WSL: Vivianne Miedema bids farewell to Arsenal with final goal | OneFootball

Emotions ran high on Saturday as Vivianne Miedema got herself on the scoresheet to mark a poetic farewell to Arsenal. The Dutch icon wrapped up her trailblazing chapter with the Gunners in their 5-0 win over Brighton.

With Champions League qualification assured, Arsenal welcomed the Seagulls to Meadow Park. The Gunners had already guaranteed themselves a third-place finish ahead of the final day of the season.

Starting XIs

Arsenal

D’Angelo; Fox, Williamson, Catley, Mead, Little, McCabe, Ford, Catley, Pelova, Russo, Cooney-Cross

Brighton

Baggaley; Thorisdottir, Pattinson, Bergsvand, Losada, Lee, Olme, Terland, Carabali, Haley, Robinson

How it went

Alessia Russo opened the scoring inside the first 20 minutes and doubled her tally just seven minutes later. From there, the remainder of the first half passed in half chances, with neither side able to add to the scoreline.

The second half brought a chance for Kim Little to get her name on the scoresheet, however her spot-kick failed to find the back of Brighton’s net.

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Just moments after coming onto the pitch, Vivianne Miedema scored her final Arsenal goal to put the Gunners three up. The Dutch striker is set to depart North London this summer following the expiration of her contract. A 67th-minute own goal from Jorelyn Carabali further added to Brighton’s woes. The Seagulls had struggled to find a foothold in the tie with the fourth goal appearing to rock the teams’ confidence. Frida Maanum rounded out the goal-scoring action, converting Miedema’s 88th-minute assist.

Miedema’s departure came as a shock to the wider football community. As the all-time WSL top scorer, the Arsenal No.11 has been a fan favourite since joining the club in 2017. Since the announcement, rumours have been swirling surrounding the striker’s future. League runners-up Manchester City have reportedly shown interest in obtaining the 27-year-old’s signature with a move outside of the English top flight also possible.

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