Arsenal striker hits six goals and assists four in 11-0 rout

Vivianne Miedema scored six goals and assisted four more as Arsenal eviscerated winless Bristol City for the second time in ten days at Meadow Park.
Vivianne MiedemaVivianne Miedema
Vivianne Miedema

The Dutch star, top scorer in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League last season, teed up goals for Lisa Evans and Leah Williamson before scoring three herself in a relentless first-half display.

Miedema added a further treble after the break, going on to assist Jordan Nobbs and a second for Evans.

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Emma Mitchell was the other Arsenal goalscorer with Yana Daniels adding a late consolation goal. It was a FA WSL record score, surpassing Liverpool's 9-0 win over Doncaster Rovers Belles in 2013.

Arsenal took the lead inside seven minutes, Danielle Van de Donk freeing Miedema down the left, whose cross was nodded in by Evans.

Another sensational delivery from the 23-year-old led to the second three minutes later, with Williamson diving to add a second.

Miedema put Arsenal 3-0 up inside 15 minutes, working the ball into the box and rifling home before converting again from close range just after the half-hour mark.

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Miedema secured her hat-trick four minutes later, converting the rebound after her own shot was parried weakly, and she picked up where she left off after half-time with a wonderful fourth from out wide.

The striker’s fourth goal was a wonderful strike from the corner of the box five minutes into the second half.

And she turned provider again three minutes later, Nobbs converting from close range.

Miedema turned in Evans’ cross two minutes later to net her fifth inside 56 minutes and the returned the favour as she found Evans for a cushioned volley to make it nine.

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In the 65th minute, Miedema scored her sixth, finishing well from a tight angle before substitute Mitchell fired in from inside the box with ten minutes left.

A tough afternoon for Bristol ended when Daniels tapped home the rebound from her penalty for a late consolation.

To follow the action, buy tickets and sign-up for The FA Player’s live Barclays FA Women’s Super League coverage visit womenscompetitions.thefa.com

Miedema said: "I think we played well for the whole 90 minutes, and we wanted to score more goals throughout, which I think says a lot about the team today.

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"We want to win the league again and qualify for the Champions League. The last few games have been really difficult for us, so it was important to raise the goal difference.

"I felt really good. I was probably happier with the assists than with the goals. We’ve still got three more games and we need to focus and make sure we get six more points in the league and win in the cup.

"We created more space with three-at-the-back. We knew where we could get at Bristol having played them recently. We’ve got the players to play three or four at the back which really helps."

Bristol City manager Tanya Oxtoby said: "The players are devastated, as are the staff. We have to put it behind us and move forward. It builds character and we’ve got three massive games before Christmas and that is the period where we’re looking for a reaction from the players.

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"You look at our squad today and they’re mostly academy products. When you compare them to the calibre of Arsenal’s weaponry then they’re chalk and cheese. And we’re aware of that and we have to take positives from it and it was good for some of the younger players to get some minutes under their belts.

"There’s positives in the last few games but for me that performance was not acceptable and we need to move on now. There’s nothing to be learned from this game because they didn’t were asked to do and what we hoped to do. We need to regroup, refocus and get back to what we’re good at.

Arsenal (3-4-3): Manuela Zinsberger; Jennifer Beattie, Leah Williamson, Viktoria Schnaderbeck; Lia Walti, Jordan Nobbs ©, Danielle Van de Donk, Jill Roord; Lisa Evans, Vivianne Miedema, Beth Mead

Substitutes: Louise Quinn on for Beattie 65, Leonie Maier on for Williamson 66, Emma Mitchell on for Miedema 70

Substitutes not used: Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, Kim Little

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Bristol City (4-2-3-1): Sophie Baggaley; Loren Dykes ©, Meghan Sargeant, Jasmine Matthews, Flo Allen; Frankie Brown, Olivia Chance; Yana Daniels, Carla Humphrey, Charlie Wellings; Ebony Salmon

Substitutes: Maisy Collis on for Allen 57, Georgia Wilson on for Salmon 67, Katie Robinson on for Wellings 80

Substitutes not used: Eartha Cumings, Gemma Evans, Poppy Pattinson, Ellie Mae Sanford

Referee: Helen Conley