Miedema was 'scared to come back' after netting on WSL return

Vivianne Miedema admits she was "scared to come back" after netting her first goal since returning to Women's Super League action as Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-0 on the road.

The 27-year-old had been sidelined for 312 days before her return in October after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament but was making just her second start as the Gunners kept within three points of leaders Chelsea.

The Dutch international celebrated emotionally after scoring from 20 yards but admits she did have some doubts about the game.

She said: "I'd been a bit scared to come back after so long out. Some players don't overthink it, I did. 

"It's been pretty tough. I had a couple of setbacks during my recovery and before the winter break I just didn't feel like myself.

"Something in my mindset shifted over Christmas and I'm happy that I'm back at the point where I can help the team. 

"It means a lot to score. I've been training really well, feeling more like myself again, and I'm really happy that it flew in the goal.

"I put a lot of pressure on myself. But I don’t think about my knees anymore which is the best thing ever."

It was a disappointing afternoon for Liverpool, who suffered their fourth defeat of the campaign and slipped three points behind rivals Manchester United.

But head coach Matt Beard says there are positives the Reds can take from the match.

"I think the [first] goal changed the game for us today. It was a good strike. 

"There are positives we can take. The last two games were always going to be challenging and testing. I think the performance of the team was a lot better [than last week].

"The frustrating thing is that we’ve lost the game. We need to make sure we focus on a run of games now where we feel we can pick points up."