Mead, Nobbs and Montemurro revel in Royals win

Arsenal manager Joe Montemurro heralded his team’s “very satisfying” performance in the 6-0 thrashing of Reading at Boreham Wood on Sunday afternoon.

A hat-trick scored by Vivianne Miedema, accompanied by goals from Jordan Nobbs, Beth Mead, and Danielle Van de Donk earned a result which moves the Gunners two points clear at the summit of the FA Women’s Super League.

Jordan Nobbs

“We are so fluid in our moments and our movements are so important to us” said Montemurro. “We have a group that just want to be better and better, and we give them challenges every day. The players are so focused and believe in what we’re trying to achieve. Every week is a new challenge.”

After the Gunners’ mauling of the fourth-placed Royals, it’s hard to see how any team will be able to block their path to the title. Captain Jordan Nobbs puts the current five game winning run down to “what we do on the training field, and what Joe and the staff are working on behind the scenes.”

Fresh from England international duty, winger Beth Mead was also encouraged by the “big statement” she feels her team are making in the league this season, but warned against complacency.

“I think getting the results is making us even more hungry. We want to pick up on little things in each game and continue to get better, we want to keep consistent. We’ve got the professionalism and we know that no game is easy. We’ll continue to prepare for each game as if it’s the biggest game of the season.”

Magic Miedema takes Arsenal to the top

Arsenal 6-0 Reading
(Miedema 3, 49, 85, Nobbs 7, Mead 45 + 2, van de Donk 76)

FA Women's Super League | Sunday 21st October 2018

A Vivianne Miedema hat-trick made it five wins from five for Arsenal, who thrashed Reading 6-0 at Boreham Wood, moving them two points clear at the top of the FA Women’s Super League.

Goals from Miedema and Jordan Nobbs gave the Gunners a two-goal lead inside the first seven minutes, and Beth Mead added a third in first-half stoppage time, before Miedema plundered two more in the second half, either side of Danielle Van de Donk’s tap-in.

The home side were almost unstoppable. Only 180 seconds into the game, Mead crossed form the right and the imperious Miedema rose highest to head back across goal and into the top corner.

Reading struggled to deal with the skill and fluidity of their table-topping opponents, and conceded again four minutes later when the tenacious Nobbs raced through on goal and poked astutely past Reading keeper Grace Moloney.

Despite Arsenal’s dominance, the Royals spurned a golden opportunity to pull one back when former Gunners midfielder Fara Williams, who scored a stunning goal direct from kick-off in this fixture last season, raced through on goal. The England international attempted to dink over the onrushing Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, only to see her shot blocked by the home keeper.

Arsenal wingers Mead and Lisa Evans switched flanks and continued to deceive a Reading defence that had conceded only one league goal before their meeting with the Gunners. Mead dribbled along the byline before cutting inside and firing past a motionless Moloney.

Attacking positions are interchangeable in this Arsenal team, and five minutes into the second half defensive midfielder Lia Walti centred from the left-wing position. Miedema met Walti’s perfect cross and slotted clinically into the bottom corner.

By the time Van de Donk slid in to poke Katie McCabe’s shot over the line, chants of ‘Are you Chelsea in disguise?’ emanated from the 1,586 who had gathered at Meadow Park; poking fun at the reigning champions who were dismantled 5-0 last week by their North London rivals.

The hosts rubbed salt into the wound with five minutes remaining. The intelligent running of Miedema created a corridor into which Van de Donk could play an incisive pass. The Dutch forward completed her hat-trick, shootingg past the exhausted Moloney and into the bottom corner.

This exuberant Arsenal team had scored six against a stubborn Reading side, and it could have been more. At this rate, Joe Montemurro’s team should cruise to a first league trophy in seven years.