Arsenal thump Brighton as Slegers’ fine start continues

Arsenal’s return to form under interim manager Renee Slegers continued as they hit five goals past Brighton in the Women’s Super League.

Playing in front of 22,467 fans under the lights at Emirates Stadium, the Gunners looked back to their best as they swept aside the visitors with a ruthless display.

Beth Mead opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a low curling strike, before Caitlin Foord added a second by scuffing a close-range effort past Sophie Baggaley.

The pick of the bunch, however, was Frida Maanum’s stunning strike from the edge of the box 10 minutes before half-time.

READ ALSO: Power Crisis: PRP chieftain urges Tinubu to declare…

Kiko Seike, who has not scored for the Seagulls since her opening day hat-trick, offered Brighton biggest threat up front, rattling the crossbar and forcing Manuela Zinzberger into a superb save in the second half.

But Arsenal continued to dominate and Lina Hurtig added a fourth with her glancing header trickling in despite Maisie Symonds’ best efforts to clear on the goalline.

Alessia Russo rounded off a five-star performance by calmly converting from the spot after Jorelyn Carabali dragged down Stina Blackstenius in the box.

The win continues Arsenal’s unbeaten run under Slegers, who has now overseen two league victories and a draw since manager Jonas Eidevall resigned in October.

Despite an upturn in form, Sleger’s side are still feeling the effects of a poor start to the season under Eidevall and sit fourth in the WSL, seven points behind league leaders Manchester City who beat Spurs 4-0 on Friday night.

For Brighton, their strong start to the campaign means they remain a point above Arsenal in third.

Despite arriving at the Emirates in fine form, with four wins from their opening six league games, Brighton looked out of their depth against the hosts.

Their evening ended on a worrying note as substitute Aisha Masaka was stretchered off after she appeared fall awkwardly on her shoulder under a challenge from Laia Codina.

Having finished ninth in the WSL last season, Dario Vidosic’s side have been the surprise package of the season so far, but they struggled to break into the final third and they entered the interval without registering a single shot.

Arsenal, in comparison, looked fluid in attack as they effortlessly moved the ball up the pitch to fashion plenty of clear-cut chances.

After having only one goal to show for their 19 shots in a draw with Manchester United, the Gunners had a more clinical edge against Brighton, while five different goalscorers will be another positive for their interim boss.

Slegers has not been vocal about taking the Arsenal job on a permanent basis, but with another win under her belt and candidate Nick Cushing seemingly ruling himself out, the Dutchwoman is certainly staking her claim.