Arsenal stars pay stirring tribute to Beth Mead after North London Derby triumph

15 January 2023 , 20:09

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Beth Mead celebrates with her family after the final whistle of the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 final

Arsenal honoured England forward Beth Mead after their North London Derby win with a heartwarming gesture following the devastating loss of Mead's mum earlier in the week.

In the afterglow of their 2-0 victory over Tottenham, the Arsenal men's team posted a photo on social media of the squad posing in their dressing room with a shirt that read 'Thinking of you Beth'. This tribute came after Mead's announcement that her mum had passed away early on 7 January after a long battle with ovarian cancer.

Messages of support to the 27-year-old have arrived thick and fast, with Mead's teammates donning black armbands alongside Chelsea during their London derby clash on Sunday afternoon. Liverpool and Manchester United Women also sported the black armbands to show solidarity with the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Mead was unable to take part in the London derby on Sunday, which ended in a 1-1 draw after Chelsea Sam Kerr's 89th-minute header cancelled out Kim Little's second-half penalty, due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament suffered earlier in the season.

The injury sees Mead facing a hefty race against time to find fitness ahead of the summer's Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

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Mead revealed recently that the pinnacle season of her career, which culminated in Euro 2022 glory, was fuelled behind the scenes by one of the most difficult personal periods of her life following her mother's cancer diagnosis in 2021.

Write your message of support for Beth Mead in the comments.

The news coincided roughly with the time Mead was omitted from the Team GB squad for the 2021 Summer Olympics.

What followed on the pitch was nothing short of extraordinary, as Mead carried an incredible run of form with Arsenal into the summer with the Lionesses, where she scooped up the player of the tournament award and the Golden Boot as Sarina Wiegman's side won the Euro 2022 trophy over Germany at a sold-out Wembley Stadium.

Arsenal Women return to Women's Super League action on 22 January when they travel to league strugglers Brighton.

You can find more information on ovarian cancer from the NHS here.

Megan Feringa