KIM LITTLE came to Arsenal’s rescue with Jonas Eidevall’s aces battling their way to three points against a resolute Aston Villa.
The playmaker nabbed a brace – including her 150th Gunners goal – as the league leaders’ unbeaten run continued with a 4-0 win.
Team boss Eidevall said: “Kim is an amazing player.
“When you see her playing in games when you’re not her coach, you see that she is a great player, and one of those that you get really excited to work with.
“She showed great leadership, great game intelligence. It was really nice to see that she could score two goals.”
The away result at Villa Park saw Eidevall’s side move back to the top of the table before their eagerly awaited Champions League duel with Barcelona.
But the visitors were made to battle for their victory with Carla Ward’s Villans putting on a first-half defensive masterclass.
Anita Asante, Elisha N’Dow and Mayumi Pachecho were all impressive in a back-five rearguard.
Arsenal attempted to get on the attack almost immediately with Nikita Parris forcing a corner in the first minute.
And Vivianne Miedema got on her head on the ball before Villa thwarted the danger by clearing their lines.
Although Arsenal enjoyed the bulk possession at 76 per cent the Villans had a few minor chances in the first half.
Their closest effort came with Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah attempting a long-range strike after spotting Manuela Zinsberger off her line in the 14th minute.
And the visitors came close to breaking the deadlock in the 20th minute with Beth Mead’s in-swinging cross finding Miedema in space between two defenders.
However, keeper Hannah Hampton came out quickly snuff out the danger.
The second half saw Eidevall roll the dice with Mana Iwabuchi coming in place of Frida Maanum.
And the Japan star’s entrance was followed by Little rolling her defender to give Arsenal the lead in the 51st minute.
Ward’s gutsy Villans held out until the later stages of the game with Hampton making a superb double block following close-range shots from Miedema and Parris.
But the Gunners went on to extend the lead with Tobin Heath ghosting into the box and delivering a swift cut back for Iwabuchi who slotted home the visitors’ third.
The fourth goal for Arsenal came courtesy of a rare Hampton error.
The former Birmingham keeper passed to Katie McCabe who chipped the ball over her head into the goal from 40 yards out.
The players are little disappointed, but I told them if you go out there and you give that sort of effort week-in and week-out and we’ll be just fine in the league
Carla Ward – Aston Villa manager
And in-form skipper Little notched up her brace with a deflected injury-time effort.
The result saw Villa, who face Reading next, register their first loss of the season.
But Ward believes should be proud of their efforts after holding Arsenal at bay in the first half.
Villans chief Ward said: “The players are little disappointed, but I told them if you go out there and you give that sort of effort week-in and week-out and we’ll be just fine in the league.
“It was about reminding them that they’re up against – in my opinion – not just one of the best teams in the country right now, but one of the best in Europe.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
