Arsenal Women vs Reading Women. Women's Super League.
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Report and highlights as Arsenal registered an emphatic victory over Reading; the three points keeps the pressure on the Women's Super League's top three; Kim Little, Frida Maanum and Leah Williamson were all on the scoresheet for the home side
Monday 13 March 2023 09:04, UK
Arsenal produced a clinical attacking display to breeze past Reading in Sunday's late Women's Super League match, with strikes from Kim Little, Frida Maanum and Leah Williamson - as well as an unfortunate own goal from Emma Mukandi.
Little kicked off the scoring from the spot (4), stroking the ball emphatically beyond Grace Moloney after Katie McCabe won a contentious penalty, before Maanum's tap-in gave the Gunners a two-goal buffer just before the break (44).
"Never a penalty for me, there is minimal contact," Sky Sports pundit Kelly Smith reflected after the full-time whistle.
Mukandi then turned the ball through her own net shortly after the interval (47), while Williamson was on target in Arsenal colours for the first time in over a year, pouncing at the back stick to put the gloss on a dominant display (69).
Jonas Eidevall's side were under pressure to address a brief slump in WSL results which has sparked a slip to fourth place in the standings, but the result was never in doubt, with two goals in each half underpinning a slick performance.
Arsenal are three points behind Manchester City in third place, having played one game fewer, while Reading sit in ninth, three points clear of bottom side Leicester.
Perhaps the Gunners' ruthless streak - having beaten Chelsea in the Conti Cup final seven days ago - has come too late in the campaign to challenge for WSL honours, but maximum points nevertheless keep the north London side in the mix.
"Sometimes it's a bit of a feeling, you just need things to click. Everybody believes," midfielder Williamson told Sky Sports, after scoring her first goal since March 2022 - incidentally against Reading.
From the moment Easther Mayi Kith was adjudged to haul down McCabe in the area, the visitors were in trouble. Moloney got a glove to Little's resulting spot-kick but the outcome was inevitable - the power on the strike proved too much.
Maanum added a deserved second from Caitlin Foord's cutback, before Mukandi's error was punished, which paved the way for Williamson to take advantage of Reading's fragile backline by stealing in at the back post with 20 minutes remaining.
"We gave Arsenal too much respect," Royals boss Kelly Chambers concluded. "We didn't defend aggressively."
"Today was some of the best attacking football I've seen us play," manager Eidevall said. "We never give up," he added, when quizzed about the WSL title race, which remains open-ended despite Chelsea's healthy lead.
Arsenal midfielder Leah Williamson:
"We want to get to a point where all we focus on is the football, but whilst there are things to fight for I'd be doing everybody who came before us a disservice by not doing that.
"Sometimes you can't explain it, you just need it to click. We've been together as a family for a while now and you can see a shift. There is a change in everybody, everybody believes.
"In terms of being comfortable, I'm a centre-half. I want to push and get better. Hopefully, I can do a job when the team needs me. I've made myself consistent - you know what you're going to get from me,
"I need to use my super strengths, which is on the ball, but also do my job as a defender."
Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall:
"It's just three points. But after the week we've had, we've improved and developed. Today was some of the best attacking football I've seen us play. Sometimes you can learn a lot from defeats. What has changed has been the work we've done on the training ground - the belief, the energy. Maybe the Conti Cup final was the catalyst for it.
"A trophy helps, of course. It showed everyone what we are capable of. Why not try to repeat it and even try to go a little bit higher every time we play?
"I enjoy going to work every day. The group is feeling the same thing. We're only looking one game ahead. We know we have a tight squad and sometimes that means we have to be versatile. Let's embrace that challenge and try our best."
Reading manager Kelly Chambers:
"It's not actually a penalty, we've watched it back and it sets the wrong tone for the game straight away. It's frustrating to concede that early when it shouldn't have been a penalty.
"In the first half, we gave Arsenal too much respect and we didn't defend aggressively like we normally do. We didn't cause them enough problems. We knew it was going to be a tough game and this can't define our season going forwards.
"We've shown over the last two weeks how organised we've been and how good we've been in defensive transitions. We didn't have that tonight and that's where the senior players are a little frustrated because we could have come here and delivered better of ourselves."
Arsenal are back in action on March 21, taking on Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie, before meeting Tottenham in league action four days later. Reading will host league leaders Chelsea on March 19.
