Leah Williamson, 26, had been sidelined since April after suffering an ACL injury; the England captain missed England's run to the World Cup final in Australia and New Zealand; Williamson provided assist for Beth Mead goal
Thursday 25 January 2024 00:09, UK
Leah Williamson made her first appearance in nine months as the fit-again England captain came off the bench in Arsenal's 6-0 League Cup win at Reading on Wednesday evening.
The 26-year-old returned to action having been sidelined since April by an anterior cruciate ligament injury, a lay-off that included missing England's run to the final at the summer's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Williamson's big moment came just past the hour mark at the Select Car Leasing Stadium as she replaced Jen Beattie.
And she went on to provide an assist for England team-mate Beth Mead - who in October made her own comeback after an ACL injury - when the winger made it 5-0 in the 80th minute with a superb strike.
The rout was completed by Stina Blackstenius wrapping up a hat-trick soon after in a contest that also saw Caitlin Foord and Laia Codina get on the scoresheet for Jonas Eidevall's side.
Speaking to Sky Sports News about her return, Williamson said: "It's been a long journey but it has gone really quickly.
"The girls that I've had around me Laura (Wienroither), Viv (Vivianne Miedema), Beth (Mead), Teyah (Goldie) and Caitlin (Foord), it's special.
"Special people get you through tough times.
"I love playing football and there's some bits of it that people do love but I don't and I've basically had to do all of the bits that I don't like for nine months without any reward in terms of playing on the pitch."
Asked about the moment she put the captain's armband on, Williamson replied: "It was lovely. You think a lot about how that moment's going to be and that was perfect.
She added: "I love playing football for Arsenal. Everyone knows how much I love the club - I'll get emotional about it if I talk about it too much. I'm just happy to be back and try and help my team."
Questioned about whether England boss Sarina Wiegman would have had a smile on her face at Williamson's return, she said: "I hope so. I've missed playing for England so hopefully I can get myself back in contention and see what happens."
