Reading 0-1 Arsenal: Stina Blackstenius extends visitors' perfect start in WSL

Stina Blackstenius' onslaught was Arsenal's 40th extremity successful their past 10 WSL matches, conceding lone doubly on the way

Arsenal extended their cleanable commencement to the Women's Super League play by overcoming a stubborn Reading broadside to narrowly triumph their archetypal distant crippled of the campaign.

The Swede astir doubled Arsenal's pb aboriginal successful the 2nd fractional erstwhile she deed the woodwork with a glancing header seconds aft Katie McCabe had changeable against the aforesaid post.

Reading goalkeeper Jackie Burns, who was making her top-flight debut, saved Kim Little's punishment pursuing a handball determination against Lily Woodham connected the hr mark.

Manuela Zinsberger brilliantly denied Deanna Cooper and Natasha Dowie either broadside of Woodham curling a country against the extracurricular of a station arsenic the second-bottom broadside threatened to gully level.

But Arsenal closed retired the triumph and are down Manchester United - who thrashed Brighton 4-0 earlier connected Sunday - connected extremity quality astatine the apical of the array aft 3 games.

Second-bottom Reading person mislaid each 3 of their opening games.

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Royals marque Arsenal enactment for win

Reading person ne'er beaten Arsenal successful 13 attempts successful the WSL, and fewer would person foreseen the menace they would airs aft they were carved unfastened by 1 of the archetypal attacks they faced.

Despite a deficiency of work for consenting runner Dowie successful attack, the organisation and vigor of Kelly Chambers' players became a diagnostic of a determined show successful which they truthful astir pegged Arsenal back, and showed a marked betterment connected their brace of 4-0 defeats successful the fixture past season.

Most Royals fans would not person anticipated a affirmative effect but this was a show to suggest their broadside tin people points from their adjacent game, astatine West Ham, and their hosting of bottommost broadside Leicester aft that.

However, immoderate concerns Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall had astir the lack of Leah Williamson connected the nighttime would person been eased by Reading's struggles to often participate absorption territory.

Across the 8 nine matches Williamson has missed since December 2021, Arsenal person mislaid much matches than they person successful the 20 erstwhile the England skipper has been involved.

Williamson and centre-back spouse Rafaelle Souza are expected to beryllium retired for respective weeks done injuries, and the disruption to Eidevall's defence volition surely jeopardise his side's WSL grounds tally of cleanable sheets implicit the coming weeks.

Eidevall admitted earlier kick-off that Lotte Wubben-Moy and Steph Catley could not beryllium expected to perfectly emulate Williamson and Souza.

Wubben-Moy was astatine responsibility erstwhile Cooper broke escaped wrong the punishment country and drew a captious halt from Zinsberger, who was Arsenal's saviour connected much than 1 juncture and saw Rachel Rowe's header cleared disconnected the enactment arsenic Arsenal made it 9 league games without conceding.

An onerous-looking travel to Lyon awaits successful the Champions League connected Wednesday, erstwhile Eidevall is definite to larn much astir whether his depleted backline tin basal up to sterner tests.