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Arsenal 4-0 Liverpool: Matthews gives hosts a helping hand in WSL rout

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1 daysFootball

Arsenal stormed to a 4-0 win over Liverpool at Emirates Stadium, where Jasmine Matthews scored two own goals.

Liverpool had made a fine start under interim boss Amber Whiteley, but Arsenal made it five straight Women's Super League wins in emphatic fashion on Saturday.

The unfortunate Matthews turned into her own net either side of half-time, as Arsenal warmed up nicely ahead of the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie with Real Madrid, in which they trail 2-0 on aggregate.

Frida Maanum should have put Arsenal ahead when she struck the woodwork from close range, but the excellent Caitlin Foord made no mistake when she tucked home after Liverpool failed to clear a corner.

It was 2-0 less than two minutes later when Matthews skewed an attempted clearance from Kim Little's cutback into the Liverpool net.

Maanum hit the woodwork again but Mariona Caldentey made it 3-0 before half-time with an exceptional finish.

Matthews then diverted in Beth Mead's cross to add further gloss to a resounding win in the 69th minute, as Arsenal moved to within five points of leaders Chelsea, who face Manchester City on Sunday.

Data Debrief: Liverpool brought back down to Earth

Liverpool won 1-0 in this fixture last season and were aiming to win back-to-back away games in the league against Arsenal for the first time since 2016.

Whiteley, meanwhile, was hoping to become only the second WSL boss, after Rehanne Skinner with Tottenham in 2021-22, to win their first three matches in the WSL after being appointed mid-season.

But Liverpool hardly laid a glove on their hosts, creating chances worth just 0.09 expected goals – the Reds managed just three shots and did not get a single attempt on target.

Arsenal, who finished with 1.36 xG, did of course benefit from some luck when it came to Matthews' own goals, not that the Gunners will care. They have now won 19 of their 25 WSL meetings with Liverpool (D2 L4).