The tough fixtures at the end of this season just keep on coming – this time with the rescheduled WSL fixture against Arsenal at the Broadfield. With doubtless one eye on Sunday’s Women’s FA Cup Semi-Final against Liverpool, Head Coach Dario Vidosic shuffled the pack against the Gunners, with several regular substitutes pressed into starting action. Anything but a win for Arsenal would mean they could no longer win the WSL title, but Brighton are on a fantastic run of form right now and momentum was on their side…

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• For a full recap of the match action courtesy of Luke Nicoli on the Official BHAFC Website click: HERE
• Match highlights are available via the Sky Sports WSL YouTube channel: HERE
• The SheGulls Podcast will be reviewing the game on Monday night from 9pm over on the SheGulls YouTube channel: HERE – where you can watch via the Live tab or on catch-up any time after broadcast!

Brighton & Hove Albion

• The overall performance felt very reminiscent of the game against Manchester United on the weekend which also ended in a 1-1 draw. Brighton came out with a plan and executed it well, taking the lead in the first half whilst frustrating their opponents at the other end. In the second half they weren’t quite able to match that output and like Saturday it ended all-square.
• In context however, this was a different game in different circumstances. With Liverpool and potential Women’s FA Cup history on the horizon, Dario Vidosic opted to make 6 changes to the starting lineup, effectively swapping out the entire midfield and forward units. Out went stalwarts like Fran Kirby, Jelena Cankovic, club captain Maisie Symonds and more, in came Fuka Tsunoda, Olaug Tvedten and Carla Camacho to name just a few. The biggest achievement? They didn’t miss a beat, and for the most part looked every as good as the players they stepped in for.
• Arsenal weren’t out there going through the motions either. They NEEDED to win the game in order to stay in the WSL title hunt, so the stakes were high, they were aware of the situation, yet they still couldn’t overcome this heavily-rotated Brighton side.
• The Albion goal came from a set piece about halfway into Arsenal territory. Olaug Tvedten put an enticing cross into the box which found the head of a defender but fell kindly to the edge of the area. Step up Fuka Tsunoda who took the ball in her stride and drove a shot on target which, with the help of a deleflection, spun past the despairing dive of Daphne van Domselaar. 1-0 up against a ‘Big 4’ team going in at half time, it was like deja vu.
• Unfortunately it didn’t take Arsenal long to get back into the game. A fantastic through ball by Alessia Russo in the 62nd minute set Frida Maanum through on goal. With trademark aplomb she tucked the ball hard and low into the corner of the net to set up an exciting final half hour.
• Brighton fought hard though and you could sense Arsenal growing more and more desperate as time went on. That inevitably led to a few half-chances, but it also led to some scrappy mistakes which let Albion off the hook on more than one occasion. When the final whistle went you could see there was only one team and one fanbase who were happy with the result.
• In particular Tsunoda stood out as one of the players to grasp their opportunity to start with both hands. She was a constant thorn in Arsenal’s side, harrying them in possession, putting in tackles to break up play and showing real composure on the ball. The fact she scored as well just capped off an imperious performance from the young Japanese talent and she was deservedly awarded Player of the Match.

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Dario Vidosic Post-Match

• Spoke about how the preparation is the same for every match, they don’t change based on the opposition or the competition, so they were ready for this game.
• There were some similarities to how the United game unfolded, probably for the same reasons, but these are tough opponents who can bring on quality reinforcements and he felt the draw was probably a fair result overall.
• The team really didn’t want to come away empty handed going into the Liverpool game and obviously Arsenal needed to win which is perhaps why it got a bit scrappy in added time. They’ve also gone several games unbeaten against high-quality opposition now so wanted to keep that momentum.
• They need to experience these moments, the ups and downs of facing a team like Arsenal, so that they can learn what they need to do to wrestle back control and create more of their own moments.
• Caitlin took a bit of a knock, but far as he’s aware she’s fine and no other immediate concerns for the rest of the team.

Arsenal

• I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that Brighton have Arsenal’s number at the moment. After so many years of it being the other way round, in the last four games between the two, the Gunners have just one win and needed an Albion own-goal to achieve even that. At least in part it feels like they have lost some of the aura they once had. Of course they’re still a fantastic team and have a number of elite players, but they appear beatable to the rest of the WSL now – in fact all of the so-called ‘Big 4’ do – which has to be good for the growth of the women’s game.
• They definitely improved in the second-half with the benefit of some tactical tweaks and deserved a draw in all fairness, but when you factor in that Brighton made six changes in order to rest players ahead of Sunday, and Arsenal NEEDED to win in order to keep their WSL title hopes alive – it really wasn’t good enough.
• Frida Maanum had a shout for a penalty waved away that should have been awarded following a challenge from Charlie Rule. However, in a separate incident, Lia Codina pulled Kiko Seike back when she was through on goal and an offside was given when she was clearly onside. If the officials had got it right it would have been a red card for Codina and a penalty to the Albion – so both sides can feel rather aggrieved. You will likely only hear about the former of the two in the press though.
• The majority of Arsenal supporters we come across are well-intentioned and support their team in a positive way. However, the constant “You’re sh*t ahhhs’ every time Nnadozie kicked the ball last night and the borderline hysterical cries for a penalty or a sending off, do the wider community no favours at all. These pernicious elements combine to create a fanbase that is perceived as one of the more toxic in the sport, when actually they should be an example everyone hopes to emulate.

Other Business

• The attendance was announced as 3,450 which would have been helped by the amount of visiting supporters and perhaps hindered by the fact it was a Wednesday night.
• What was particularly enjoyable is that more of the singing, chanting, and drumming made it over to the West Stand and caught on. There were times when the stadium joined in as one whole group – which is what we need to develop moving forward. Thank you to all those driving this initiative forward and working to create an ever-improving atmosphere.
• The officials didn’t have a great night, the aforementioned examples stand out, but there were several other decisions that left fans scratching their heads and consistency was sadly lacking.

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The SheGulls Podcast – where we will discuss the draw against Arsenal and review our upcoming FA Cup Semi-Final against Liverpool – will be live Monday @ 9pm on YouTube – and available subsequently on demand by clicking on the ‘Live’ tab on the channel menu.

Audio of the entire episode will then be released later in the week via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

See you all soon!