'Free' Smith provides spark for Arsenal
Briefly

'Free' Smith provides spark for Arsenal
"It was an all too familiar story for Arsenal on Saturday as they struggled to break down Liverpool's low block. Three shots on target and one off the woodwork inside the opening quarter of an hour of the Women's Super League game, but no goal. The exasperation of the home fans was tangible. Then a moment of magic from Olivia Smith lifted the mood from frustration to pure elation."
"Her latest setback came during the October international break when she limped off during Canada's 1-0 defeat by Switzerland with a hip injury. However, after deciding not to travel for her country's games against Netherlands and Japan in the past two weeks, there were no such signs of bother for Smith against Liverpool as she ran both of their full-backs ragged all afternoon."
Arsenal struggled to break down Liverpool's low block, creating early chances but failing to score despite three shots on target and one hitting the woodwork. Olivia Smith produced a moment of magic, dribbling past several former Liverpool team-mates and scoring a brilliant long-range strike to open the scoring. Smith was named player of the match in a 2-1 Emirates Stadium win that finished with a late winner from Stina Blackstenius. Smith arrived from Liverpool in the summer, has endured injury setbacks including a hip issue with Canada, and sat out recent internationals to recover. Arsenal manager Renee Slegers confirmed Smith was fully fit and influential from the left.
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
[
|
]