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Arsenal 4, London City Lionesses 1.
- samwraight
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
London City Lionesses’ first-ever Barclays Women’s Super League fixture ended in a 4–1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, but there were promising moments and plenty to build on for Jocelyn Prêcheur’s side.
Saturday 6 September | Emirates Stadium
Kosovare Asllani gave London City the dream start to life in the WSL with a composed penalty, but strikes from Olivia Smith, Chloe Kelly, Stina Blackstenius, and Frida Maanum saw Arsenal claim the points on the opening weekend.
The European champions ultimately proved too strong for last season’s BWSL2 winners, yet London City showed early promise in front of a lively North London crowd.
London City started brightly, enjoying the better share of possession in the opening stages. Their positive start was rewarded when Asllani was tripped inside the area on 15 minutes, and the Swedish captain cooly dispatched her spot-kick to hand her side an early lead.
Smith, the Gunners’ record summer signing, then produced a moment of brilliance to get the home side level, unleashing a thunderous strike into the top corner in the 29th minute to level the contest.
Arsenal started to pile the pressure on before the break, with Kelly and Smith sparing chances to take the lead. In the 30th minute, Saki Kumagai produced a superb goal-line clearance to deny Victoria Pelova and keep the scores level.
But just before half-time, Kelly pounced in added time to put Arsenal ahead at the interval.
London City continued to push in the second period and almost found an equaliser through Rofiat Imuran, whose looping cross struck the post in the 56th minute. That chance proved a pivotal moment as Arsenal turned the screw late on. Blackstenius converted in the 83rd minute before Maanum added another just moments later to seal the result.
The match ended 4–1, but Prêcheur’s team can take heart and a lot of positives against one of Europe’s elite sides.
Next up, the Lionesses return home to the CopperJax Stadium, where they will welcome Manchester United for their first-ever WSL match on home soil.
Teamsheet: Lete, Fernández, Pérez (Franssi 64’), Kumagai, Asllani, Linari, Parris (Jakobsson 64’), Zelem (Roddar 45’), Goodwin, Imuran (Corrales 92’), Kennedy (Goldie 85’).