Arsenal women's player ratings vs Liverpool: Stina Blackstenius saves the day! Swedish forward makes amends for horror miss to bail out sloppy Gunners
Stina Blackstenius came to the rescue as a beleaguered Arsenal limped to a nervy 2-1 win over Women's Super League basement side Liverpool on Saturday. Former Reds star Olivia Smith banged in a sublime individual goal before Beata Olsson levelled up for a well-earned first-half equaliser. The Gunners were poor for lengthy spells but substitute Blackstenius' quality finish gave the home fans a huge sigh of relief.Much of the build-up to the game centred on Canada international Smith facing her old side, and, sure enough, the livewire forward gave Arsenal the lead with a 25-yard strike after beating three defenders in the 16th minute. But an all too familiar story played out on the pitch for the Gunners as they failed to grab a second and were punished on the half-hour mark when Olsson tucked the ball home for a relatively soft equaliser. The Swedish forward, who became the first WSL player to score in four of her first five starts, was the home side's tormentor-in-chief as the north London team were second-best for sustained periods. England forward Alessia Russo spurned some good opportunities in front of goal as Arsenal regrouped in the second half, and then substitute Stina Blackstenius was denied by some heroic, last-gasp defending by Gemma Evans. But the Swede grabbed the winner three minutes from time when she emphatically whacked a terrific finish into the top corner in front of nearly 35,000 fans. The result sees Arsenal climb up to third in the WSL for the time being, whereas Liverpool are rock bottom.GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Emirates Stadium...Anneke Borbe (4/10):The pressure was on the keeper on her Arsenal debut but she didn't look convincing in between the sticks. She was flat-footed and didn't get a strong enough hand on the ball to keep out Olsson's goal. Not a good first outing.Emily Fox (5/10):Got into some dangerous positions but some of her decision-making at important moments wasn't quite good enough.Lotte Wubben-Moy (6/10):Probably should have given Arsenal an early lead but her header from two yards out somehow hit the post. However, she did make some good recovery tackles.Steph Catley (5/10):Was undone by Mia Enderby's through ball, but she was well out of position anyway. Her place could now be under threat.Taylor Hinds (6/10):Fired in some nice crosses into the box against her old team and didn't do much wrong before being taken off.Frida Maanum (5/10):The experienced campaigner didn't do a great deal on and off the ball and was hooked before the hour mark.Mariona Caldentey (6/10):The Spaniard was one of Arsenal's few lively players in the first half as her creativity and crosses into the box caused problems. But even some of her passing was downright sloppy.Kyra Cooney-Cross (5/10):Even though she isn't a defender, Cooney-Cross' slack marking allowed Liverpool to draw level - an opportunity they duly took. Not the Aussie's best day.Beth Mead (5/10):The England stalwart provided some dangerous deliveries into the box but was part of an attack that was too cumbersome.Alessia Russo (5/10):Played with her back to goal on a number of occasions but when she did get into good positions, she wasted some big chances. Olivia Smith (7/10):Was able to conjure something out of nothing as Arsenal's lukewarm attack uninspiringly huffed and puffed. Faded as the game wore on.Caitlin Foord (4/10):Initially added a bit more dynamism off the bench but made a right meal out of a golden chance after the hour mark and some of her passing was very shoddy.Katie McCabe (6/10):Didn't really have much to deal with as Arsenal turned the screw in the second half.Stina Blackstenius (7/10):The striker was caught offside on too many occasions, with the Swede not needing to make her runs so early. She should have made it 2-1 but wasn't clinical enough when one-on-one with the keeper, but spectacularly took her goal at the end.Kim Little (6/10):The captain was competent enough when she was introduced. Laia Codina (N/A):Had no time to make an impact.Renee Slegers (6/10):Her second-half substitutes helped wrestle the game's momentum back to Arsenal but she will be worried how her players don't put away teams and have lengthy lulls.
Stina Blackstenius came to the rescue as a beleaguered Arsenal limped to a nervy 2-1 win over Women's Super League basement side Liverpool on Saturday. Former Reds star Olivia Smith banged in a sublime individual goal before Beata Olsson levelled up for a well-earned first-half equaliser. The Gunners were poor for lengthy spells but substitute Blackstenius' quality finish gave the home fans a huge sigh of relief.Much of the build-up to the game centred on Canada international Smith facing her old side, and, sure enough, the livewire forward gave Arsenal the lead with a 25-yard strike after beating three defenders in the 16th minute. But an all too familiar story played out on the pitch for the Gunners as they failed to grab a second and were punished on the half-hour mark when Olsson tucked the ball home for a relatively soft equaliser. The Swedish forward, who became the first WSL player to score in four of her first five starts, was the home side's tormentor-in-chief as the north London team were second-best for sustained periods. England forward Alessia Russo spurned some good opportunities in front of goal as Arsenal regrouped in the second half, and then substitute Stina Blackstenius was denied by some heroic, last-gasp defending by Gemma Evans. But the Swede grabbed the winner three minutes from time when she emphatically whacked a terrific finish into the top corner in front of nearly 35,000 fans. The result sees Arsenal climb up to third in the WSL for the time being, whereas Liverpool are rock bottom.GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Emirates Stadium...Anneke Borbe (4/10):The pressure was on the keeper on her Arsenal debut but she didn't look convincing in between the sticks. She was flat-footed and didn't get a strong enough hand on the ball to keep out Olsson's goal. Not a good first outing.Emily Fox (5/10):Got into some dangerous positions but some of her decision-making at important moments wasn't quite good enough.Lotte Wubben-Moy (6/10):Probably should have given Arsenal an early lead but her header from two yards out somehow hit the post. However, she did make some good recovery tackles.Steph Catley (5/10):Was undone by Mia Enderby's through ball, but she was well out of position anyway. Her place could now be under threat.Taylor Hinds (6/10):Fired in some nice crosses into the box against her old team and didn't do much wrong before being taken off.Frida Maanum (5/10):The experienced campaigner didn't do a great deal on and off the ball and was hooked before the hour mark.Mariona Caldentey (6/10):The Spaniard was one of Arsenal's few lively players in the first half as her creativity and crosses into the box caused problems. But even some of her passing was downright sloppy.Kyra Cooney-Cross (5/10):Even though she isn't a defender, Cooney-Cross' slack marking allowed Liverpool to draw level - an opportunity they duly took. Not the Aussie's best day.Beth Mead (5/10):The England stalwart provided some dangerous deliveries into the box but was part of an attack that was too cumbersome.Alessia Russo (5/10):Played with her back to goal on a number of occasions but when she did get into good positions, she wasted some big chances. Olivia Smith (7/10):Was able to conjure something out of nothing as Arsenal's lukewarm attack uninspiringly huffed and puffed. Faded as the game wore on.Caitlin Foord (4/10):Initially added a bit more dynamism off the bench but made a right meal out of a golden chance after the hour mark and some of her passing was very shoddy.Katie McCabe (6/10):Didn't really have much to deal with as Arsenal turned the screw in the second half.Stina Blackstenius (7/10):The striker was caught offside on too many occasions, with the Swede not needing to make her runs so early. She should have made it 2-1 but wasn't clinical enough when one-on-one with the keeper, but spectacularly took her goal at the end.Kim Little (6/10):The captain was competent enough when she was introduced. Laia Codina (N/A):Had no time to make an impact.Renee Slegers (6/10):Her second-half substitutes helped wrestle the game's momentum back to Arsenal but she will be worried how her players don't put away teams and have lengthy lulls.
Player Ratings: Arsenal vs Liverpool
Arsenal Women faced a tough challenge against Liverpool, managing to secure a nervy 2-1 victory thanks to Stina Blackstenius' late heroics. Here's a closer look at how each player performed in the game:
Stina Blackstenius (7/10):
Despite being caught offside on several occasions, Blackstenius proved her worth with a crucial match-winning goal. Her clinical finish in the dying moments sealed the victory for Arsenal.
Olivia Smith (7/10):
Former Liverpool player Olivia Smith delivered a standout performance, showcasing her skill with a stunning 25-yard strike to put Arsenal ahead. She provided a spark in an otherwise lackluster attack.
Lotte Wubben-Moy (6/10):
Wubben-Moy had a mixed game, coming close to scoring early on but being denied by the post. Despite showing resilience in defense, she couldn't prevent Liverpool's equalizer.
Mariona Caldentey (6/10):
Caldentey's creative play and dangerous crosses troubled the Liverpool defense, but her passing lacked precision at times. She was one of the livelier players for Arsenal in the first half.
Renee Slegers (6/10):
Slegers' tactical substitutions in the second half helped Arsenal regain control of the game. However, she will be concerned about the team's inability to capitalize on chances and maintain momentum throughout the match.
