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Key events
Thank you for joining me! There will be a lovely roundup coming your way very soon.
Full time: Aston Villa 1-3 Arsenal
It was, ultimately, impossible for Arsenal to not win this game after creating so many chances in the second half. The third goal really should not have counted but Villa were never going to earn an equaliser against the dominant Gunners.
90+4 mins: Villa Park is very flat now. Arsenal are just killing time.
90+2 mins: Leon is replaced by Taylor for Villa.
Cooney-Cross goes into the book for pulling back Mayling.
90 mins: Six minutes added.
Blackstenius latches onto a pass, helped by being a yard offside and then trips inside the box, resulting in her cuddling the ball. She still has time to get up and finish, though. Daly is booked for protesting because it is a ludicrous goal to be awarded. Blackstenius looked a little sheepish. The officials have questions answer.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-3 Arsenal (Blackstenius 86)
The striker is A. Offside and B. Commits handball but still finishes and the officials do nothing. Appalling officiating.
85 mins: Arsenal deserve the goal and Villa deserve to concede because they have played next to no part in this second half. They have shown absolutely no ambition despite having the lead at the break.
Arsenal finally get their reward for their utter domination. Russo pings a cross to Wubben-Moy who heads back across goal into a vacant net because Leat is well out of position.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal (Wubben-Moy 84)
The centre-back heads home.
83 mins: Fox gets to the byline once more and sends in another fantastic cross which is perfect for Russo but she is denied by the bar.
82 mins: Villa bring on Mullett for Salmon in an all-fish substitution. Pelova is replaced by Cooney-Cross.
80 mins: More shots in quick succession for Arsenal, the best coming from Catley that pings into Daly. It is very much all one-way traffic, which I believe is the reason the game was delayed in the first place.
78 mins: Russo swings in a perfect cross from the left for Blackstenius to attack. The striker flicks towards foal but Leat is there again. Sadly, she then sends the clearance straight back to Arsenal. Villa need to change something here because this is not a plan that looks like working at the moment.
76 mins: Aston Villa are really just clinging on at this stage. It’s been a proper struggle for them since the break. They have created absolutely nothing.
74 mins: Leat with another terrible pass out to Mead who picks out Foord in the box but somehow the goalkeeper keeps the volley out. Maybe she should just learn to launch it.
The corner reaches Pelova but Leat produces a stunning save to tip the ball over the bar.
It is starting to feel like a case of when, rather than if, Arsenal get their winner. Villa look tired and are making some very silly errors. Naturally, they will now make me look stupid by scoring next …
72 mins: Blackstenius is on for Maanum. Her pace will be dangerous against a tiring Villa defence.
Kári Tulinius emails: “I’ll admit that during the first half, my hopes that Arsenal would trouble Chelsea next Sunday ebbed away. Perhaps the team also had their minds on the League Cup final, but they’ve clearly remembered they need to focus on this match.”
70 mins: This time it is an awful Leat pass to Mead, who drives towards the box and pings a shot but the goalkeeper redeems herself with the save.
Russo goes down in the box but it looks like a mildly ludicrous dive because the fall is extremely exaggerated. Maybe Daly makes a little contact but it is not a penalty.
Little has the latest shot but it is straight at Leat.
68 mins: Mead lifts the ball to the back post where Wubben-Moy is in plenty of space. The centre-back heads towards goal but Leat produces a fine save. A more critical individual would say that Wubben-Moy should have done better.
More appalling passing around at the back from Villa as Turner’s pass is charged down. The ball reaches Russo who passes to Maanum but she sends it over.
66 mins: Foord, who has just on, gets into space down the left and pulls the ball back into the box, eventually reaching the onrushing Fox but her shot is deflected wide.
Corsie on for Pacheco for Villa. McCabe and Lacasse off, Catley and Foord on for Arsenal.
64 mins: Another smart move from Arsenal sees Mead slip the ball to Maanum who whacks her shot against the post and Russo sends the rebound over.
62 mins: Fox does well to get to the byline and puts in a decent cross but Villa deal with it well.
60 mins: Arsenal are moving the ball a lot quicker in this half, making it a lot more difficult for the Villa defence to cope.
58 mins: If there were stats for backward passes available, then I suspect Villa would be breaking records in this match.
56 mins: McCabe clips a cross towards the penalty spot where Russo is waiting but he header lacks power.
I really do not understand why Villa are not trying to be more direct because that is when they cause Arsenal problems.
Aston Villa’s passing around at the back was always a little concern. It is their downfall as Nobbs is caught in possession, resulting in Russo breaking through on goal, only to see Leat produce a fine save but Pelova is there for the follow to equalise.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-1 Arsenal (Pelova 54)
Nobbs gives the ball away inside her defensive third and Pelova makes her pay.
53 mins: Mead is tripped on the edge of the box and goes down. The referee does not give it for some reason or other and eventually Villa are awarded a free-kick instead.
Dali looks so comfortable on the ball but she is far too eager to look backwards rather than forwards. She needs a bit more positivity.
51 mins: Another concerning moment for Wubben-Moy as she misjudges Nobbs’ ball over the top, allowing Salmon to reach it first. A pass goes into Daly but she cannot control it and Arsenal manage to clear.
Villa should try to turn Arsenal’s centre-backs more often because Salmon’s pace is dangerous.
49 mins: Arsenal have started brightly and look sharp. Mead gets to the byline and pulls the ball back into a great area inside the box but no colleagues are there.
47 mins: Russo plays a smart pass into Lacasse but her cross to the back post is too strong, making Maanum’s touch too heavy, allowing Villa to clear.
Second half
Here we go again!
Arsenal have 12 shots without really testing Leat. They need to be better in the final third.
Charles Antaki emails: “Fair to say , isn’t it, that Beth Mead hasn’t really come back to anything like the kind of inventiveness and sharpness that we saw before her in injury. Miedema still missing, of course. The whole team looks limp at out of sorts. Oh and they’ve just conceded… Missing out on the Champions League would be a disaster, so things are going to have to improve… Somehow….”
There is not much cutting edge in the final third this evening, that’s for sure.
Half time: Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal
The Gunners looked in control but, equally, rarely troubled the Aston Villa goal and were made to pay when Wubben-Moy fell asleep, allowing the hosts to open the scoring through Salmon.
45+1 mins: McCabe sends in a cross from deep but Pelova cannot put any sort of direction her header and it floats wide.
45 mins: Three minutes added on.
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