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Arsenal signed Alessia Russo in the hope that she would make a difference in their bid to win their first league title in five years.
The striker may not have scored as many goals as she would have liked in her first season in north London (seven in 15 games), but her 49th-minute strike to seal the win over Tottenham could prove incredibly valuable.
Every game seems like a must-win for the Gunners, who are three points behind leaders Manchester City. Arsenal were beginning to grow frustrated in front of another full crowd at the Emirates but, in a game of few opportunities, Russo was in the right place at the right time to make the difference.
Arsenal had faced an injury crisis heading into this match, but manager Jonas Eidevall was given a boost as Victoria Pelova, Caitlin Foord and Katie McCabe, who had been doubtful, were fit enough to start, while that Leah Williamson returned for a spot. on the bench after missing the victory against Manchester United. However, Vivianne Miedema was not there and will undergo minor knee surgery next week.
Miedema’s creativity was evidently missed in the first half. Arsenal’s main problem this season has been their inability to break down low blocks, despite dominating possession. That was largely the story of the first 45 minutes. The Gunners saw a lot more of the ball, but it was Tottenham who came closest to breaking the deadlock, with Manuela Zinsberger making a good save to deflect Jessica Naz’s shot onto the crossbar.
Alessia Russo opened the scoring for Arsenal in the first minutes of the second half.
Tottenham frustrated Arsenal during the first half against an exhausted Emirates
Arsenal had struggled to get their creative midfielder Kim Little into the game before the break, but it took just four minutes of the second half for the Gunners captain to find the pass that opened up the Spurs defence. His diagonal pass reached Beth Mead, who took a touch before cutting in for Russo to finish.
The Spurs rarely seemed to get back into the game and created little to bother Zinsberger in the second half. The truth is that there were more wild tackles than opportunities for both sides in the last 20 minutes.
One of the biggest cheers of the day came when Williamson replaced Laia Codina in the 74th minute. The England captain returned from an ACL injury in January but missed Arsenal’s final match and the Lionesses’ friendlies against Austria and Italy due to a hamstring problem. This was her first match at the Emirates and helped her team see out to the final stages.
Chelsea are the next league opponent for Arsenal, who play Aston Villa in the League Cup on Wednesday before a weekend off due to being eliminated from the FA Cup. That trip to Stamford Bridge will undoubtedly be key in the title race. Arsenal will have to be better than this to beat Emma Hayes’ team on their own turf, but they are still in the fight and still fighting.
