An assured Arsenal side beat Liverpool 3-1 on the final day of the Women’s Super League season as club legends Katie McCabe and Beth Mead played their final games.
McCabe set up Mariona Caldentey between two Alessia Russo goals at Anfield before Zara Shaw scored off the bench for Liverpool in the second half.
The result confirmed Arsenal’s second-place finish, four points behind champions Manchester City and two ahead of last season’s winners, Chelsea.
A routine afternoon began quickly when Russo played Stina Blackstenius through on goal three minutes into the match. The Swede burst towards the near post but was denied by Jennifer Falk.
Liverpool registered an effort soon after as Alice Bergstrom struck a half-volley into the arms of Daphne van Domselaar.
After Arsenal were denied three times in a scramble inside the box, Russo eventually broke the deadlock in the 21st minute, curling home from outside the area.
Renée Slegers’ side doubled their advantage soon after in a quickly taken corner. McCabe delivered neatly for Caldentey who rifled into the top corner.
Russo then scored her second goal of the afternoon ten minutes before the break, turning in Victoria Pelova’s fizzing cross at the back post.
Early in the second half, Liverpool twice came close to reducing the deficit through Beata Olsson and Grace Fisk but it was subsititute Shaw who eventually got on the scoresheet.
There were 15,000 in attendance at Anfield, with Arsenal bringing an impressive 3,000 fans up from London. McCabe and Mead both departed the field to rapturous applause from the travelling support marking the end of over 20 years of service between them.
At full time there were final farewells for Pelova and Laia Codina who are also leaving this summer as well as Liverpool departures Gemma Bonner and Gemma Evans.
Asked about the atmosphere of her final match, an emotional McCabe said: “It was crazy. I was leading the girls out and I looked at the away end and it was like I was at an Ireland game.
The fans have been incredible over the years that I’ve been here, we’ve built the club up together, we’ve had success together and I’m going to miss being part of it, for sure.”
Starting XIs:
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Falk (GK); Enderby, Clark, Fisk (C), Bernabé; Nagano, MacLean; Jøsendal, O’Sullivan, Bergström; Olsson
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): van Domselaar (GK); Fox, Wubben-Moy, Codina, McCabe (C); Caldentey, Pelova; Mead, Blackstenius, Foord; Russo
Featured image courtesy of Suzanne Lycett via Wikimedia Commons.