The England striker produced two fantastic finishes on a relatively comfortable night in Oslo, with Frida Maanum also scoring in her home city
Those days early in the season when Alessia Russo's lack of goals were under scrutiny feel like a distant memory now, after the forward bagged her seventh goal in as many Arsenal games on Thursday night to keep the Gunners' hopes of topping their Champions League group alive. Two superb finishes, impressive for different reasons, helped Renee Slegers' side to a 3-1 win over Valerenga in their penultimate game at this stage, with a Frida Maanum strike sandwiched in between.
It was a comfortable outing almost from the get-go for Arsenal in Oslo, despite the freezing temperatures in the Norwegian capital. After dominating the first 25 minutes, Russo gave them the lead when she cut inside onto her right foot and coolly found the far bottom corner, and Maanum doubled that advantage before the break after some good work from Caitlin Foord.
The Gunners ramped things up in the second half, creating many more chances but finding themselves a little less clinical, even if Russo volleyed home to make it three before the hour. Stina Blackstenius, who had a flurry of opportunities, hit the post, while substitute Lina Hurtig bent a shot just over the bar. A lack of cutting edge did allow Valerenga to reduce the deficit through Tilde Lindwall, who produced an emphatic finish when a deflected cross fell her way late on, but it wouldn't affect the result, leaving Arsenal a point behind group leaders Bayern Munich ahead of the two meeting next week in a game that will decide who finishes top.
GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Intility Arena…
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Manuela Zinsberger (6/10):
Her intercepted clearance gave Valerenga an early chance but, like anything else they threw at her, which wasn't a lot in truth, she was able to stop it.
Katie Reid (6/10):
The talented teenager made her first Arsenal start but didn't look out of her depth at all, even if it came in a slightly unnatural right-back role.
Lotte Wubben-Moy (7/10):
Near-perfect in possession. Wasn't really troubled defensively until Valerenga really went for it late on.
Laia Codina (7/10):
Was similarly accurate on the ball and comfortable off it, as her centre-back partner, albeit with the slightly more impressive caveat of completing a lot more dangerous and attack-minded passes.
Katie McCabe (7/10):
Couldn't make too much of an impact in attack in the first half, with Valerenga sitting deep. Delivered dangerous set pieces though and was a problem when she could be, especially in the second half.
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Mariona Caldentey (7/10):
Dictated play for the whole game, showing real class in a deeper role. Won all of her tackles, too.
Kyra Cooney-Cross (7/10):
Worked hard, was strong in duels and tidy on the ball. Solid all round.
Frida Maanum (8/10):
Always looked likely to score and it was a great finish when it came. Kept causing problems with how often she found pockets of space to create in, too.
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Caitlin Foord (7/10):
Nice assist for Maanum, after a positive drive at her marker and an accurate square pass. Whenever she ran at her opponents, she caused problems.
Stina Blackstenius (6/10):
After a really quiet first half, had three big chances to get on the scoresheet in the second and couldn't take them. Movement improved after the break though, as did her role in the build-up.
Alessia Russo (8/10):
Found the back of the net brilliantly to break the deadlock, neatly bending the ball into the bottom corner after cutting inside, then bagged a brace with a confident first time finish.
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Lina Hurtig (7/10):
Made an immediate impact as a lively presence down the left, either by creating chances for others or showing good movement to cause the defence concern about her getting on the end of one. Did a lot of defensive work when Valerenga stepped things up late on, too.
Laura Wienroither (6/10):
Didn't have too much to do in her half an hour, with Valerenga finding more joy down the opposite flank.
Rosa Kafaji (6/10):
Had a couple of nice moments, though quietened down as the game went on due to the opposition having more of the ball.
Kathrine Kuhl (N/A):
Made a rare appearance in the latter stages.
Freya Godfrey (N/A):
Made her Champions League debut in the final few minutes.
Renee Slegers (7/10):
With qualification to the next round already secured, it made sense to give opportunities to some other players here and she will have liked what she saw from her team despite that rotation. Was nice for her to give some young prospects a run out, too.
