Key events
69 min Wheeler is down with some kind of leg nauseation, but she’ll be fine.
67 min Arsenal are getting closer, feet from Russo moving it nicely across the face of the Everton box before Fox finds Mead who curves in a delectable cross … and Lacasse is there! But she mistimes her flick, misses her header, and the ball trickles wide. Another chance spurned.
65 min Two further changes for Arsenal, Maanum and Lacasse replacing Foord and Blackstenius.
64 min “I find it strange that Blackstenius gets that much flak,” emails Björn Isaksson. “She is not clinical but she has the best average per 90 minutes of all the Arsenal players in the WSL, Russo has the same number when combining goals and assists. Blackstenius is the one that scored in this year’s League Cup, the only attacking player that scored in the one last year, scored three goals in the four knockout matches in last year’s Champions league and so on. She has done the same for Sweden for years now too. In this game Foord had the best chance for Arsenal in the first half and fluffed it, but as usual that is not mentioned when you summarized the first half but instead complained about Blackstenius. Of course, I am a Swede but when the numbers say that she is the best striker they have, that other players have much worse numbers, then it is strange to complain about Blackstenius.”
I don’t think she’s the class of the better players around her, but is still a very good player. Is that controversial?
63 min And it’s another good delivery, Vanhaevermaet up highest and first … but bundling straight at Zinsberger.
63 min Holmsgaard S wins a corner, and Everton will fancy themselves to cause issues here.
61 min Arsenal come again, Russo pulling wide and slipping a clever ball into Foord, who tees-up Dox, unmarked inside the box! But as a challenge comes in, she’s forced to hurry, shoving a tame sidefooter that bobbles past the post. Another big chance missed.
58 min Lovely reverse-pass from Mead to set Fox away down the right, but her cross is poor and Everton clear. On the Arsenal bench, meanwhile, Maanum readies herself, returning from injury following the Conti Cup final.
57 min Maybe Everton growing in confidence will help Arsenal, leaving gaps for them to attack, because make no mistake, the home side are passing with purpose now, looking to spring their attackers in behind.
56 min There are fans singing a version of Bella Ciao; anyone care to apprise us of the lyrics?
54 min But here they come now and what a miss this is! Catley feeds McCabe down the left, she crosses low, and Blackstenius is there! but from close range, she sweeps with the direction of the ball, sending is past the far post! She’ll be feeling extremely poorly round about now, because that was very bad behaviour.
53 min It’s been a really poor start to the half from Arsenal, though they’re against the wind. They’re playing without conviction and haven’t looked 25 points better than their hosts or anything like it.
51 min I wonder if it might help Arsenal to get an extra player in midfield to release Pelova; Blackstenius and Russo have hardly been involved, so more players closer to one of them, with the other taking a blow, might help. Or, in other words, just get Miedema on already.
51 min When the corner comes in, though, Brosnan collects easily enough; she’s looked pretty solid so far.
50 min Vanhaevermaet takes a cross to the coupon and needs a breather, but she’ll be fine.
49 min Looking again at that Holmgaard header against the bar, Vanhaevermaet was up against Mead and close in; physically, she ought to have done more to reach that second ball, taking everyone with her through the net if necessary.
47 min Here come Everton again, Hope down the line to Bissell, whose cross is collected by Zinsberger easily enough. But the home side have started well here, whatever Eidevall said at half-time yet to take effect.
46 min Now with the wind at their backs, Everton drill a ball forward that Fox can’t control, Holmgaard K picking up to cross … but Piemonte can’t get over her header.
46 min And Arsenal make a change, Williamson replaced by Codina. She must be hurt, so let’s hope it’s nothing serious.
46 min We go again.
Our teams are back with us.
Once upon a time…
HALF-TIME: Everton 0-0 Arsenal
Blackstenius ought to have put Arsenal ahead but Holmgaard’s header crashed against the bar is the nearest either side have come to scoring. Everton have defended really well, but Arsenal also need to improve if they’re to stay in the title race.
45+2 min Pelova has looked Arsenal’s likeliest, bursting into the box down its right and skewing a shot just wide of the far post. Everton have done really well to limit the chances to ones of that ilk – save Blackstenius’ one-on-one miss.
45+1 min On the topic of the word soar, when Scottish people say it, pronunciation differs to that of sore and saw; not so when English do. More news as I get it.
45 min We’ll have three added minutes.
45 min Piemonte collects a loose ball and, from 40 yards, reckons Zinsberger is out of position, thrashing a lob from distance that soars over the bar.
44 min “I’m sorry to say it,” returns Charles Antaki, “because she’s obviously a willing worker and makes a nuisance of herself upfront, but this is another display by Blackstenius which shows up her weak suits: ball control, passing and shot execution. Three quite important elements of the striker’s game.”
I can’t disagree. She’s a good player, but also as average a player as Arsenal could legitimately be expected to have in that position.
43 min Holmgaard S puts her head among the boots to head clear, then Russo is penalised for a high boot.
42 min Now Arsenal sustain an attack, Finnigan swiping what looks like an easy clearance behind. Another corner for Arsenal, that yields another.
41 min Arsenal play off Russo, who lays into the path of Little … whose shot is blocked at source by Vanhaevermaet. Everton are defending superbly.
40 min Eeesh, Bissell looks to stop the marauding McCabe and their faces mince. Both should be fine.
39 min Elsewhere, there’s another little ruckus soon to get under way.
37 min If Arsenal don’t win today, any outside hope of the title with extinguish. And that doesn’t look impossible because they’re struggling to play with fluency and sustain attacks.
36 min The corner is half-cleared, then Fox sticks one back into the box only for the wind to catch it and send it behind.
35 min Williamson sets Arsenal away with a fine pass out to Mead, on the right touchline. She finds Pelova and eventually Fox’s cross is blocked behind for yet another corner; that’s good defending from Holmsgaard S.
33 min Blacksteinus is flagged offside while tussling with Finnigan and Arsenal are getting frustrated.
32 min Little out wide to Foord, but when her near-post cross arrives, Blackstenius can’t sort feet out to flick on trger.
30 min Everton are growing in enterprise. It’s brave to try passing out – it shows their manager trusts them – and with Bissell keeping the width down the right, they’re looking to stretch Arsenal when they get the ball.
28 min At risk of going on, Miedema is exactly what’s required against a disciplined defence. I also think Arsenal would get more out of whichever of Russo and Blackstenius stayed on with her on the park.
26 min We’ve barely seen Beth Mead so far, which tells us how solid Everton have been.
24 min Brosnan is down hurt, and that’s bad news for Everton as she’s made a really good start to the game. I think, though, that she’ll be alright.
23 min Mead wins the ball back inside the Everton box after Blackstenius’s shot is blocked, and when the Swede goes again, Little, in the middle totally misses her kick. That is a significant oversight.
23 min “Walton Hall chaos…” emails an anonymous correspondent. “This was after kick off, ticket holders trying to get in…”
22 min “Straight at her,” writes Charlesa Antaki. “Blackstenius’ shot looks like it was meant to pierce Brosnan.”
Yup, she made the save a total piece of Pierce.
20 min Pelova is a lovely footballer and she picks a pass on the edge, slipping through for Blackstenius, and thus tie she lifts her finish … but Brosnan saves anyway, the flag subsequently going up for offside.
20 min Here come Arsenal again, Fox nashing down the right and crossing low through the corridor, no one there to apply the finish.
19 min Holmsgaard S crosses to the back post where Holmsgaard K is up, a snide hand in the back of Fox … and she powers a header against the bar, Vanhaevermaet unable to force home the loose ball.
17 min Everton try pressing Arsenal high and win the ball, Holmsgaard K winning a corner. It’s not easy to do that when defending as low as they are, but they do need to get play down the other end and give Arsenal something to think about.
15 min Snoeijs clears but Arsenal stick another ball into the box and Finnigan concedes yet another corner, this time McCabe trying a sly ball down the side when found outside the box, putting too much on it for Little to catch up before it rolls over the by-line.