Leah Williamson says Arsenal can rediscover fear factor of old after 5-0 Chelsea thrashing

Arsenal are establishing themselves as the force they once were in English women’s football following their 5-0 thrashing of Chelsea, says Gunners star Leah Williamson.

The Gunners inflicted a first home league defeat on champions Chelsea since July 2016 at Kingsmeadow on Saturday in emphatic fashion as a Kim Little penalty and braces from Vivianne Miedema and Jordan Nobbs extended their winning start to the WSL season.

Joe Montemurro’s side have won each of their four league matches so far, scoring 21 goals in the process and keeping clean sheet in three of them. Significantly they have also opened up a six point gap over pre-season favourites Chelsea.

However it was the comprehensive manner of their victory that has Williamson believing Arsenal, who won the last of their 14 league titles in 2012, can return to the top of the English game.

“This result means everything, regardless of league standings,” Williamson told Standard Sport. “We want to be the Arsenal of old, the Arsenal that everyone doesn’t want to play.

“We were always going to be flying under the radar until we proved ourselves but our work is not done now.

“We’ve got tough tests next week, the games will come thick and fast and we’re ready for them. Everybody will know about us now but so what, that’s what Arsenal are used to. “

Defeat for Chelsea was their first in 25 WSL games and the joint-heaviest home loss in their history but the outcome might have been very different if the Blues had made the most of their chances.

Goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin denied Ramona Bachmann from close range in the fourth minute whilst Williamson made a crucial intervention of her own, flicking the ball away from Drew Spence to deny a certain goal.

“I don’t think anybody expected today but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t confident to come here and actually win,” Williamson added.

“They’re a tough team to beat at home, they’ve made sure of that, and as league champions it wasn’t going to be a light task. But we showed how good we are.”

For diehard Arsenal fan Williamson the win was all the sweeter: “I said to Mitch [Emma Mitchell] as we were walking over, as an Arsenal supporter I hope that they feel it, that I feel exactly what they’re feeling watching this game. First and foremost I’m a supporter of this football club.”