In Arsenal’s comeback win over Leicester City Women, Victoria Pelova was immense. She may have failed to convert a clear chance versus the Foxes in the first half, but she made amends by scoring and assisting two other goals in Arsenal’s 6-2 win over Leicester.
She and Kyra Cooney-Cross controlled the midfield, and Pelova’s stats, as seen below, show why she won Player of the Match:
Sofascore gave her a 9.1 rating. Other than the goal and 2 assists, she had 57 touches, completed 30 of her 42 passes, made 4 key passes, completed 4 of 7 long balls, created 3 big chances, had 2 successful dribbles out of 3 tries, and she made an interception.
Victoria Pelova vs Leicester City pic.twitter.com/QbQMh7TPRc
— Laura Veen Comps Specialist (@veencomps) November 12, 2023
After the game, she spoke to the media and shared her thoughts on the dramatic comeback.
On where they got the fight, after going to the break 2 goals down, to come back and score 6 goals in the second half, she said, “We spoke about having to beat our opponent because they are playing one-to-one. Second half was just better. The runs were better, the turnings were better. We kept the ball more, and we were more precise.”
About how she’s finding her courage to express herself, she went on to admit, “My teammates are amazing. They give me the feeling that I’m home. When I’m playing more, I feel more comfortable on the ball. I feel like players are getting to know me as well; I’m getting to know them, like where I want the ball. The connection is growing. I love them all, outside as well as on the pitch.”
About her miss in the first half, she said, “I know! That’s why I felt so guilty; I had to play in the second half better.”
Of Arsenal’s ability to play themselves out of trouble and pull off a comeback like they did, she admitted, “I think the fans really actually help. They travel for us to this and you don’t want to disappoint them. You get the feeling that if you are 2-0 behind that we have done it actually very often since I’ve been here.
“Against Wolfsburg we were behind, Bayern we were behind and we know we can do it, but I would not say that we would score six goals. But we did!
Pelova has definitely come on by leaps and bounds this season, and if she continues to show such skill and desire, we are going to be very difficult to beat.
Michelle Maxwell
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