Alessia Russo became the leading English goalscorer in the UEFA Women's Champions League, as her 21st and 22nd goals in the competition fired us to a 2-0 victory over Benfica at Mangata Developments Stadium on Wednesday night.

Benfica goalkeeper Lena Pauels frustrated us throughout the first half, denying Olivia Smith, Georgia Stanway and Russo herself before the England striker found the breakthrough five minutes before the break. 

Our no.23 was at it again after the break, heading home Steph Catley's corner to double our lead and ensure our unbeaten start in the league phase continued. 

PAUELS PRESERVES DEADLOCK

Fresh from victory in the north London derby, we had a spring in our step right from the off. Smith tested Pauels with a low drive just 65 seconds into the game, before drawing another save six minutes later with a deflected effort. 

We continued to dictate the tempo throughout the opening 15 minutes. Geraldine Reuteler, making her first start as a Gunner, almost picked out Smith with a dangerous ball into the penalty area, and Russo had an effort charged down on the turn after a well-worked set piece. 

Our best effort of the opening 30 minutes came from Stanway, who darted away from her marker and struck a powerful effort towards the bottom corner, only to be denied by a good save from Pauels. 

Benfica's no.1 was in action again from the resulting corner as Caitlin Foord latched onto an excellent deliver from Catley, but just as Smith and Stanway had been, Foord was denied by the German goalkeeper. 

RUSSO PROFITS AS GAME OPENS UP

After a difficult half an hour, Benfica grew into the game before half time. A loose pass from Kyra Cooney-Cross sent Froya Dorsin in on goal, but the forward lifted her effort well over the crossbar with her first site of goal. 

The Portuguese side continued to press, knocking the ball around at pace for the first time in the game. Dorsin found herself in space again on the edge of the penalty area just moments after her first chance, but this time saw her effort charged down in a crowd of our defenders. 

With the visitors stepping up the tempo, there were chances for us on the counter-attack. Russo placed an effort just wide from the edge of the penalty area, before Smith drew yet another save from Pauels in the Benfica goal 12 minutes before the break. 

But it was right at the end of the first half that we found the breakthrough, as Foord threaded a neat pass into Russo, who placed a precise effort in off the far post to get the goal our performance richly deserved. 

ALESSIA STRIKES AGAIN

The opening goal put us in a confident mood at the start of the second half. Our first attack of the half would've led to our second goal with Foord played in by a brilliant ball over the top from Cooney-Cross, but Catarina Amado made a fantastic goal-saving challenge to keep the visitors in the game.

Foord was involved again as we continued to dominate, this time reaching Batlle's cross at the far post to flash a header across goal, but it was cleared off the line before Russo could force it home. 

Smith was next to benefit from Foord's creativity, and her deflected effort looked to have wrong-footed Pauels, but the Benfica goalkeeper adjusted well to make yet another save. 

But it was from the resulting corner that Russo got the second goal to not only double our lead, but to make a bit of history, becoming the leading English goalscorer in UEFA Women's Champions League history with 22 goals in Europe's premier club competition. 

23 FOR NO.23

Benfica responded well to conceding the second goal and almost hit straight back when Andreia Norton fizzed a powerful effort towards the bottom corner, forcing Misa Rodriguez into a fine save at her near post. 

We caught the visitors out on the counter from the resulting corner, and although Reuteler rounded Pauels with a brilliant touch, her effort was blocked on the line by Diana Gomes. 

Pauels produced her best save of the night with 15 minutes to go, picking a venomous effort from Smith out of the top corner to keep her side in with a chance. 

But after Foord, who was a constant threat in the second half, was taken out by Amado, Russo stepped up and hammered the ball home from 12 yards to complete a clinical hat-trick.

It looked as though we had a fourth in stoppage time, but Foord's effort was ruled to have been set up from an offside position, denying our no.9 the reward her energetic performance deserved in what was a dominant Champions League win.

WHAT'S NEXT

We're back at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, November 1 to take on Aston Villa in the Women's Super League (12pm KO), before we head to Anfield to face Liverpool the following week. 

After our trip to Merseyside, we'll face back in European action with a blockbuster tie in Spain against defending champions Barcelona on Thursday, November 12.