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Nick Cushing’s hopes of a happy send off were dented as goals from the Dutch duo of Vivianne Miedema and Daniëlle van de Donk put Arsenal into the Continental Cup final at Manchester City’s expense.
Cushing leaves Manchester for the assistant coach role at New York City FC in the MLS on Monday and Gemma Bonner’s second-half header from a corner failed to launch a much needed fightback against a side they face for the second time in five days on Sunday. Arsenal will play Chelsea in the final at the City Ground, after Maren Mjelde beat Manchester United’s Mary Earps from a tight angle for their eighth final in nine editions.
After Arsenal’s defeat of West Ham on Sunday, the Gunners’ manager, Joe Montemurro, had defended his small squad. “I’ve said this many times there’s no use me holding on to players when they can play elsewhere.
“I’m probably a little bit stubborn and hardheaded with that. You run the risk of injury but we’ve got really good quality back up to come in if I need it.”
Three days later and his philosophy was being tested. The official line from the club was that his captain, Kim Little, was being rested, but with just three senior players on the bench alongside two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old, if the line was true, he was definitely taking a risk.
Luckily for him, the Gunners did their best to make impact substitutes unnecessary. Just six minutes in and Manchester City centre-back Bonner gifted the ball to Beth Mead. The England winger played it to Miedema who cut on to her left and fired low into the far corner.
It was a goal to end not quite a drought but the Dutch centre-forward was, until then, yet to score in 2020. It takes her season tally to 17 in all competitions.
With Cushing’s experiment of No 10 Georgia Stanway at right-back not having been a total disaster against Manchester United on Saturday, although it left a creative gap up top, he persevered with the 21-year-old in her new full-back berth. Arsenal though, and Mead in particular, are a very different beast to United and Stanway suffered. Just 14 minutes in and the England international clattered Mead to earn a yellow.
On the stroke of half-time Arsenal doubled their lead – a run from deep by Miedema saw her snake into the box on the right before switching it back for Van de Donk whose shot slipped under Ellie Roebuck. Roebuck did well to save from Miedema in the second half but minutes later, and in a game where defensive errors proved costly, Leonie Maier tripped Lauren Hemp in the corner of the penalty box to gift City a penalty.
Manuela Zinsberger dived low to her left to turn the tame strike from Ellen White around the post. The striker’s head was only bowed for a moment though, with Bonner heading in from the resulting corner to reduce the deficit. “I always think you shouldn’t lose twice across the two games really,” Cushing had ominously said in the week.
Now the pressure is on for him to make the changes that will turn around their fortunes against the Gunners on Sunday. Do so, and he departs with City out of the cup but top of the league.
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