Right-backs are not meant to steal the headlines, particularly when those headlines involve a landmark goal for the Women’s Super League’s all time leading goalscorer Vivianne Miedema.

But Miedema, and her Arsenal teammates, had January signing Emily Fox to thank for their 2-0 win over Liverpool on Sunday.

Big shout-out to Emily Fox for the assist and an excellent all-round performance from the USA international. Very impressed ??? https://t.co/IbyES651NX

— Freddie Cardy (@CardyFreddie) January 28, 2024

Miedema’s eye-catching finish to give Arsenal the lead was assisted by Fox, who then played an important role in starting the counter-attack as Alessia Russo ran in behind to tee up Caitlin Foord for Arsenal’s second.

The assist for Miedema was Fox’s most notable contribution, skipping away from two Liverpool players before squaring the ball into Miedema, but the USWNT international was impressing at Prenton Park long before Arsenal took the lead.

Firstly, Fox’s fitness and athleticism is a key factor in her success as a right-back. The 25-year-old covers a lot of ground in defence and attack, but is rarely caught out of position.

With Fox replacing Noelle Maritz, who joined Aston Villa, her ability to be effective for the full 90 minutes, game after game, is crucial for the Gunners, with their only other recognised right-back Laura Wienroither still recovering from a long-term injury.

Having come from college soccer and then the National Women’s Soccer League, Fox has quickly adapted to the challenges of the WSL. The right-back’s athleticism is combined with an excellent positional awareness, meaning that Fox has formed a strong partnership with Beth Mead in attack.

Mead and Fox wasted no time in forming a dynamic duo on Arsenal’s right flank. In Fox’s debut against Watford, she was often found making runs inside of Mead when the forward moved wide, and the pair interchanged well again in subsequent games against Everton and Liverpool in the WSL.

The willingness of Mead to work hard off the ball is key here. Fox’s forward runs mainly come inside of Mead, but when she overlaps the England international, Mead can drop back into a deeper role to provide cover, either dropping all the way to right-back or providing an option on the right side of midfield.

In defence, Mead is also significant. When Liverpool did have possession, Arsenal’s back four were tight and well-structured. Fox pushed across alongside right-sided centre-back Amanda Ilestedt, and Mead would drop in to ensure that Arsenal did not leave too much space free on Liverpool’s left wing. Arsenal and Fox will face tougher defensive challenges, but the Gunners restricted Liverpool to just one shot on target in a well-deserved clean sheet on Sunday evening.

A trait of Fox’s that could slip under the radar is her sheer composure on the ball and ability to resist the press. Against a Liverpool side that press well (look no further than the pace of Shanice van de Sanden), Fox’s ability to hold onto possession and draw opponents in before picking a pass was key for Arsenal. 

On many occasions, Liverpool committed multiple players to closing Fox down before she calmly found a pass down the line or into midfield, meaning that the likes of Victoria Pelova then had more face to exploit.

Before Fox even pulled on a red shirt for her debut at Meadow Park, Arsenal fans had devised a chant to the tune of ‘Kids in America’, and Fox has certainly lived up to it in the early stages of her Arsenal career. ‘What a sight to see her in red and white,’ indeed.