LONDON: A poacher’s goal from Arsenal striker Alessia Russo sealed a 1-0 win over bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in front of a sell-out crowd of 60,050 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday and kept the hosts in the hunt for the Women’s Super League title.
The win moved third-placed Arsenal level on 34 points with Chelsea, who visit Leicester City on Sunday, and three points behind Manchester City, who beat Everton 2-1 on Saturday. Arsenal had the upper hand early on in what the WSL said was the first all-female ground staff ready for a league match, but it was Spurs’ Jessica Naz who came closest with a strike against the post midway through the first half.
The Gunners changed their order and made a breakthrough early in the second half as Beth Mead made the most of the change in play to level the ball when she was put on for her England team-mate Russo to fire home form from close range. Tottenham made a triple substitution just after the hour mark and later brought on striker Beth England, but despite a nervy finish with five yellow cards in the final 11 minutes, Arsenal held on for a vital victory in their title challenge.
