Arsenal's Olivia Smith and the surprise new role that helped beat WSL leaders Man City

Emirates Stadium, Sunday – When Renee Slegers mapped out the week, the plan was familiar: Stina Blackstenius stretching Manchester City’s back line, Alessia Russo hovering in the hole, and Arsenal’s wide forwards pinning the league leaders in. Ninety minutes and one seismic result later, the only thing that survived from Plan A was the outcome: Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City, courtesy of a 21-year-old Canadian who had never started as a No 9 for the club.

Blackstenius’ calf complaint in the build-up forced Slegers into a late remodel. Rather than shuffle Russo forward or introduce extra midfield steel through Frida Maanum, the head coach elected to keep the tactical skeleton intact and simply swap the flesh. Enter Olivia Smith, winger by trade, emergency striker by necessity.

“We wanted similar qualities – the physicality, the speed,” Slegers explained post-match. “Olivia and Stina are very different players, but the spaces we expected were still in behind.”

Two-and-a-half training sessions and a handful of video clips later, Smith stepped into the role as though she had owned it for years. Her 63rd-minute winner was a textbook execution of the staff’s brief: Mariona Caldentey and Kim Little traded passes in tight midfield quarters before the Spaniard threaded a ball between City centre-backs. Smith, lurking on Rebecca Knaak’s shoulder, timed the run, nicked it past on-rushing goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita, and slid into an empty net.

The finish was clinical; the movement, seasoned. “She showed an awareness of the offside line that we sometimes miss,” one club analyst noted. City boss Gareth Taylor admitted the scouting report had flagged the ploy – “we were pretty sure Olivia Smith was going to play as a No 9” – yet his defenders still froze, caught between stepping out and dropping off.

Smith’s capacity to thrive in alien territory is becoming a trademark. Her inaugural Arsenal goal in September arrived after she had drifted inside from an unintended left-wing station; Sunday’s decisive strike came from a position she had never occupied in a competitive fixture for the Gunners.

The victory vaults Arsenal into the thick of the title conversation and leaves City with their first league defeat of the campaign. It also clouds the immediate future of Blackstenius, who turned 30 last Thursday and is out of contract in the summer. Slegers refused to be drawn on negotiations, but praised the depth now emerging: “We have different options for the No 9. Olivia performed really well, so of course we’re going to continue to see this as an option.”

For Smith, the afternoon was further proof that adaptability can be a player’s sharpest weapon. Asked whether she now fancies an extended run through the middle, she laughed: “I just want to be on the pitch. If the manager needs me as a 9, an 11, a 7 – I’ll learn fast.”

Arsenal learned quickly too. Sometimes the best Plan B is simply trusting Plan A with a different face.