Russo keeps Arsenal in the hunt
ARSENAL signed Alessia Russo in the hope she would help drive them to a first league title in five years. The forward may not have racked up as many goals as she would have liked in her first season, seven from 15 games, but her 49th-minute strike to seal victory over Tottenham could prove invaluable. Every match feels like a must-win for the Gunners, who trail leaders Manchester City and Chelsea by three points. They were getting frustrated in front of another sell-out crowd at the Emirates but, in a game of few chances, Russo was in the right place at the right time. ‘It looks like an easy goal to score but it’s an impossible goal to score if you’re not in that position,’ manager Jonas Eidevall said of Russo’s winner. ‘We spoke about (goalscoring instinct) before the international window, that’s an area to improve. She was doing that very well today and got her reward.’ Arsenal’s main problem this season has been their inability to break down low blocks, despite dominating possession. That was the story of the first half. The Gunners saw far more of the ball, but it was Spurs who came closest to breaking the deadlock, with Manuela Zinsberger making a fine save to tip Jessica Naz’s shot on to the bar. There were a change of tack almost immediately after the interval with Katie McCabe trying her luck from distance. Arsenal had struggled to get Kim Little into the game but soon after the Gunners captain found the pass which unlocked Spurs’ defence. Her diagonal ball picked out Beth Mead, who cut it back for Russo to finish emphatically into the roof of the net. One of the biggest cheers came when Leah Williamson came on in the 74th minute after a hamstring issue, and the defender helped see out the game. With a trip to Chelsea up next, Eidevall insisted: ‘I’m very confident we can beat any team if we hit our levels.’ Arsenal will have to be better than this to defeat Emma Hayes’s side, but they go there still in the mix and still fighting.