Arsenal 0, Liverpool FC Women 1: Reds Advance To The FA Cup Semifinals
The Reds put on a great display to move past a strong Arsenal side and keep the hopes for a trophy alive.
Arsenal 0 - 1 Liverpool
Arsenal:
Liverpool: van Domselaar (OG) 78'
Pre-Match
The Liverpool FC Women continue their quest in search of a trophy in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup with a difficult tie away to Arsenal. The Reds were winners over Crystal Palace in the league last Sunday in their first match under interim boss Amber Whiteley’s second stint in charge.
Whitely keeps the lineup intact from last week. Rachael Laws is again preferred over Teagan Micah in net, Same Kerr is preferred to Fuka Nagano (on Fuka’s birthday), and Cornelia Kapocs gets another start up front as part of the 4-3-3 formation. Niamh Fahey and Hannah Silcock are the only two players still missing out due to injury.
First Half
Liverpool are battling hard in the early going. Arsenal have had the lion’s share of the ball, but the Reds have done well to stay in their defensive shape and have shown some good ball movement when they break on the counter. Olivia Smith has shown off her signature trickiness and fleetness of foot several times already to help move the ball up the pitch.
Sam Kerr makes the ill-advised decision to try and dribble her way out of trouble facing her own goal in her own half. She takes a heavy touch while surrounded by a few Arsenal players and turns it over in a dangerous area, but the defensive unit gets back into shape and sees out the danger.
Olivia Smith takes an elbow to the head by Katie McCabe near the midfield stripe, earning Liverpool a free kick. The ball is driven into the area and it finds its way through to Cornelia Kapocs, but she is shepherded past the end line.
Olivia Smith with a great solo effort, slaloming past a couple of defenders as she carries the ball down the right before cutting inside and unleashing a shot that is blocked out for a corner by a sliding challenge. The corner kick is sent in and seems to come off of an Arsenal player, but a goal kick is given.
Olivia Smith is again fouled not far from midfield. Liverpool recycle possession after the initial ball in is cleared, but Marie Höbinger gets caught on the ball and has it nipped off of her foot. She takes a professional foul to slow down the counter and is shown a yellow card.
Olivia Smith flies down the right wing after touching the ball past a Katie McCabe and riding the challenge. She whips an early cross in, but it is just too far ahead of Sophie Roman Haug in the middle.
Jasmine Matthews slices at a bouncing ball and ends up putting it out for a corner kick in the 28th minute. Rachael Laws punches the initial ball in clear before Arsenal try a shot from distance that is lofted high over the crossbar. That’s the first shot from the hosts.
Olivia Smith wins the ball off of Leah Williamson deep in the defensive half. Smith is hacked down yet again as she tries to break forward. Eventually you would think the referee would offer up a yellow card for one of these challenges.
Wooooow, Olivia Smith is something else. She jumps up to keep the ball in play with her head before flicking it over a defender to put herself free down the right wing. She drives into the box and gets to the end line and tries to slide the ball across the face of goal. It is just deflected out for a corner.
Liverpool with some great attacking play to keep the ball in the attacking half and force a series of corner kicks after great deliveries into the box from recycled possession. Arsenal are given a respite when Beth Mead goes down clutching her head after she challenged with Marie Höbinger for a header just outside the Arsenal box. Jasmine Matthews is shown a yellow for kicking the ball away to stop a quick free kick despite the medical staff being waved on to see to Mead.
Sophie Roman Haug flicks a ball on with her head near midfield but is hit in the back of the head by an Arsenal defender. Play is sopped as Roman Haug stays down. She is abled to continue after being seen to.
Huge chance for Liverpool! Sophie Roman Haug charges forward to press goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, and the Dutch net minder makes a mistake with the ball and passes it in range of the Liverpool striker. Roman Haug tries to get her feet sorted quickly but she can only get a weak effort off from close range, just giving van Domselaar enough time to recover and get down to make the save.
Gemma Bonner makes a sliding challenge near midfield as the ball is released. Doesn’t look like any contact is made with Beth Mead, but the veteran striker makes the most of it as she rolls around. The referee looked like she was going to allow play to continue as Liverpool recover the ball, but the theatrics are enough as she stops play and shows Bonner a yellow.
That’s the last action of the half. Liverpool have played very well in the first half, and have had the better of the attacking opportunities. There are three players on a yellow card, however, so Liverpool will need to be careful in the second half.
Second Half
Arsenal earn a corner kick in the opening seconds of the half. The ball in is a dangerous one, but Jasmine Matthews is able to get the ball clear.
Rachael Laws is caught in two minds as a ball bounces in the box, and the delay in her coming for the ball forces Gemma Bonner to put it behind for another corner kick. Liverpool again are able to clear their lines from the set piece.
A poor turnover from Marie Höbinger just outside her box gifts Arsenal a shooting chance. The ball is blazed over the crossbar, thankfully.
Olivia Smith yet again causes Arsenal all sorts of trouble as she gathers the ball deep in the Liverpool half and charges down the line. She skips past one defender before she is hacked down from behind by Katie McCabe to stop the counter. The referee shows McCabe a yellow as the Reds have a free kick in the right channel.
The ball in by Höbinger is good and is headed back across goal before being only partially cleared. Liverpool have a nice spell of attacking pressure before Smith is whistled for a fouls as Katie McCabe throws herself down.
Ceri Holland is shoved down and kicked directly in front of the lineswoman in the right corner, but no foul is given before the ball is touched out for a goal kick. Sophie Roman Haug again charges in to pressure van Domselaar as Arsenal try to play it out of the back and almost stuffs it into the goal. It is blocked out for a corner.
Another great chance for Liverpool as Cornelia Kapocs does a great job to keep possession in the box before playing it back to Marie Höbinger at the top of the box. The midfielder hits the ball first time with great venom, but van Domselaar makes a fantastic diving save to keep the ball out.
Arsenal now with their best chance of the match after a corner kick is not dealt with. The ball is volleyed by Mariona Caldentey, but the ball slides just past the far post.
Amber Whiteley makes her first sub of the game, bringing off Jasmine Matthews, who was on a yellow card. Gemma Evans comes on in a like-for-like swap.
Rachael Laws is forced into a great diving save from a headed effort in the middle of the box. The offside flag goes up after the ball goes out of play, but Laws stays down with an injury. She’s able to get back up and continue after some treatment.
Liverpool with both Taylor Hinds and Ceri Holland needing treatment. In both cases, the Liverpool players can continue after being seen to.
GOAL LIVERPOOL!!! It's a bit of deserved fortune for the Reds as Sophie Roman Haug hits a volley towards goal, but it comes back off the post and hits van Domselaar and goes in. It's harsh on the goalkeeper, but she had already gifted Liverpool two big chances after being pressed earlier in the match.
As the clock ticks towards the end of regulation, Amber Whiteley makes another change. Yana Daniels comes on for Cornelia Kapocs.
There will be nine minutes of added time. Can the Reds hang on?
They've done it, the final whistle blows after 11 minutes of extra time!!!
Final Thoughts
Liverpool are still the hunt for hardware after advancing to the semifinals of the FA Cup. That was a fantastic performance from the Reds and a deserved win over a strong Arsenal side. Liverpool will now have a rare Friday evening match next week, hosting second place Manchester United at Anfield.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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