Arsenal had a new face in the dugout but had to survive defensive jitters before overcoming Valerenga 4-1 in their Champions League group clash at the Emirates Stadium.
Jonas Eidevall’s resignation on Tuesday saw his assistant Renee Slegers placed in temporary charge and her stewardship opened with only the Gunners’ second win of the season.
Emily Fox and Caitlin Foord were on target in the first half and Arsenal would have galloped out of sight had it not been for the reflexes of Tove Enblom in the Norwegian visitors’ goal.
But the evening was made far nervier than it should have been thanks to the Gunners’ frailty in defence that gifted Valerenga their opener and then produced several further uncomfortable moments.
Victory at Emirates Stadium ❤️ pic.twitter.com/yB9bMHCOP5
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) October 16, 2024
It continued a theme of their season and the biggest culprit was centre-back Laia Codina, whose return in place of Lotte Wubben-Moy was the only change to the side, with Mariona Caldentey’s 85th-minute strike eventually allowing Arsenal to breathe easily before Alessia Russo struck the fourth in injury-time.
Just 62 seconds in, the Gunners looked destined for a comfortable night when United States defender Fox stabbed home a scrappy opener before Russo twice went close to scoring soon after.
A small but noisy contingent of Valerenga fans were making their voices heard in the 5,613 crowd and they almost had the breakthrough they were seeking when Janni Thomsen tested keeper Daphne van Domselaar from outside the area.
Apart from Van Domselaar’s looping shot it was one-way traffic and, after Arsenal had rained down shots on Enblom, they eventually struck their second when an unmarked Foord drilled the ball into the top of the net.
A defensive lapse let Valerenga in four minutes later, however, as Codina was dispossessed and Olaug Tvedten picked her spot for a slick finish.
Enblom made another fine save to deny Russo and the visiting keeper was all that was preventing a runaway win but Arsenal continued to show moments of vulnerability in defence.
Codina’s challenging evening continued as she was exposed on the break to allow Karina Saevik to charge in on goal but her shot flew high over the target and a great opportunity to equalise was gone.
Caldentey was the next Arsenal player to be outmuscled but Valerenga could not capitalise on their possession in the box.
What had looked like a procession for the Gunners was anything but in the second half, even if the home side still controlled possession and showed a greater cutting edge in attack.
Eventually the pressure told with Caldentey and Russo on target late on to end any chance of an upset.
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