The Gunners side emerged victorious in a 4-0 thrashing of Liverpool thanks to goals from, Foord, Caldentey and two own goals from Jasmine Matthews.

Liverpool beat Arsenal at the Emirates only two weeks before this clash but this was a humbling result for Amber Whiteley’s side.

First Half:

Arsenal were in complete control in the opening stage of the match, looking like a threat every time they moved forward as well as dominating possession.

22 minutes into the match came the best chance of the game so far as Frida Maanum struck the post.

The Gunners would not have to wait much longer for their opener however as Caitlin Foord fired her side into the lead.

In the middle of a scramble in the box, Frida Maanum flicked the ball on towards the New Zealand international who placed the ball into the bottom left corner, making it nine goals for her in all competitions this season.

A deserved lead for the hosts based on how the game had unfolded was doubled less than a minute after the restart.

Kim Little fired a low cross in towards Foord in the box that was unintentionally bundled in by Jasmine Matthews, past her own keeper.

Less than ten minutes later, Arsenal almost struck a third time in 12 minutes when Frida Maanum hit a first-time shot from McCabe’s cross that once again struck the post.

Just before half-time, however, Arsenal did get their third via a wonderfully curled shot from Mariona Caldentey into the left side of the goal.

The only negative for the Gunners in the entirety of the first half was the booking of Katie McCabe which means she will miss Arsenal’s match against Crystal Palace.

Second half

The Arsenal dominance continued from the start of the second half, with Liverpool having very limited time on the ball.

Not long after the introduction of Beth Mead in the second half, Arsenal found a fourth goal that the England international played a large part in.

Mead’s shot from the right side of the box took a deflection off the boot of Matthews, which put the attempt out of reach for Laws and resulted in a second own-goal of the night for the 31-year-old.

There was another moment for the Arsenal fans to cheer for when Victoria Pelova made her return for the Gunners after 308 days, following an ACL injury.

Five minutes of added time was signalled, but nothing more was to come, with Arsenal taking all three points in an impressive performance.

Arsenal vs Liverpool WSL Player Ratings

Arsenal Player Ratings:

Daphne van Domselaar – 6: Did not have to make a save in the match.

Emily Fox – 7: Kept Kapocs out of the match completely and made some progressive passes.

Steph Catley – 7: Did not have much to do defensively, but her passing was very accurate.

Leah Williamson – 7.5: Arsenal’s best defender, passing was accurate, and got forward very frequently, adding more complexity to the Arsenal attacks.

Katie McCabe – 6.5: Created many threatening chances but got booked which does rule her out of Arsenal’s next match.

Kim Little – 7: Put the ball across that resulted in the first of the own goals, high work rate in the midfield.

Frida Maanum – 7.5: Was unlucky not to score after hitting the post twice. Consistently looked threatening in midfield.

Chloe Kelly – 7: Looked like a threat all evening, and made a lot of accurate passes.

Alessia Russo – 6.5: Not as threatening as the rest of the attack, had the least touches of any starting outfield player.

Mariona Caldentey – 7.5: Her goal was impressive. Offered a serious threat down the wing and was very accurate with her passes.

Caitlin Foord – 8: Well-taken goal to put her side in the lead, proved a problem for Liverpool’s defence.

Subs:

Jenna Nighswonger (HT) – 6: Had very little to do in the second half.

Beth Mead (65′) – 7: Although she wasn’t credited with it, the fourth goal would not have happened if Mead was not on the pitch.

Lia Wälti (65′) – 6: Did not impact any major moments in the game

Victoria Pelova (74′) – N/A: Not enough time to judge

Katie Reid (88′) – N/A: Not enough time to judge

Liverpool Player Ratings:

Rachael Laws – 4: Conceded four goals but did make some saves

Grace Fisk – 5: Struggled against the Arsenal attack and was not accurate on long balls when trying to start an attack

Jenna Clark – 5: Won some battles in the air but just like her fellow defenders, struggled with the intensity of Arsenal at times.

Jasmine Matthews – 2: A tough night for the defender who put the ball in her own net twice.

Taylor Hinds – 5: Passing was inaccurate, struggled to produce anything to get her side forward.

Ceri Holland – 5: Had very little time on the ball, mostly due to Arsenal’s pressing.

Fuka Nagano – 5:  Similar to Holland, had little to no time to think whilst on the ball.

Samantha Kerr – 5: A tough night for the Scot who could not influence the game.

Olivia Smith – 5: Struggled to get the ball forward. Couldn’t pose any threat to the Arsenal defence.

Sophie Haug – 5.5: Carried the most threat of any Liverpool player and won her fair share of duels.

Cornelia Kapocs 5: – Did not have many opportunities up front for Liverpool today, Arsenal’s press did not give her a second.

Subs:

Höbinger (63′) – Made very little of a difference in a midfield that was dominated by Arsenal on the night.

Bartel (74′) – N/A

Kiernan (74′) – N/A

Alejandra Bernabe (83′) – N/A

What’s Next:

Arsenal will now turn to the second leg of their Champions League tie where they will look to overcome a 2-0 deficit against Real Madrid.

Meanwhile, Liverpool will prepare for their next WSL match against the struggling Aston Villa.