Arsenal Women 11–1 Bristol City Women

Arsenal Women 11–1 Bristol City Women was a match in the 2019–20 Football Association Women's Super League (FA WSL) between Arsenal Women and Bristol City Women at Meadow Park, Borehamwood, on 1 December 2019. Arsenal's 11–1 win set a new league record scoreline, surpassing Liverpool's 9–0 defeat of Doncaster in 2013.

Arsenal 11–1 Bristol City
The match was played at Meadow Park in Borehamwood.
Event2019–20 FA WSL
Arsenal Women Bristol City Women
11 1
Date1 December 2019 (2019-12-01)
VenueMeadow Park, Borehamwood
RefereeHelen Conley (Durham)
Attendance1,513

Dutch international striker Vivianne Miedema was involved in ten of the eleven Arsenal goals. This broke her FA WSL record, set at five against Liverpool in September 2018. She scored a double hat-trick, a first in the league, and assisted on four goals. Her six goals made her the highest-scoring non-British player in FA WSL history, overtaking South-Korean Ji So-yun. The other Arsenal scorers were Lisa Evans (twice), Leah Williamson, Jordan Nobbs, and Emma Mitchell. Yana Daniëls scored the only goal for Bristol.

BBC Sport called the match an "amazing 11–1 thrashing". The Guardian praised Miedema's performance as "one of the great individual displays of any era". The international press also covered the record-breaking game. The result put Arsenal top of the league on goal difference and left Bristol in eleventh place. The return match was never played, however, after The Football Association suspended the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Arsenal finished the season in third position while Bristol finished in tenth position, narrowly avoiding relegation. Miedema ended the campaign as the top scorer with sixteen goals and the Football Writers' Association named her Women's Footballer of Year.

Background

In 2011, The Football Association (the FA) launched the FA Women's Super League (FA WSL), a semi-professional league of eight clubs. It replaced the FA Women's Premier League National Division as the highest level of women's football in England.[1] Arsenal Ladies won the first two editions of the FA WSL.[2][3] In 2019 they became league champions again, under their new name of Arsenal Women, when they defeated Brighton & Hove Albion in their penultimate game of the 2018–19 FA WSL season.[4][5]

Bristol City Women played in the inaugural FA WSL season under the name of Bristol Academy. After being relegated in 2015, they rebranded and won promotion back into the top league in 2016.[6] In the 2017–18 season, Bristol drew their away game with Arsenal 1–1.[7] In the 2018–19 season they lost the fixture at Arsenal's home venue Meadow Park 4–0, allowing Arsenal's Dutch international striker Vivianne Miedema to score a hat-trick.[8] Bristol finished the 2018–19 season in sixth position.[9]

Arsenal began the 2019–20 season in September with a home win over West Ham United. Manager Joe Montemurro used his new signings Jill Roord, Manuela Zinsberger, and Leonie Maier, and brought on Jordan Nobbs who had been out with a serious injury sustained in November 2018.[10] The defending champions then managed successive wins against Manchester United and Brighton, before losing their away game at Chelsea. Wins over Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Liverpool gave them eighteen points from seven games.[11] By the end of November 2019, Chelsea led the league with nineteen points. Arsenal were level with Manchester City on points, but behind on goal difference by seven, putting them in third position in the table.[12]

Bristol began the 2019–20 season in September with a draw with Brighton. Manager Tanya Oxtoby used her five new signings, Jasmine Matthews, Yana Daniëls, Charlie Wellings, Meaghan Sargeant, and Ebony Salmon, and said afterwards the players needed time to get used to each other.[13][14][15][16] They lost to Everton and Chelsea before drawing with Liverpool. They narrowly lost their away game against Tottenham Hotspur, leaving Bristol on just two points from five games. They earned another point for a 3–3 draw with Reading, but then lost again to Manchester City.[11][17] By the end of November winless Bristol were in tenth place, tied on three points with Birmingham City, but slightly ahead on goal difference.[11] Arsenal and Bristol had met on 21 November in the League Cup. Arsenal won that match 7–0.[18] Both squads were at full strength before the game, reporting no injured players.[19]

Match

Summary

The match kicked off at 12:30 pm on 1 December 2019 in front of 1,513 spectators at Meadow Park.[19][20] The referee was Helen Conley from Durham.[19][21] Arsenal began the game in a 3–4–3 formation with Bristol in a 4–2–3–1 formation.[20] In the second minute, Arsenal's Beth Mead had the first chance to score but saw her attempt saved by goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley. Two corners for the home team quickly followed. Lisa Evans opened the scoring for Arsenal with a seventh-minute header from close range, assisted by Miedema with a cross. Defender Leah Williamson doubled the lead three minutes later, with a header, again assisted by Miedema. The assist-maker then turned goalscorer herself in the fifteenth minute with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner, off an assist from Lia Wälti. Miedema scored the match's fourth goal from very close range after receiving a pass from Mead. Miedema's first hat-trick of the day came in the thirty-sixth minute, after she scored another goal at close range. Arsenal went into the half-time break with a 5–0 lead.[19]

External video
Arsenal Women 11–1 Bristol City Highlights, YouTube video from Arsenal

Neither team made personnel changes during half time. Miedema resumed scoring six minutes into the second half, with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner. The assist came from Daniëlle van de Donk with a through ball. Nobbs became the fourth goalscorer of the game to make the score 7–0 three minutes later with a right-footed shot from a pass by Miedema. Miedema and Evans then assisted each other. First Evans set up Miedema who, with her right foot, scored the 8–0 from the centre of the box. Next, on the hour mark, Miedema's chip over the defence set up the sprinting Evans for her second goal of the day, making it 9–0.[19][22] Miedema scored her sixth goal (and second hat-trick) four minutes later to send Arsenal into double figures. When manager Montemurro subbed her off the pitch, she received a standing ovation.[19][23] Her substitute, Emma Mitchell, scored the home team's final goal of the match with an assist from Mead, making it 11–0. Bristol were awarded a late penalty after Arsenal's goalkeeper Zinsberger brought down their Belgian international striker Daniëls in the box. Daniëls scored the game's final goal on the rebound of her own penalty kick, giving Bristol a consolation goal and a final score of 11–1. According to BBC Sport, by the end of the game, Arsenal had made thirty-four shots, an average of one every three minutes.[19][24]

Match details
Arsenal11–1Bristol City
 Report
Referee: Helen Conley (Durham)[21]
Arsenal[19]
Bristol City[19]
1Manuela Zinsberger
6Leah Williamson 66'
5Jennifer Beattie 65'
22Viktoria Schnaderbeck
13Lia Wälti
17Lisa Evans
8Jordan Nobbs
7Daniëlle van de Donk
23Beth Mead
14Jill Roord
11Vivianne Miedema 70'
Substitutes:
18Pauline Peyraud-Magnin
5Emma Mitchell 70'
16Louise Quinn 65'
20Leonie Maier 66'
10Kim Little
Manager:
Joe Montemurro
1Sophie Baggaley
16Meaghan Sargeant
5Frankie Brown
4Jasmine Matthews
2Loren Dykes
8Carla Humphrey
25Olivia Chance
12Florence Allen 57'
10Yana Daniëls
11Charlie Wellings 80'
9Ebony Salmon 67'
Substitutes:
13Eartha Cumings
3Gemma Evans
7Poppy Pattinson
18Maisy Collis 57'
19Katie Robinson 80'
20Georgia Wilson 67'
22Ellie-Mai Sanford
Manager:
Tanya Oxtoby

Match rules[25]

  • 90 minutes
  • No extra time or penalties
  • Seven named substitutes
  • Maximum of three substitutions

Statistics
Statistics[19] Arsenal Bristol City
Goals scored 111
Total shots 345
Shots on target 162
Ball possession 74%26%
Corner kicks 123
Fouls conceded 22
Yellow cards 00
Red cards 00

Records

The match resulted in six league records. The final score was a record scoreline, surpassing Liverpool's 9–0 2013 defeat of Doncaster.[19] It was the highest winning margin in league history,[26] and the first time a team scored double figures.[27] Miedema became the first player to score a double hat-trick.[28] Her involvement in ten goals (six goals, four assists) broke the previous record of five, which she set in September 2018 against Liverpool (three goals, two assists).[19] Miedema surpassed South-Korean Ji So-yun as the highest-scoring non-British player in league history; So-yun's goal tally at the time stood at thirty-three.[29][30]

Post-match

Reactions

BBC Sport called the match an "amazing 11–1 thrashing" and singled out Miedema for her "remarkable individual performance". They thought her fourth goal was the best of the match, a goal The Independent described as "wonderful" and which the FA named Goal of the Match.[19][20][31] The Times wrote it was difficult to find fresh superlatives to describe Miedema and called her "unplayable".[32] The Guardian wrote the "collective was clicking like never before", displaying "crisp instinctive passing", and described Miedema's performance as "one of the great individual displays of any era",[22] an assessment echoed by The Telegraph and goal.com.[24][33] The international press also reacted. ESPN labelled Miedema's performance as a "stunning solo display of attacking football" and Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad called it "an exceptional achievement".[27][34] Dutch football magazine Voetbal International called her "inimitable".[23] German football magazine Kicker said it was something Messi, Ronaldo, and Lewandowski can only dream of.[35] Eurosport wrote she further proved her credentials as a nominee for the Ballon d'Or Féminin.[36]

Miedema during an Arsenal home game, February 2020

In a post-match interview, Miedema said: "The last few games have been really difficult for us, so it was important to raise the goal difference. I felt really good. I was probably happier with the assists than with the goals. We created more space with three-at-the-back. We knew where we could get at Bristol having played them recently. We’ve got the players to play three or four at the back which really helps."[20] Looking back on the game after the season had ended, she said it had felt like a training game.[37]

Bristol manager Oxtoby said her team did not follow the game plan, resulting in an unacceptable performance. She described the players and staff as "devastated", adding, "We need to move on because, from my perspective, there's nothing to be learned from that."[19]

Aftermath

After the match, Arsenal moved from third to first in the table with twenty-one points. Chelsea had their game against Everton postponed because of a frozen pitch, keeping them on nineteen points.[19] Manchester City recorded a 1–0 win over Liverpool, which was not enough to keep their goal-difference advantage over Arsenal.[38] Bristol dropped from tenth to eleventh owing to goal difference. Miedema kept her position as the league's top goalscorer with ten goals, and top assist maker with seven assists.[19][39] Her double hat-trick brought her season goal total across all competitions, club and Dutch national team, to twenty-eight from sixteen games.[23]

In the following rounds, Arsenal kept their top league position with subsequent wins over Reading, Everton, Birmingham, and Brighton.[11] But on 19 January 2020, they lost 1–4 at home to Chelsea, allowing Manchester City to take the lead.[40] A second loss in a row, a 2–1 defeat away at Manchester City, saw Arsenal drop to third in the table.[41] On 13 February Arsenal won their away game at Liverpool.[42] The following weekend Arsenal's game with Reading was postponed.[11] Manchester City and Chelsea played each other and drew 3–3. This meant that Manchester City topped the table with forty points from sixteen matches, followed by Chelsea with thirty-nine from fifteen and Arsenal with thirty-three points from fifteen.[43]

After 23 February, no more of the 2019–20 season's matches were played.[11] The return match between Bristol and Arsenal, scheduled for 22 March, was postponed as on 13 March the FA suspended the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[11][44] On 5 June, the FA declared Chelsea champions, based on points per game average, ahead of Manchester City and Arsenal. Because Arsenal did not finish in the top two, the team did not qualify for the 2020–21 UEFA Women's Champions League. Miedema's sixteen goals in the abbreviated season earned her the league's Golden Boot award for most goals scored. The Football Writers' Association named her Women's Footballer of Year,[45] and the Professional Footballers' Association Fans' Player of the Year.[46]

Bristol finished the terminated season in tenth position, narrowly avoiding relegation.[47] After their record-breaking defeat against Arsenal, they recorded one more defeat, against Birmingham in December, before achieving their first league win of the season against Manchester United. Losses to Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City followed. On 23 February Bristol beat Birmingham, climbing from the bottom of the table to tenth position, with nine points from fourteen games.[48] Liverpool, bottom with six points from fourteen games, were relegated based on points per game.[47]

See also

References
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