Russo 'stepping up' as Arsenal lead hunt for European places

Alessia Russo’s 22-minute first-half hat-trick in Saturday’s north-London derby has propelled Arsenal to the summit of the Women’s Super League’s Champions League chase and underlined her emergence as a dressing-room leader, according to manager Renee Slegers.

The England striker’s clinical treble set the tone for a 5-2 Emirates victory over Tottenham that, coupled with Manchester United’s heavy derby defeat earlier in the day, lifted the Gunners into second place with three matches remaining and two games in hand on their rivals.

Slegers, speaking to Sky Sports, said the 25-year-old’s influence now stretches well beyond goals. “In training she is communicating more and instructing more, driving the team more by being more vocal. You can see that she’s stepping up. She is also part of the leadership group at Arsenal now.”

Russo opened the scoring inside five minutes with a precise header, doubled the advantage after a blistering channel run and rounded goalkeeper Lize Kop, then completed her hat-trick by punishing a Spurs error high up the pitch. It was her first treble for the club since her 2023 arrival and took her to nine WSL goals and four assists from 18 appearances this term—averaging a goal involvement every 1.38 league games.

Player of the match Russo, who shared last season’s WSL Golden Boot with Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw, told Sky Sports: “I love to score goals as much as I can and to do it here at the Emirates in a north-London derby is really nice. It’s a good three points moving on to the rest of the season.”

Club captain Kim Little, celebrating her 400th Arsenal appearance, praised Russo’s accelerated development into a senior figure. “This year she has stepped up in terms of leadership as well. That in itself has brought out even more in her own game.”

The victory extended Arsenal’s hot streak in front of goal; they have struck 10 times in their last two league fixtures, overturning a goal-difference deficit on fellow contenders United and Chelsea. Across all competitions, Russo has 17 goals and six assists, including eight goals in nine Champions League outings to top that competition’s scoring chart ahead of Pernille Harder, Ewa Pajor and Alexia Putellas.

Asked about her evolving role, Russo said she is comfortable across the forward line. “Now I understand the details of the 10 a bit more, I find it a bit easier. Knowing what I need to do out of possession is a big one. On the ball, I like both roles because they offer different parts of my game. I’ll play anywhere—I don’t care.”

With the race for European qualification set to go to the wire, Arsenal’s in-form No 23 has timed her purple patch to perfection.