Match ends, Arsenal Women 11, Bristol City Women 1.
Arsenal WomenArsenal Women11Bristol City WomenBristol City Women1
Arsenal recorded the biggest victory in Women's Super League history with an amazing 11-1 thrashing of Bristol City.
The result, which took Arsenal top, passes the previous biggest WSL score of 9-0 when Liverpool beat Doncaster Belles in the top flight in 2013.
Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema scored six and made a further four in a remarkable individual performance.
Jordan Nobbs, Leah Williamson and substitute Emma Mitchell also scored, while Lisa Evans netted a brace.
Arsenal beat Bristol City 7-0 in the Continental League Cup only 10 days ago - but few would have predicted an even more emphatic scoreline with both teams at full strength in the league.
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The Gunners had 32 shots during Sunday's game, 17 of them on target, at a rate of more than one effort on goal every three minutes.
They started the match third in the table, needing what appeared an improbable eight-goal winning margin to lift them above Chelsea and Manchester City.
As it was, they were 9-0 up before the game had even reached the hour-mark.
Miedema set up the first two goals with pinpoint crosses, allowing Evans and Williamson to head home, before scoring a 21-minute hat-trick to put Arsenal 5-0 up at the break.
She scored her fourth and fifth either side of setting up Nobbs' goal, before providing the assist for Evans' second and completing her double hat-trick in the 64th minute.
Scotland left-back Emma Mitchell stretched the lead to 11, before Yana Daniels added the smallest of consolations for Bristol City with just six minutes to go.
Her penalty was saved by Manuela Zinsberger, who had given the spot-kick away, but Daniels bundled in the rebound.
'I love setting up goals'
Miedema, who joined Arsenal from Bayern Munich in 2017, scored more goals in the space of 49 minutes against Bristol City than she had managed in the previous seven league games combined.
She is the top goalscorer and assist maker in the WSL with 10 and seven respectively.
"I don't even know what to say. Obviously getting a result like this is really good for us. I thought we played really well," she said.
"I was actually happier assisting the other girls today. I love setting up goals. It just feels good."
City manager Tanya Oxtoby brandished her team's performance as "completely unacceptable", describing the players and staff as "devastated".
"We need to move on because, from my perspective, there's nothing to be learned from that," she said. "We didn't do what we asked in terms of our game plan."
Line-ups
Arsenal Women
Formation 3-1-4-2
- 1Zinsberger
- 6WilliamsonSubstituted forMaierat 66'minutes
- 5BeattieSubstituted forQuinnat 65'minutes
- 22Schnaderbeck
- 13Wälti
- 17Evans
- 8Nobbs
- 7van de Donk
- 23Mead
- 14Roord
- 11MiedemaSubstituted forMitchellat 70'minutes
Substitutes
- 3Mitchell
- 10Little
- 16Quinn
- 18Peyraud-Magnin
- 20Maier
Bristol City Women
Formation 3-4-2-1
- 1Baggaley
- 16Sargeant
- 5Brown
- 4Matthews
- 2Dykes
- 8Humphrey
- 25Chance
- 12AllenSubstituted forCollisat 57'minutes
- 10Daniels
- 11WellingsSubstituted forRobinsonat 80'minutes
- 9SalmonSubstituted forWilsonat 67'minutes
Substitutes
- 3Evans
- 7Pattinson
- 13Cummings
- 18Collis
- 19Robinson
- 20Wilson
- 22Sanford
- Referee:
- Helen Conley
- Attendance:
- 1,513
Match Stats
Home TeamArsenal WomenAway TeamBristol City Women
- Possession
- Home74%
- Away26%
- Shots
- Home34
- Away5
- Shots on Target
- Home16
- Away2
- Corners
- Home12
- Away3
- Fouls
- Home2
- Away2
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Arsenal Women 11, Bristol City Women 1.
Post update
Offside, Bristol City Women. Olivia Chance tries a through ball, but Carla Humphrey is caught offside.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Jill Roord (Arsenal Women) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Lisa Evans.
Post update
Attempt missed. Jill Roord (Arsenal Women) header from very close range is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Lisa Evans with a cross.
Post update
Corner, Arsenal Women. Conceded by Katie Robinson.
Goal!
Goal! Arsenal Women 11, Bristol City Women 1. Yana Daniels (Bristol City Women) left footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner following a set piece situation.
Post update
Penalty saved! Yana Daniels (Bristol City Women) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the centre of the goal.
Post update
Penalty conceded by Manuela Zinsberger (Arsenal Women) after a foul in the penalty area.
Post update
Penalty Bristol City Women. Yana Daniels draws a foul in the penalty area.
Post update
Attempt missed. Jill Roord (Arsenal Women) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Emma Mitchell.
Post update
Corner, Arsenal Women. Conceded by Yana Daniels.
Substitution
Substitution, Bristol City Women. Katie Robinson replaces Charlie Wellings.
Goal!
Goal! Arsenal Women 11, Bristol City Women 0. Emma Mitchell (Arsenal Women) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Beth Mead with a through ball.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal Women) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Post update
Attempt saved. Lisa Evans (Arsenal Women) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Jordan Nobbs with a through ball.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Beth Mead (Arsenal Women) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Jordan Nobbs.
Post update
Attempt missed. Louise Quinn (Arsenal Women) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box misses to the left. Assisted by Emma Mitchell with a cross following a corner.
Post update
Corner, Arsenal Women. Conceded by Meaghan Sargeant.
Substitution
Substitution, Arsenal Women. Emma Mitchell replaces Vivianne Miedema.
