Arsenal interim head coach Renee Slegers wanted to spread the credit across the team following their 4-0 win away to Juventus in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Following other results during the evening, Arsenal are currently second in the group and have opened a three-point gap to third place.

"We have four different goalscorers and the players up top are performing really well, but I don't want to take out the goalkeeper, our back four and our two sixes as well," Slegers told official club media.

"We sometimes forget to highlight because the players up top are scoring the goals, but I think the goalkeepers and the back four - they have been doing really well now over time. I think the spaces Wally and Kim covered today in midfield - they've been brilliant. 

"So I think the whole team today deserves credit, including the game-changers coming on tonight."

The result maintained Slegers' unbeaten start since taking over from Jonas Eidevall and was her fourth win in five matches in all competitions.

But she highlighted that the Italian side offered a different challenge to what the Gunners have previously been used to. As a result, they changed their approach.

"They play a different kind of football, which we haven't really faced yet this season," said Slegers.

"Coming here for an away game, the travelling and then this type of football, which is very intense from a psychological and physical perspective, I'm very proud of the girls and their performance. And obviously, very happy with the result.

"The players are always proud to represent the club, so they're happy to be in the group stage and play these European games. But then adding the fans, I could see them from here. We had a beautiful view.

"I could see them, I could hear them and I'm sure the players also heard them during the games. I think it's massive. I think it's so impressive how much they support us and I think it gives us a couple of extra percentages in the games, I really do."

Arsenal interim manager Renee Slegers revealed that she was shocked when she heard that head coach Jonas Eidevall had stepped down from his role at the club on Tuesday.

Slegers has been the assistant coach with the Gunners since September 2023, having previously taken over from Eidevall as head coach at Rosengard in Sweden.

After following him to north London, she will once again step into his role - albeit on a temporary basis - but she made it clear that it was a surprise to find that out, and has sympathy for him.

“I spoke to him yesterday afternoon and was shocked by the news,” she said in her first press conference in her new role ahead of their Champions League match at home to Valeranga on Wednesday.

“I was very sad because he has been a good leader for the staff and I worked with him before in Sweden and we worked really well together. I am very sad that it got to this point.”

Eidevall’s departure came after a poor start to the 2024-25 season, with Arsenal sixth in the WSL table having won just one of their opening four matches.

They were also beaten 5-2 by Bayern Munich in their opening Champions League game of the campaign.

But despite their sticky start, Slegers was adamant that it should not define Eidevall's three-year stint at the club.

"I feel a lot of respect for him, he has been very resilient for a long time,” she said. “He has been working incredibly hard for a long time so all I feel is respect for him."

On taking over the job itself, the interim head coach said that she was happy to do it, but drew more attention to the games ahead than her chances of getting it full-time.

"When I got the question yesterday I felt that if this is how we need to go forward then I am happy to do it,” she said.

“I care about the team, I care about the players. I have been here for a year now and it’s a massive club, so I am happy to help.

"Right now I just need to focus on these next two games which are very important for us. The future, I am not so concerned about right now."

Arsenal interim manager Renee Slegers admitted that she was shocked when she heard that head coach Jonas Eidevall had stepped down from his role at the club on Tuesday.

Slegers has been the assistant coach with the Gunners since September 2023, having previously taken over from Eidevall as head coach at Rosengard in Sweden.

After following him to north London, she will once again step into his role - albeit on a temporary basis - but she made it clear that it was a surprise to find that out, and has sympathy for him.

“I spoke to him yesterday afternoon and was shocked by the news,” she said in her first press conference in her new role ahead of their Champions League match at home to Valeranga on Wednesday.

“I was very sad because he has been a good leader for the staff and I worked with him before in Sweden and we worked really well together. I am very sad that it got to this point.”

Eidevall’s departure came after a poor start to the 2024-25 season, with Arsenal sixth in the WSL table having won just one of their opening four matches.

They were also beaten 5-2 by Bayern Munich in their opening Champions League game of the campaign.

But despite their sticky start, Slegers was adamant that it should not define Eidevall’s three-year stint at the club.

"I feel a lot of respect for him, he has been very resilient for a long time,” she said. “He has been working incredibly hard for a long time so all I feel is respect for him."

On taking over the job itself, the interim head coach said that she was happy to do it, but drew more attention to the games ahead than her chances of getting it full-time.

"When I got the question yesterday I felt that if this is how we need to go forward then I am happy to do it,” she said.

“I care about the team, I care about the players. I have been here for a year now and it’s a massive club, so I am happy to help.

"Right now I just need to focus on these next two games which are very important for us. The future, I am not so concerned about right now."

After a dramatic and turbulent start to the season, Arsenal are now looking for a new head coach following the departure of Jonas Eidevall.

Eidevall resigned as the pressure mounted before reaching an untenable level this week. The Swedish coach has been with the club since 2021, winning two League Cups in his tenure.

Arsenal have had an underwhelming start to the 2024-25 campaign, to say the least, winning only one of four games in the Women's Super League. The Gunners were humiliated in Europe, losing 5-2 to Bayern Munich in their opening game of the Women's Champions League group stages.

However, the tale of Eidevall's demise reaches back further than just the poor start to this campaign, and there have been a number of factors that have led up to this poor run.

Arsenal fans would have been optimistic at the beginning of last season, off the back of a 2022-23 campaign that saw them narrowly defeated by Wolfsburg in the semi-finals of the Champions League. They also won the Women's League Cup for the sixth time in the club's history.

But that optimism turned sour with an early elimination in the qualifiers of the Champions League, with the Gunners going down to Paris FC. It left Eidevall only competing for domestic trophies last term. They did win a second consecutive League Cup under his guidance but failed to keep pace with Chelsea and Manchester City in the league, trailing five points behind the top two.

Recruitment in Eidevall's time has also been a controversial topic, and the biggest controversy of them all came at the end of last season when the WSL's all-time leading goalscorer Vivianne Miedema, who plundered 125 goals for the Gunners in all competitions, left on a free transfer. And she joined would-be title rivals Man City.

Such a big decision meant Eidevall needed a strong start, or questions would naturally be asked. But instead, he is now out of a job.

Seven Days of Football Hell

Football is full of fine margins, and while Eidevall may have fallen victim to a poor run of results, the numbers suggest his side should have done much better.

Starting at home to Everton on October 6, when the Gunners could only muster a draw against the struggling, injury-ravaged Toffees

The story of Arsenal's season so far was highlighted in this game, as their inability to convert chances cost them. They racked up 21 shots. Frida Maanum attempted seven of them alone, the joint-highest total for a player in the WSL this season. Yet they could not break the deadlock.

Confident this was a blip, Arsenal headed into their midweek clash with Bayern Munich looking for a result to give them the uptick in confidence they needed.

On the face of it, a 5-2 defeat may have seemed a harsh outcome, given that Bayern only marginally edged the expected goals (xG), generating 1.89 to Arsenal's 1.57. Then again, Bayern only had 10 shots, and Manuela Zinsberger conceded from half of them.

But to truly tell the story of the game, we must look at the difference between the two halves. Arsenal took the lead and had full control of the opening period, limiting Bayern to three shots and an xG of just 0.17. Indeed, the Gunners would have been ahead at half-time had home goalkeeper Maria Grohs not made three fine saves. Bayern captain Glodis Viggosdottir struck two minutes before half-time from a superb Georgia Stanway assist. That strike had only an 8% chance of finding the net, but find the net it did.

It ultimately was a familiar tale for Eidevall's Arsenal. They create chances, but cannot take advantage, and the pressure really was on when Chelsea visited Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

A 2-1 defeat was ultimately the final nail in Eidevall's coffin.

Two early goals for Sonia Bompastor's team left Arsenal fighting an uphill battle, and while their spirit was admirable, it once again was not enough.

Caitlin Foord reduced the deficit before half-time, and it is fair to say Arsenal were unlucky not to score more against Chelsea. Their 2.62 xG is the highest total across their four league matches so far, ahead of the 2.24 they accumulated against Man City in September.

Arsenal had 20 shots, but only got four of them on target – Chelsea, on the flip side, hit the target with six of their 11 attempts.

The Gunners hit the woodwork and created four big chances, defined as an opportunity from which a player would reasonably be expected to score, but they could not make the most of them and ultimately allowed three going the other way.

Eidevall's team had 46 touches in Chelsea's area, whereas the Blues had 19 in the Gunners' 18-yard box. Another tale of not being able to make the chances count.

Since the start of last season, only Man City (68) and Chelsea (81) have scored more WSL goals than Arsenal (57), while the Gunners' 62.5 xG ranks behind only the Blues' 64.9.

In fact, no team has had more shots in that time than Arsenal (503), though their 161 shots on target is tied for third with Tottenham, and way behind Chelsea's 200 and Man City's 206.

Arsenal have underperformed their xG by 5.5. Man City (+11.3), Chelsea (+16.1), and even outside title bets Manchester United (+8.5) and Liverpool (+10.4) have all outperformed their xG, showing a clinical level of finishing that the Gunners have lacked.

Finishing has been a problem, as evidenced by an 11.33% shot conversion rate, which ranks seventh out of the 13 teams to have competed in the league since the start of last term. Chelsea, in comparison, have converted 16.98% of their attempts.

Only Chelsea (96) have had more big chances than Arsenal (86), but the Gunners again drop down to joint-third when it comes to scoring them, putting away 31. That 36% big chance conversion rate ranks joint-second poorest, alongside Spurs, and ahead of only Everton (27.27%).

Eidevall by the Numbers

Eidevall was always going to have a tough act to follow, replacing Joe Montemurro, who lifted the WSL title in 2018-19, wrestling it away from the grasp of Chelsea and Emma Hayes, stopping their steamroller of success.

That feat was impressive at the time but has aged particularly well, as the Blues have gone on to lift the title every season since then.

Eidevall oversaw 120 matches in all competitions, winning 80 – that is more wins than any other manager in Arsenal's history.

His 66.67% win ratio in all competitions ranks second out of Arsenal's managers to have overseen at least five games, behind only Montemurro (75% - 78/104).

Eidevall, like his immediate predecessor, has managed 70 WSL games while at Arsenal, winning 49 of those – 70%. He has suffered just 11 defeats.

Meanwhile, of ever-present WSL teams since Eidevall took over, only Chelsea (45) have conceded fewer goals than Arsenal (50), and the Blues are also the only side to lose fewer matches (seven, compared to the Gunners' 11 defeats).

So, it is fair to say, Eidevall had his team right up there. In fact, only six managers in the WSL's history (not including the Spring Series), have overseen more games during one spell at a single club than the 41-year-old – Emma Hayes (204 – Chelsea), Kelly Chambers (134 – Reading), Nick Cushing (96 – Man City), Gareth Taylor (92 – Man City), David Parker (86 – Birmingham City) and Hope Powell (85 – Brighton).

Meanwhile, Eidevall's 70% win ratio in the WSL is the sixth-best of any boss to oversee at least 10 games in the competition, after Montemurro (75.71% - 53/70), Taylor (73.91% - 68/92), Harvey (71.43% - 20/28), Kerr (71.43% - 10/4) and Hayes (71.08%).

It was fitting, perhaps, that a defeat to Chelsea marked the end for Eidevall. Across his seven WSL meetings with the Blues, he only managed one win, finishing on the losing side three times. He managed better against Man City – he beat Taylor's team on four occasions, and only suffered one defeat.

It was a similar story against London rivals Tottenham, with Arsenal coming out with a record of W4 D1 L1 from six WSL matches.

With career numbers such as these, he may feel slightly aggrieved to be in the position he finds himself now, but crucially those accomplishments were not enough to stem the tide of mounting pressure around his side's underperformance.

Only one team has won the WSL title after winning just one of their opening four matches, and that was Liverpool in 2014 (W1 D3), and their early-season dip has seen the odds stack against them in terms of a potential title charge.

Ahead of the season, Arsenal had a 16.1% chance of winning the title – that has now plummeted to just 1.4%.

Opta's supercomputer made third place the most likely position for Arsenal (37%) prior to the campaign. The model now forecasts Arsenal to finish fourth, with a 43.8% chance of doing so – it gives them an 11.9% chance of finishing second, while the likelihood of them coming third is still a relatively high 34.5%.

Arsenal's season is still salvageable, and even though Eidevall has officially resigned, the club's board may have had to act regardless sooner rather than later.

Out in the Cold

It has been a tale of underperformance of a team that has all the ability to challenge for trophies both domestically and in Europe. Arsenal's rich history of success and pioneering teams of the past leave fans and the clubs' expectations high.

After a decade of unprecedented success, Chelsea and Hayes have forced their rivals to perform at the top level and anything less than perfect has meant Arsenal playing the bridesmaid to the Blues in recent years.

Eidevall may have had more success in his time if the team had not been hit by significant injuries to key players such as Beth Mead, Miedema, captain Leah Williamson and others, who would have made the difference in games such as that painful Champions League semi-final defeat to Wolfsburg.

There has also been scrutiny over the transfer policy under Eidevall, and Miedema might have proved the final straw in that regard. The Dutchwoman swiftly came back to haunt her old club when she netted against them in the opening game of the season, extending her record tally to 81 WSL goals.

She has also been crucial in the Champions League, where her big game experience proved key in helping Man City secure a 2-0 defeat of current champions Barcelona, and set up City's first goal in that tie. Her composure and ability to create for her team-mates is certainly something Arsenal have been lacking.

Eidevall's team selections have also been a consistent sticking point. With such talent at his disposal as Mariona Caldentey, Stina Blackstenius, Alessia Russo, Mead and Maanum, Foord and Rosa Kafaji, he has been unable to get the balance right.

Big signings such as Russo have not met expectations, and she has struggled to spark this term. She is yet to score in the WSL from nine shots. Her xGoT drops to 0.4 from 1.3 xG, showing her finishing has been below par.

The new manager will need to find a way to get these players gelling in front of goal, while between the sticks Arsenal must commit to a number one they can truly trust.

Since the start of last season, Sabrina D'Angelo and Zinsberger have slightly underperformed when it comes to preventing goals, based on Opta's xGoT model.

D'Angelo, who has only played four WSL matches since the start of last season, has helped the Gunners keep two clean sheets, but in those two other games, she conceded three times (excluding own goals) from an xGoT conceded of 2.76.

Zinsberger has played 19 WSL games in that time and conceded 19 goals from 18.0 xGoT conceded.

However, Eidevall did make a positive move this summer to bring in Daphne van Domselaar, and she has overperformed so far, keeping out two goals more than would have been anticipated (two goals conceded from 4.0 xGoT conceded), albeit only across a small sample size of three games. Sticking with her may be the best option for Eidevall's replacement.

While some misfortune in the early weeks of this season may have hastened his exit, it has increasingly seemed like the time might be right for a change at Arsenal.

Eidevall will ultimately walk away from the Gunners with his head held high, but he will also be rueing what might have been as he hands over one of Europe's most talented squads at a time when there are more eyes on women's football than ever before.

Jonas Eidevall has called time on his spell as Arsenal head coach after an underwhelming start to the campaign.

The Gunners have been tipped as title contenders in the Women's Super League this season, yet they have won just one of their opening four matches.

They also went down 5-2 to Bayern Munich in their first Women's Champions League group stage match last week, before losing 2-1 to Chelsea to suffer their first loss of the WSL season.

A bad week that started with a draw against struggling Everton and ended with that loss to Chelsea at Emirates Stadium has ultimately signalled the end of Eidevall's tenure.

Arsenal confirmed on Tuesday that the Swede, who was appointed in June 2021 and has overseen 120 matches in all competitions, had resigned.

Renee Slegers, the first team assistant coach, will take over in the interim until Arsenal, who face Valerenga on Wednesday before taking on West Ham on Sunday, confirm their next permanent appointment.

Gunners sporting director Edu said: "We thank Jonas for his commitment to the club and achievements here since joining us in 2021. We have great respect for the dedication and commitment he showed to our women’s first team and recognise the role he has played in the growth and development of Arsenal Women. 

"We all wish him the very best for the future. Our focus will now turn to the process of appointing a new head coach, and in the meantime, supporting Renee, as she takes interim charge of the team starting with two important fixtures this week."

Eidevall led Arsenal to back-to-back Women's League Cup titles in 2022-23 and 2023-24, as well as finishing second in the WSL in his first season, and third in each of the past two campaigns.

The 41-year-old won 80 matches in all competitions, for a win ratio of 66.67%.

In the WSL, he picked up an average of 2.24 points per game from 70 matches. Of the five Arsenal bosses to oversee at least 10 fixtures in the competition, that points per game average is the fourth-lowest, ahead of only Pedro Martinez Losa (1.94).

On Saturday, in the defeat to Chelsea, Eidevall matched his predecessor Joe Montemurro as the Arsenal manager with the most games in the WSL. 

Eidevall's team scored 171 goals, winning 49 games (70%). Since he took over at Arsenal, only Man City (178) and Chelsea (209) have scored more goals than the Gunners.

Meanwhile, of ever-present WSL teams in that time, only Chelsea (45) have conceded fewer goals than Arsenal (50), and the Blues are also the only side to lose fewer matches (seven, compared to the Gunners' 11 defeats). 

Jonas Eidevall failed to concede Arsenal's hopes of winning the Women's Super League title after falling to a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at the Emirates on Saturday. 

The defeat leaves Arsenal in sixth place in the early-season standings having taken just five points from their opening four games of the season. 

Mayra Ramirez and Sandy Baltimore handed the visitors a two-goal advantage early on, with Caitlin Foord's fine individual effort before half-time proving to be just a consolation. 

It brought an end to a dismal week for Eidevall, having watched his side lose their Champions League opener 5-2 to Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

"It certainly doesn't help, but as I said before, the only way is to go game by game," Eidevall said on his side's hopes of winning the title after their poor start to the campaign. 

"We are disappointed with the result and the start today, but I am very proud of the heart that the players showed."

But following Chelsea's first two goals, it was Arsenal who were in the ascendency, creating the better of the chances in north London but failing to make them count. 

The Gunners registered 20 attempts during the contest, but only four of which were on target, rarely troubling visiting goalkeeper Hannah Hampton for the most part. 

Though Arsenal find themselves already four points behind the early-season pacesetters, Eidevall still believes he is still the right man to lead the Gunners forward. 

"I gave my absolute everything. You can see that the players certainly gave everything on the pitch too, and that is the thing you can control," Eidevall said. 

"I think the way that the players played with the heart on the pitch, I can't ask for anything more," he added when asked if he had the backing of his players. 

"It showed in the way that they played that they were giving their absolute everything on the pitch."

Chelsea, meanwhile, continued their fine start under Sonia Bompastor, building on their impressive win against Real Madrid in midweek with a triumph over their fierce rivals. 

But it was anything but comfortable for the Blues, who managed an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.35 from their efforts during the second half. 

"For sure it was a tough game, we were expecting that. It's always good to win, three points are three points," Bompastor said.

"But I wish my team were able to play the ball better in the second half. The quality of the players we have, we should be able to produce more.

"Good moments, we need to enjoy them and have fun."

Pernille Harder's hat-trick handed Bayern Munich a winning start to their Women's Champions League campaign, beating Arsenal 5-2 in Group C. 

Harder, who scored 24 times in 48 appearances for Arsenal's London rivals Chelsea, once again haunted the Gunners, striking her first goals in the competition in almost two years.

After three games in the Women’s Super League, Arsenal sit sixth, having won once and drawn twice, with the latest defeat piling more pressure on head coach Jonas Eidevall. 

The Gunners started brightly and took the lead in the 30th minute when Katie McCabe's delivery was swept home by Mariona Caldentey. 

However, the hosts drew level two minutes before the break when Georgia Stanway's searching ball picked out the head of captain Glodis Viggosdottir, who towered over her marker to loop the ball beyond Manuela Zinsberger. 

Bayern then took the lead in the 56th minute as a fast break saw Sydney Lohmann finish at the near post, only for Eidevall's side to respond nine minutes later when McCabe's corner was headed home by Laia Codina. 

But the German champions found themselves back in front soon after with a corner routine of their own, with Harder netting her first of the encounter with a header from Carolin Simon's cross. 

The Dane then notched her second with another well-taken header, before sealing her treble with an effort from close range, despite the best efforts of Zinsberger. 

Harder recorded a staggering 1.59 expected goals (xG) tally of 1.59 to Bayern's 1.89 total, with Arsenal wasteful with their chances, with six of their nine shots on target but unable to trouble Maria Grohs for the most part. 

Elsewhere in the other early kick-off, Hammarby recorded a historic 2-0 victory over Austrian side St. Polten at the Tele2 Arena for their first triumph in the group stage of the competition. 

Vilde Hasund handed the hosts an early lead in the 18th minute with a brilliantly taken finish, striking the ball low into the bottom corner following Ellen Wangerheim's lay-off. 

The victory was sealed two minutes from time by substitute Cathinka Tandberg, who took a touch and placed the ball beyond Carina Schluter to put them top of Group D ahead of Manchester City's star-studded clash with Barcelona. 

Jonas Eidevall says Arsenal are going to take a "full throttle" approach as they look to begin the Champions League on a high against Bayern Munich.

Arsenal survived a scare to qualify for the group stage of the competition, coming from behind after a first-leg loss to Hacken to win 4-1 on aggregate.

Having missed out on qualification last year, the Gunners make a return to the Champions League in a group that also includes Juventus and Norwegian side Valerenga.

Arsenal did meet Bayern the last time they played in the tournament, with Eidevall's side turning around a deficit to progress to the semi-finals with a 2-1 victory.

The Swede is relishing the test ahead of them on Wednesday and plans to push his team just as hard in the Champions League as he does in the Women's Super League.

"For me, the Champions League is very special," Eidevall said when asked where the European competition ranks in his priorities.

"We are in four competitions, but the Champions League and the league will always be very special to me and to the team.

"Right now, we are in a situation where we need to go full-throttle in both of them."

In the WSL, the Gunners are unbeaten, though they have won just one of their three matches so far, and were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw against Everton last time out.

Arsenal had 21 shots in that game, but only managed five on target, as they accumulated 0.74 expected goals, also hitting the post.

They have scored just three goals in the league this season and will come up against a free-flowing Bayern, who have scored 18 times in their opening five Frauen-Bundesliga matches.

While Eidevall was frustrated by their lack of a clinical edge against the Toffees, he hopes they can continue their staunch defensive play.

"[Looking at the defence] is the positive way to look at it," added Eidevall. "We are putting such high standards on ourselves, and we are so demanding on ourselves.

"When something is not working that becomes the focus, but defensively against Everton we played a very solid game, we were pressing really well.

"[Bayern] are really strong in counter-attacking. They move with a lot of paces and that part you have to look out for. They are looking really strong on their set-pieces so far this season.

"They are well-organised; they are a good team, but so are we. While they have strengths, they also have weaknesses, and we need to exploit them."

Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall slammed the "amateurish behaviour" of the Women's Super League, who he feels are damaging English teams' chances of success in European competition.

The Gunners are one of three English teams competing in the Women's Champions League group stages this season, along with Manchester City and Chelsea.

All three are due to commence their campaigns in midweek, but while Arsenal and City are in WSL action on Sunday, Chelsea's scheduled clash with Manchester United was postponed due to player welfare concerns.

Eidevall's side, who face Bayern Munich on Wednesday, then take on the Blues three days later, and the head coach feels his side are at a "sporting disadvantage" with their fixture congestion.

"It's not a good situation," he told reporters during his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's clash with Everton. "There are 16 teams involved in the Champions League, how many teams are playing on Sunday, October 6?

"We are, that is one. If it was only us, it would be an Arsenal problem - but it's also Man City. The only two teams that are playing are English teams. The only other team scheduled to play was Chelsea.

"[It's the] first time that three [English] teams reach the group stage. [It] should be celebrated, but it's now a problem. It's very important for the whole league that we are successful in Europe.

"Now, obviously, it's worse for us because of the amateurish behaviour of no plan and taking away the game like Chelsea.

"It puts us into play on Sunday, then Wednesday away at Bayern Munich, who don't play Sunday, then we return to play Chelsea on Saturday (October 12).

"[That is] less preparation than our opponents. We have been handed a sporting disadvantage in two huge games for us."

Nevertheless, Eidevall insists his players will tackle the busy period head on, rather than feel sorry for themselves.

"We won't lie down and give up because the situation is tough," he said. "We will dig deeper than we ever have before, but what needs to change is the approach to Champions League football and respect to the supporters.

"It's not good enough to blame UEFA, the only one who hasn't acted on the information is the WSL."

Arsenal are facing an uphill battle after a surprise defeat in their Women's Champions League qualifier, though there was no such shock for Manchester City.

Jonas Eidevall's side were defeated 1-0 in the first leg away to Hacken on Wednesday, leaving a comeback needed in the reverse fixture next Thursday.

An error from visiting defender Katie McCabe, who missed a clearance from a diagonal pass, led to Tabitha Tindell's 77th-minute winner at Bravida Arena.

Arsenal face Man City in the Women's Super League between the two Hacken clashes, and Gareth Taylor's side will head into that domestic fixture with growing confidence from a fine European showing.

City ran out comfortable 5-0 winners away to Paris FC, with Vivianne Miedema scoring the opener on her competitive debut for the club.

Jess Park doubled the lead shortly after, and added a second to her own account later on, along with goals for Mary Fowler and Chloe Kelly in a one-sided outing in France.

Elsewhere in the qualifiers, Juventus secured a 3-1 first-leg lead in a battle of two heavyweights with Paris Saint-Germain.

New signing Amalie Vangsgaard opened the scoring against her former club before Thiniba Samoura levelled with a sumptuous equaliser soon after.

Sofia Cantore set up Juve's first and found the net for the home side's second to restore their lead, before Hanna Bennison wrapped up a fine team move to seal a commanding advantage.

There was no such fortune for Juve's fellow Italian side Fiorentina, however, as Wolfsburg produced a 7-0 hammering in the first leg at Viola Park.

Wolfsburg captain Alexandra Popp dominated with a hat-trick, along with a brace from defender Marina Hegering and goals for Jule Brand and Vivien Endemann.

Jonas Eidevall wished former Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema all the best after her move to Manchester City, as the Gunners prepare for the upcoming Women's Super League season.

Arsenal are set to begin life without the WSL's all-time leading scorer, who left the club after netting 80 times in 106 appearances during her seven-year spell.

Miedema also holds the WSL record for most shots (452), efforts on target (198), touches in the opposition box (816) and goals from inside the area (70).

In WSL history, only Bethany England (48) has converted more big chances than the Netherlands international (44), while Miedema has also provided 35 assists.

Ironically, Miedema's first WSL appearance for her new club will come against Arsenal on September 22, two days after the start of the new campaign on Friday, September 20, for which Eidevall is now focused on getting his current squad ready.

Speaking at the Barclay's WSL's 2024-25 season launch Media Day, he told Stats Perform: "Of course, Vivianne Miedema has had a really good history at Arsenal, some really good contributions to the club. 

"Then, you come to a point where you need to say, what does the squad need here now for the next season? We prioritise these players that we now have in the squad.

"[We] wish Viv all the best. I think she's going to have a really good and successful season with Manchester City, but we're really happy and content with the squad that we have."

Arsenal are aiming to improve on last term's third-place finish, and Eidevall wants his players to produce high-quality performances on a more frequent basis.

"We need to keep our highs that we had last season," he added. 

"I think we showed - both with performances and results against the teams that were finishing at the top of the league - that we were a really good football team, but we lacked the consistency.

"So, we need to keep our highs, but we need to raise our lows from last season. That's not easy, but if we can do that, then we can be winning."

Caitlin Foord helped herself to four goals as Arsenal trounced Rangers 6-0 to progress from their first Women's Champions League qualification tie on Wednesday.

Arsenal failed to qualify for the Champions League proper last season after being beaten on penalties by Paris FC in qualifying, but they navigated the first hurdle of their 2024-25 campaign with ease at Meadow Park.

Playing their first competitive game of the season, Arsenal were just one goal to the good at half-time as Foord nodded in a cross from debutant Mariona Caldentey, but they put their foot down after the break to pull clear.

Foord tapped in a close-range second before Alessia Russo drilled into the bottom corner just a minute later, and the former had her hat-trick with 21 minutes to play, hammering a volley past Lizzie Arnot after pulling off to the far post.

The Gunners were not done there as Kim Little dispatched a late penalty, and there was to be more joy for Foord in stoppage time as she prodded home the rebound following a strong Arnot save.

Jonas Eidevall's team must still navigate a first-round final versus Rosenborg – which will take place on Saturday – and a second-round tie, if they are to make the group stage.

Arsenal will play most of their Women's Super League matches at the Emirates Stadium in the 2024-25 season.

The Emirates will be used as the Gunners' main ground, staging at least eight WSL matches and three Women's Champions League group games should they progress that far.

Jonas Eidevall's side will play the remainder of their games, including cup ties, at their long-standing home of Meadow Park.

Arsenal averaged an attendance of 52,029 - including two sell-outs and three WSL attendance records, across the six matches they played at the Emirates this term.

And the move has been championed by sporting director Edu.

"There's great passion for our women's team right across our club," he said. "We are one club, with a vision to win major trophies across our men's and women's teams.

"This move supports this ambition, and we can't wait to continue this amazing journey with our supporters."

Jonas Eidevall insists Arsenal are still focused on their title push despite being given a 0 per cent chance of winning the Women’s Super League by the Opta supercomputer.

The Gunners sit in third place ahead of Sunday’s match against Everton and are six points behind leaders Manchester City.

Chelsea occupy second place, three points ahead of Arsenal, but with a game in hand on the teams around them.

Asked if he thought his side could do something special despite the Opta supercomputer’s prediction, Eidevall did not rule his team out of the race.

He said: “It's about for us focusing on what we can control.

"The Opta supercomputer is definitely one of the things that we can't control. So, they can make their calculations, but we have to focus on our performances.”

Emma Hayes has insisted Chelsea’s motivation to reach another Women’s FA Cup final is not driven by her imminent exit.

It was revealed last November that the Blues boss will end her trophy-laden 12 years club at the conclusion of this campaign to take over as United States manager.

Hayes has entered the home straight of her time at Chelsea and missed out on silverware two weeks ago when Arsenal beat them 1-0 in the Women’s League Cup final.

The highly decorated Hayes courted controversy afterwards when she appeared to shove Arsenal counterpart Jonas Eidevall, but ahead of Sunday’s trip to Manchester United, the 47-year-old played down the impact of her summer departure.

She told a press conference: “I’m absolutely committed to doing everything I possibly can to help the team achieve these goals and I’m looking forward to the games.

“The team want to win for themselves. They want to win for the football club. They want to win for the families. They want to win because they’re winners.

“They’re sick to death of what they need to do for me and that’s fair, it’s not about me.

“It’s about them and us as a collective making sure we maximise the situations we are in.

“There are three pieces of silverware up for grabs and I’m very grateful to be in the position to be competing for them.”

While Chelsea eye Women’s Super League, FA Cup and Champions League success this season, United’s focus is purely on the domestic cup after an inconsistent campaign.

Marc Skinner led United to last season’s final where they lost 1-0 to Chelsea at Wembley and he knows the size of the task at Leigh Sports Village.

“I think their success over the past seasons and beyond is something that everybody wants to replicate,” Skinner acknowledged.

“It’s a tough, tough ask. Everybody goes, ‘you’ve got to beat Chelsea’… well not many teams do.

“I think, from our perspective, we have to give everything in this game and I believe on our day and when we have our qualities and we work hard, we can beat anybody.

“If we do that, then I believe we’ll be in a position to progress into the final of the FA Cup.”

The winner of Sunday’s other semi-final between Tottenham and Leicester will reach a maiden FA Cup final.

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Spurs switched the fixture to their men’s 62,850-seater stadium and boss Robert Vilahamn is desperate to reach Wembley in his first season in charge.

Vilahamn said: “We started our meeting with the journey we are on and that it ends at Wembley hopefully, but then everything else goes back to normal.

“I think if we have a good performance we have a good chance to win and go to Wembley.

“I just hope we can bring so many fans to stadium and make sure we do this together.

“We play for them, we don’t play for ourselves. We want to make sure we have a lot of fans at the stadium and make them proud.

“If we’re going to reach the final, we need them because they give us that extra energy.”

Meanwhile, ninth-placed Leicester will be boosted by the return of goalkeeper Janina Leitzig, who has not played since February due to a shoulder injury.

The Foxes have endured a difficult season with Willie Kirk suspended in March and subsequently dismissed weeks later, which has resulted in Jennifer Foster stepping up on an interim basis.

Foster revealed: “Janina is back at 100 per cent.

“Lize (Kop) has been playing well but it’s good to have both senior goalkeepers back in contention again to push each other.”