Slegers hails Arsenal after Russo double sinks Liverpool: "Tremendous passion and pride for the shirt"

Arsenal women's head coach Renée Slegers praised the "passion and pride for the shirt" her players showed on the pitch after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the Women's Super League (WSL).

The London side, who claimed all three points at Anfield thanks to a first-half brace from Alessia Russo, moved up to sixth place in the table.

Russo opened the scoring in the 9th minute, but hosts Liverpool hit back just six minutes later through Beata Olsson. Arsenal refused to give up, however, and Russo's second goal just before half-time restored their lead and settled the contest.

Speaking after the match, Slegers said: "When I look at the team as a whole, the way we found Russo in the box and the way we defended in the closing stages, really fighting for every ball... There was incredible passion and pride for the shirt."

The head coach continued: "The starting 11 and those who came off the bench showed great resilience. We were not going to let that ball go in; we were determined to take the three points today and the team did that. It was not easy at all after the Aston Villa draw and a run of difficult fixtures. Determination and character got us the win. Of course, we would have liked to control the game more comfortably, but the opponent is a team that plays well on the ball. I am extremely pleased with our defending in and around our box and with the spirit the team showed."

Slegers also spoke about Russo, who has scored seven goals in her last four matches, noting that the England striker has hit top form: "Both goals were really clean finishes. She takes up great positions in the box, and I am very happy for her."

Elsewhere in the WSL this week, London City Lionesses beat Birmingham City 4-1 to cut the gap to second-placed Chelsea to four points. Crystal Palace moved above Liverpool after beating Charlton Athletic 3-2 thanks to a 90th-minute winner from Bethany England. Tottenham came from behind to beat Brighton 2-1, while Manchester United edged past Aston Villa with a single goal (1-0).