A sold-out away finish helped fill out the 32,000-strong crowd on the Emirates on Sunday as many hoped for an end-to-end encounter.
They weren’t dissatisfied as fearless London Metropolis confirmed bravery in opposition to an Arsenal aspect who performed with a spark following their 1-1 draw with Barcelona.
The guests had been helped out by Arsenal’s wastefulness – the Gunners had 17 pictures and solely transformed one – however London Metropolis prompted loads of issues of their very own.
Maestre mentioned after their defeat by Manchester Metropolis that their opponents confirmed extra expertise and know-how however in opposition to Arsenal, his aspect matured.
They had been underneath stress early on and fell a objective down due to Frida Maanum’s opener however it took simply 98 seconds for Izzy Goodwin to equalise for London Metropolis.
That killed Arsenal’s momentum and when the stress elevated once more from the hosts within the second half, goalkeeper and participant of the match Mary Earps stepped as much as make essential saves.
“The efficiency was there. We had the possibilities to attain and get a greater end result however Arsenal had possibilities too. The sport was very open,” mentioned Maestre.
“The best way we confronted and challenged each circumstance within the sport reveals we’re right here, and in a position to play with that mentality in these large video games.
“We got here right here to take dangers. Our power was good. We had been courageous and weren’t scared concerning the context or the opponent.
“We tried to play as if we had been at dwelling. I at all times need to really feel that my groups are courageous and go for the win.”
That bravery confirmed as Alexia Putellas got here shut twice with long-range efforts, Goodwin may have been onside when she was performed in behind in a while.
London Metropolis hit the crossbar by means of substitute Delphine Cascarino and had 14 pictures in comparison with Arsenal’s 17, together with 4 contained in the field.
Arsenal are nonetheless but to win at dwelling this season within the WSL however this was nonetheless a formidable exhibiting from London Metropolis, who got here to the Emirates to play.
However whereas they had been prepared to take dangers, they had been smarter than they had been in opposition to Manchester Metropolis, selecting when to press aggressively and when to carry off.
“We tried to match the tempo of the ball and never expose ourselves as a lot to the gamers that Arsenal have,” added Maestre.
“We had been attempting to combine the moments we had been extra scientific in our press. We made some changes at half-time and had been significantly better at recognising these.”
