Created a couple of good openings but, overall, her end product in the final third was a little off.Olivia Smith (8/10):Took her big chance with wonderful composure and generally posed a real threat to the City back line throughout with her pace and intelligent movement.Caitlin Foord (7/10):Had a really lively first half in particular, consistently putting City on the back foot with her direct and positive play. A little quieter in the second period.Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingFrida Maanum (6/10):Came on just before the 70th minute but couldn't really make her mark on the game as City pushed for an equaliser. Did a lot of hard work to contribute to Arsenal seeing the result out, though.Leah Williamson (N/A):Came into the back line for the final few minutes.Smilla Holmberg (N/A):Another late sub, giving McCabe a well-earned breather.Chloe Kelly (N/A):Replaced Smith for the closing stages.Laia Codina (N/A):Added an extra defender to the cause as Arsenal saw the win out.Renee Slegers (8/10):Decision to play Smith as the centre-forward paid off brilliantly, so much so that it was central to the goal that won Arsenal the game.
