Story byOlivia Smith was the first £1m signing in women's football []Ciara Fleming - BBC Sport journalistSat, December 6, 2025 at 5:40 PM UTC·3 min readIt was an all too familiar story for Arsenal on Saturday as they struggled to break down Liverpool's low block. Three shots on target and one off the woodwork inside the opening quarter of an hour of the Women's Super League game, but no goal. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe exasperation of the home fans was tangible. Then a moment of magic from Olivia Smith lifted the mood from frustration to pure elation. The first first £1m player in women's football showed every bit of her star quality as she wriggled past several of her former Liverpool team-mates before breaking the deadlock with a brilliant strike from distance."You felt she was going to have a big impact on this game," former Tottenham captain Jenna Schillaci told BBC Radio 5 Live. Smith was rightly named player of the match in the 2-1 win at Emirates Stadium, testament to her impact throughout. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementArsenal defeat Liverpool with late winner from BlacksteniusSmith 'free' after injury woesSince her summer arrival from Liverpool, 21-year-old Smith has shown glimpses of the star quality that made Arsenal sign her, but several injury issues have blighted the early months of her career in north London. Her latest setback came during the October international break when she limped off during Canada's 1-0 defeat by Switzerland with a hip injury. However, after deciding not to travel for her country's games against Netherlands and Japan in the past two weeks, there were no such signs of bother for Smith against Liverpool as she ran both of their full-backs ragged all afternoon. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"She is totally fit - injury-free. You could see that on the pitch. She moved very freely.
