Vivianne Miedema fires Arsenal past Manchester United and into final
“You put Viv anywhere around the goal and she will score,” said the Arsenal manager Joe Montemurro after his star striker Vivianne Miedema had taken her goal tally to 25 for the season, her double strike either side of the break having given Arsenal victory over Manchester United and ensured safe passage to the Continental League Cup final.
United did not make life easy for the home side. “They’re a team that take a lot of risks, that press, that release players out of midfield,” said Montemurro. “But they left a lot of gaps and we were finding them in the middle and able to expose them.”
Casey Stoney’s Manchester United have won four of five games against Women’s Super League opposition this season – the blip was against Reading in August. However, the trip to Borehamwood to play five-time league cup winners Arsenal offered a much bigger test of how they will fare should they be promoted to the top division. It was one in which Stoney felt they acquitted themselves well. “I’m really proud of them,” she said.
“At 2-0 down they could have collapsed or gone away but they didn’t, they got stronger, they fought. We’re seven months in, we’ve got a very young team and we’ve just gone and lost 2-1 to Arsenal. It was a great test for our players tonight.”
The Gunners took the opportunity to rest weary legs on Sunday at Crawley Wasps, relying on youngsters to secure their FA Cup fifth round berth, but Manchester United’s weekend trip to Brighton gave no room to rotate.
However, if anything the visitors started the brighter side. A Katie Zelem free-kick slipped towards Alex Greenwood but Arsenal bodies got in the way. Two minutes later Jess Sigsworth was through on the right only for Emma Mitchell and Louise Quinn to crowd her enough to force her to shoot across goal. It was a touch of individual class from Arsenal that broke the deadlock on 18 minutes, Dominique Bloodworth sliding a delightful ball through to Miedema, who slotted past Siobhan Chamberlain. With little left of the first half a frustrated Stoney barked “One minute or I’m subbing you” at 17-yearold Lauren James, who had raced to the dugout to have an earring removed. Playing furthest forward James was a little isolated, a mazy run across the edge of the box a glimpse of her talent before she was taken off in the second half.
With heads unbowed Manchester United pushed for a leveller, but their drive forward left space at the back and on 50 minutes Beth Mead’s cross from the left was cleared to the feet of Miedema, who again made no mistake, sweeping the ball past Chamberlain.
From there Arsenal took control, a Mead header stinging the crossbar before being headed clear by Millie Turner. Then Bloodworth struck from 40 yards but her effort sailed narrowly over the bar.
A consolation goal with seven minutes left, Mollie Green striking low into the corner, put a spring in United’s step but it was not enough. The win means Arsenal face Manchester City on 23 February at Bramall Lane in a replay of last year’s final, which they won 1-0.