Beth Mead is back! England star's injury return has potential to kickstart Arsenal's season and lift Lionesses to greater heights

The winger provided a match-winning assist in her first appearance following an 11-month lay-off as she aims to get back to her Euros-winning form

Even before Beth Mead stepped onto the pitch for her first Arsenal appearance in 11 months, even before she assisted England team-mate Alessia Russo’s late winner on her return from an ACL injury, the Emirates Stadium was buzzing with excitement. Whenever Mead warmed-up on the sideline, there were raucous cheers. When she started receiving tactical instructions moments before her long-awaited return, chants of ‘Meado, Meado’ echoed around the stadium. And when she finally set foot on that pitch in the 88th minute, the noise was deafening.

For a short period, it looked like Mead’s comeback wouldn’t come on Sunday. Arsenal trailed Aston Villa from the 25th minute, when Maz Pacheco capitalised on some poor defending from a set-piece to head the visitors in front. Try as they might, the Gunners just couldn’t find a way through the visiting defence. Their winless start to the new Women’s Super League season looked set to continue.

Would head coach Jonas Eidevall take this opportunity to put in Mead, a player who had been sidelined for almost a full year? It seemed more likely that someone with a bit more match-sharpness might be trusted to come on and change the game, especially as Mead hadn’t been seen warming up for some time.

But the 35,829 fans inside the Emirates would not leave disappointed on Sunday. Not only did they get to see the return of the 2022 Ballon d’Or runner-up – they also got to see her contribute to the most incredible turnaround. In the 88th minute, Mead came on. In the 92nd minute, Katie McCabe hammered home an equaliser. In the 94th minute, Mead teed up Russo to