Alessia Russo opened her WSL account for the season with a superb finish against Manchester City, but Arsenal’s 4-2 defeat overshadowed another encouraging moment for the England striker.
Russo curled her effort beyond Ayaka Yamashita shortly after half-time to put the Gunners 2-1 ahead at the Etihad Stadium.
It was her second goal in successive appearances, following her strike in Wednesday’s Champions League draw with Paris FC.
Alessia Russo delivers after Arsenal press pays off
OneFootball’s account of the goal highlighted Arsenal’s pressure forcing City to surrender possession inside their own penalty area.
Russo punished the mistake with a curling shot into the far corner, briefly putting Renée Slegers’ side back in control of the scoreline.
The finish ended her wait for a league goal after Arsenal’s opening four WSL fixtures. It also provided a second reminder within five days of the quality she brings when opportunities arrive.
Slegers had retained Russo and the other nine outfield starters from Paris, with Anneke Borbe replacing Misa Rodríguez in goal.
Consecutive goals offer Arsenal something to build on
Russo’s contribution in France had helped Arsenal establish a two-goal advantage before Paris FC recovered to draw 2-2.
Sunday brought another frustrating outcome after she scored, as City overturned Arsenal’s second lead of the afternoon.
Two goals cannot establish that every attacking problem has disappeared. They do, however, give Russo something tangible to build on after a difficult start to the league campaign.
For Arsenal, the next challenge is to turn those finishes into winning contributions. Their striker has scored in consecutive matches, but the team has collected only one point from them.
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