The huge welcoming cheer from the Arsenal fans crammed into the North Bank terrace at Borehamwood on the introduction of their new manager, Renée Slegers, over the PA system shortly before kickoff was testament to her job done to date.
The interim manager has gone from a relative unknown, as an assistant to Jonas Eidevall with an emphasis on one-on-one work with players, to the popular choice among players and Arsenal faithful alike. “We’ve got super Renée Slegers, she knows exactly what we need,” sang the standing fans in the North Bank and, it seems, she does.
For the manager nothing feels different though – a “no” and a smile were all that was given in response to the question.
Defeat of bottom-placed Crystal Palace may have been somewhat of a foregone conclusion, but it was an important victory for the home team, one that kickstarts a new era and makes it 11 wins out of 12 unbeaten games since the former Dutch international took over. There are bigger challenges to come but, for now, that is a moot point. You can only deliver results against the team in front of you and that is what the Gunners have done under Slegers, over and over.
It took six minutes for Slegers’ team to make their mark at Borehamwood, Katie McCabe’s corner sidefooted in by England captain Leah Williamson in the middle, her first goal for the Gunners since March 2023.
There was some irony in Williamson’s goal, evident in the clear surprise as she celebrated. Just two days prior, when talking about how she manages emotions and connects with supporters, the defender said: “I’m not going to score a goal ,am I? That’s not my way of connecting with fans”. There was more irony in the fact that by full time Williamson could have had four.
“She’s very intelligent on the pitch, getting positioning right, finding passes, knowing what the team needs at every phase,” said Slegers. “She brings leadership, she’s in a good place.”
Despite the early lead though, it was far from a straightforward first half in the bitter cold. Arsenal were dominant, but they struggled with the final ball as Palace’s well-organised back five stood firm. Shortly before the break the visiting team went close to punishing the Gunners for their profligacy, Katie Stengel’s smart pass finding My Cato but the Swedish forward put her effort wide of the post.
The introduction of Caitlin Foord in the 57th minute would be decisive in helping Arsenal cement the points. The Australian forward swept in from the left six minutes on from her entering the fray and forced a low save from Shae Yanez at the near post that Alessia Russo was on hand to convert on the rebound.
Five minutes later and the Gunners had a third. Emily Fox found the run of Russo and the England forward fed Beth Mead who powered the ball in at the near post.
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Palace’s resilience was well and truly broken, their inability to hold their form across 90 minutes in the new division a consistent problem. With 15 minutes to play they conceded a penalty when Annabel Blanchard brought down Foord. Mariona Caldentey stepped up and slotted the spot-kick coolly into the bottom corner.
The fifth arrived deep into added time, Caldentey powering in her second after Russo had rattled the post, taking the Gunners’ tally under Slegers to 36 goals in 12 games.
“We had great impact players,” said Slegers. “Our changes made a great impact on the game. We scored those goals, the second and third, and then we really wanted to go for more, and that’s what the girls did. That can be important at the end of the season.”