The 2017/2018 FA Women’s Super League 1 campaign again saw Arsenal fall short of evolving duo Chelsea and Manchester City while the season saw a shift from a summer competition to a winter one.
FA Women’s Super League Full-Time have gone back through the archives to look at another classic match. In this edition, we review one of the opening games of the season as Arsenal took on Birmingham City at Meadow Park.
Of the three ‘title favourites’, Arsenal certainly faced the toughest test on opening day as a physical Birmingham City side arrived in Boreham Wood. The Blues had finished just five points adrift of The Gunners in 2016 while they had held Arsenal to two goalless draws.
Ellen White stunned the hosts early on with a clinical close range strike but Arsenal were to go into the break level with the ever-reliable Jodie Taylor scoring 10 minutes before the interval.
A see-saw encounter again saw Birmingham City take the lead in the second half through a trademark White strike before the hosts’ hopes of three points looked to be in tatters when Louise Quinn was dismissed for a professional foul with 10 minutes of the match remaining.
With Arsenal hoping to lift the title six years on from their last success, the North Londoners displayed their title credentials with two goals in the last six minutes to collect a smash and grab three points courtesy of a 3-2 win. First, Taylor played in Lisa Evans to score before the England international forward netted from the penalty spot herself at the death.
Arsenal went on to finish in third position at the end of the 2017/2018 campaign, a point behind Manchester City who took the second UEFA Women’s Championship qualification spot. The Gunners lifted the FA Women’s Continental Tyres Cup but were defeated by London rivals Chelsea in the SSE Women’s FA Cup final.
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