Arsenal Women sealed their first Super League title since 2012
Monday 29 April 2019 20:03, UK
Arsenal Women clinched the Super League title for the first time since 2012 with a 4-0 victory over Brighton.
Vivianne Miedema opened the scoring with her 22nd goal of the season after six minutes, the Dutch striker hitting a thunderous shot from the edge of the area which went in off the underside of the crossbar.
And the 22-year-old then turned provider after half an hour, setting up team-mate Katie McCabe to double the lead for Joe Montemurro's side at the Amex Stadium.
Beth Mead made it 3-0 with a superb long-range effort and Danielle van de Donk completed the rout in front of a record crowd of 5,265.
Miedema, who scored her 22nd goal of the season in Arsenal's 4-0 win, gave her reaction to their title success after the game.
"I came to Arsenal to win the league but I don't think I've realised what we've done yet.
"I'm happy we've done it and we've done it with a 4-0 win. Joe (Montemurro) changed a lot when he came in, so he has to take a lot of credit, but more than anything he really made us believe in ourselves."
Mead said: "It's hard to describe right now but it's been a long time coming - everyone's ecstatic.
"Joe [Montemurro] says we've had a lot of ups and downs as a group with injuries and things like that so enjoy the moment."
Arsenal manager Joe Montemurro said he was "proud and honoured" and praised his players for coming through a testing season.
"To coach an Arsenal team to a championship as an Arsenal fan is mind-boggling," he said. "It's something I'd never have thought about in growing up and becoming a coach. I'm very proud and very honoured to be here as an Arsenal coach.
"Winning the title means a lot because we've had an interesting year. They've come together as a group and there's been a lot of adversity with regards to the injuries and so on. As a group, the love and the respect they have for each other really culminates in what we've achieved today.
"I'm very proud of the way we did it with control, defined our own destiny. We didn't have to rely on other teams dropping points or anyone else losing. It was just us and that's all credit to the players who were prepared every week and bought into the philosophy and methodology of play. They've represented Arsenal in the best way possible."
The Gunners have clinched the title with one game to play.
Their final game of the WSL season is against Manchester City at Meadow Park on Saturday, May 11 at 12.30pm.
