Vivianne Miedema winner sinks Manchester City to secure Arsenal's fifth Continental Cup title

Three months after crossing the globe to become manager of Arsenal Women, Australian Joe Montemurro hoisted his first trophy on Wednesday night. A solitary goal by Vivianne Miedema, 36 minutes into the first half, was enough to dethrone holders Manchester City and see win Arsenal their fifth Continental Cup.

Ironically Montemurro had been coaching Australian women’s champions Melbourne City, an off-shoot of Manchester City, before getting the call from Arsenal. He thanked “the City group for giving me the opportunity I had at Melbourne” but said the 12,000-mile switch had been worth it.

“I am ecstatic to be here,” he said after the final whistle, “privileged to be here. I love the club, love the football. There was a lot of emotion [watching the game], a lot ups and downs. We were in control first half, in the second half we had to defend.”

“We were not good enough in the first half,” said City manager Nick Cushing. “We were too passive, we gave Arsenal too much respect. But I’m proud of their reaction after half-time and how the players tried and fought for their trophy, but we left ourselves too much to do.”

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Miedema scored the winner in the final of Euro 2017 last summer and if this chilly night at Wycombe was a very different occasion to that heady afternoon in Enschede, the Dutch striker was keen to stress its value.

“To win this game is so important for Arsenal.” She added, referencing the Euro win, “that experience helps, especially when you are one-nil up with ten minutes to go, I think you saw that with [Dutch and Arenal teammate] Danielle van de Donk.”

Arsenal needed all the experience of their four Dutch Euro winners as holders Manchester City put them under siege in the second period. The pace of Nikita Parris and substitute Claire Emslie stretched Arsenal but they held firm. “We’ve now gone seven games without copping a goal,” said Montemurro. “That’s not just the back four. The midfield three and the top did well.”

It was close though. Scot Lisa Evans cleared off the line from Parris who was also denied by Sari Van Veenendaal, but it was Leah Williamson who will have caught the eye of watching England manager Phil Neville with an assured display.

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Neville said that England’s performance at the She Believes Cup earlier this month made him even more convinced they can win the World Cup. However, while England skipper Steph Houghton was commanding on her return after injury, and Jordan Nobbs influential, the quality of the Dutch quartet will have underlined the rising spread of international contenders.

One of the four, Dominique Janssen, was first to threaten, rattling the bar from 30 yards after 14 minutes. Subsequent chances were rare, until some neat midfield play set up Jordan Nobbs to release Janssen breaking down the left. Her cross challenged for by Beth Mead, then came to Miedema unmarked at the back post. The Dutch striker took the ball down on her chest and volleyed past Roebuck.

City have become England’s dominant club, winning a domestic treble last season, but the all-important first trophy was this one in 2014, won on this ground against this opposition. That result had been the harbinger of change. Arsenal, who once conquered all they surveyed in the female game, had not won a trophy since 2016. They will hope this signals they are on the way back.