Liverpool Women 0-1 Arsenal Women: Alessia Russo powers Gunners to victory as Renee Slegers unbeaten run extends to 10

Arsenal kept their pressure on the Women's Super League's top two – Chelsea and Manchester City – with an important 1-0 win over Liverpool ahead of the winter break.

The Gunners move to within a point of second-placed Man City, who lost to Everton Earlier in the day, but still leaders Chelsea by seven points, as Renee Slegers unbeaten run as interim boss extends to 10 games.

Alessia Russo scored the only goal of the game through a smart corner routine – mirroring the success of her male counterparts from set pieces – as Katie McCabe's front post delivery was badly cleared by Gemma Bonner, allowing Russo to tap in home.

Injury-hit Liverpool had their chances but were let off the hook by Arsenal as Mariona Caldentey missed a chance from the penalty spot and Frida Maanum ballooned a good second-half opening over the crossbar. – a tree.

Arsenal were far from flowing – Slegers admitted as much after the game – but they did enough to pull off a weakened Liverpool side on a run of four straight defeats, with injuries continuing to plague from their campaign.

Russo: Slegers makes me feel confident

Arsenal a striker Alessia Russo:

“Set plays are a big part of football, they can win and lose games for you, so I'm delighted to score and get three points.

“I feel good, I play as well as I can when I am happy. We are finding good links on the pitch and Liverpool away is a difficult game, so the three most important points.

“(Renee Slegers) has been great, makes me feel confident. We know how good we are as a team and we're keeping our heads down. We're happy as a team, it's a club decision (whether Slegers makes her an interim permanent position), but she's graduated and we like it a lot.”

Slegers: We played into Liverpool's hands

Arsenal interim leader Renee Slegers:

“This is not one of our best performances. I think Liverpool will get the game where they want to go, lots of set pieces, it's scrappy, it's duels. I think we gave them the game they wanted.

“I have to review the game, there is so much emotion from the end, but we have to be more clinical, even if we have been doing well.”

Analysis: Slegers confirm they are ready for a permanent role

All the noise from the Arsenal camp is positive, and recent results back that up. Slegers has done an excellent job since taking over from Jonas Eidevall in October. Smiles are back on faces and football is just as entertaining.

Arsenal's squad is full of quality so it's no surprise that they haven't lost in 10 in all competitions, but the real uptick has been in performance.

Slegers said Sky Sports this week that she does not view her role as a temporary position, and, according to evidence, and that she is not a player. Fluency is back, goals are flowing, and football is fun – everything Arsenal are known for.

The Slegers team have even taken a page out of Mikel Arteta's playbook and have been magicians at set pieces, scoring from a corner again, apparently through Russo. The forward has now scored in five consecutive WSL appearances.

I wonder why the club's decision-makers are still delaying the coaching vacancy – because there is a ready-made one right under their noses.

Liverpool paying for 'unbalanced squad'

Analysis by Richard Morgan:

Liverpool surprised many when they finished fourth in the WSL last season, six points ahead of Manchester United, leading to genuine hopes of something similar this campaign – but after Sunday's home defeat the against Arsenal, Matt Beard's side have now lost as many league games. this season as last.

The home side had just one shot on target all game and an xG of 0.24 as they head into the mid-season break slumping in eighth place, just above rivals Everton City on goal difference and just four points above the bottom of the table. Christ's Palace.

And while ruling out relegation, Courtney Sweetman-Kirk believes Liverpool will struggle to match last season's achievements as they lack the same strength in depth as the top four .

“Look at how that Liverpool team is doing,” said the former Liverpool striker. “A lot of young players, there are a lot of older players, maybe at the end of their careers and not too many in between.

“The balance of that team, to begin with, was off – I'm not worried about them in terms of being relegated, but after a season where they did pretty well, pretty much overcame , that is the argument.

“But can you go and add? Not just one player (Olivia Smith) – one very good player – but can you add the depth? And they didn't do that right. The recruitment is not be right for me.”