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Arsenal Women 9-0 Leeds United Women: Substitute Stina Blackstenius scores a brace as Arsenal progress comfortably to the fifth round of the FA Women’s Cup with a thumping victory
- Arsenal Femenino thrashed Leeds United 9-0 on matchday four of the FA Cup
- Stina Blackstenius scored a brace, with Caitlin Foord opening the scoring
- Kathrine Moller Kuhl, Kim Little, Lina Hurtig and Jen Beattie also found the net
- Michelle Agyemang and Victoria Pelova managed to get on the scoreboard
Arsenal showed the gulf between the Women’s Super League and the lower levels with a 9-0 thrashing of Leeds in the FA Cup fourth round.
The Gunners have won this competition 14 times, beating Leeds on two of those occasions, in 2006 and 2008. But Leeds have fallen down the football ladder ever since.
Three divisions below their opponents, the Yorkshire club is made up of part-time players holding full-time jobs. Rick Passmoor’s side had managed to keep the score at 3-0 at half-time, but the difference in fitness levels was evident when the hosts scored six second-half goals.
Substitute Stina Blackstenius scored twice as Arsenal Women thrashed Leeds United 9-0
Caitlin Foord opened the scoring at Meadow Park, putting Arsenal Women on the rise
Recent signing Kathrine Moller Kuhl celebrates after her goal for Arsenal against Leeds
Kim Little scores Arsenal’s third goal from the penalty spot in the match at Meadow Park
Leeds had also not played a game since December due to postponements of league games, so it was always going to be a case of when, not if, Arsenal broke the deadlock. The Leeds resistance only lasted ten minutes. A Katie McCabe corner caused confusion in the Leeds box and Caitlin Foord was able to force the ball over the line from close range.
The Gunners doubled their lead three minutes later when two new signings combined on their debuts. Victoria Pelova found space on the right and passed the ball to Katrina Kuhl. Her shot lacked power but she slipped out of Carrie Simpson’s hands.
The Leeds keeper made two fantastic saves to prevent Foord from making it 3-0 on the half hour mark. But a third came before halftime when Kim Little converted a penalty after Foord stumbled in the box.
Lina Hurtig scored Arsenal’s fourth goal against Leeds during the FA Cup tie
Jen Beattie also managed to get on the scoreboard as Arsenal secured a comfortable win.
There was no letup for Leeds as Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall brought in four international players for the second half. Thirteen minutes after the break, one of them added his name to the score sheet when Lina Hurtig hit a McCabe corner to head home Simpson.
It was another corner that brought up the fifth goal, as this time defender Jen Beattie sent a looping header from the back post into the roof of the net. Arsenal became increasingly dominant as Leeds tired and Stina Blackstenius added a sixth and seventh in the space of three minutes.
Michelle Agyemang scored her first senior goal and added to Arsenal’s impressive lead
Victoria Pelova finished off the scoring by putting Arsenal 9-0 after 83′
There was a first senior goal from Michelle Agyemang, who showed great footing and composure to finish at the far post, before a Pelova goal made it 9-0 before the end of regulation.
The fifth round draw will take place during BBC Sportsday on the BBC News channel and BBC iPlayer.