Alessia Russo scored twice on the final day of the WSL season as Arsenal secured second place with a 3-1 win over Liverpool.
The Gunners were unable to remain in title contention until the final day, but were set to secure automatic qualification for the Women’s Champions League behind Manchester City.
And had it not been for Jennifer Falk’s inspired first-half goalkeeping, the Gunners could have posted big numbers.
It took until the 21st minute for Liverpool’s stopper to break down with Rousseau’s first goal of the game. She looked up and found Stina Blackstenius before swinging the ball. But despite her team-mate standing up, the ball passed over Falk’s head before passing through her legs.
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Arsenal took a first-half lead against Liverpool in their final WSL match of the season thanks to Alessia Russo’s cross-turned shot.
After Arsenal applied more pressure, the visitors applied another after half an hour. Mariona Caldentey and Katie McCabe’s last appearance for the Gunners was a superb short corner routine before the former fired home from a narrow angle.
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Mariona Caldentey completed a clever corner routine to give Arsenal a 2-0 lead against Liverpool.
Soon after, Arsenal threatened to run away with the game when Rousseau added a third goal. Victoria Pelova, making her bow as a Gunner, sent an inviting ball into the penalty area from the right. Rousseau swept in his 12th league goal of the season while his team-mate was on the other side of the area.
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Arsenal took a 3-0 lead against Liverpool in the 37th minute through Alessia Russo’s second goal.
Liverpool did a better job of limiting Arsenal’s chances after the break, but Falk wasn’t very effective. They even provided a lifeline themselves when teenager Zara Shaw scrambled home a corner for the Reds’ first of the game in front of The Kop.
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Zara Shaw scores in front of the Kop as Liverpool pull one goal back against Arsenal.
However, the second half was mainly devoted to farewells for departing players from both sides, including McCabe, Beth Mead Gemma Bonner and Gemma Evans, who were all given the opportunity to say goodbye to their respective fans.
Arsenal finished second, four points behind Manchester City, while Liverpool finished 11th after a terrible start to the season, eight points ahead of bottom-placed Leicester.
