Renee Slegers claimed the biggest win of her time as Arsenal's interim head coach as they beat Juventus 4-0 in the Women's Champions League on Tuesday. 

Since taking over from Jonas Eidevall, Slegers has led the Gunners to four wins from her five games at the helm, though their most recent result was their most impressive.

After seeing Alessia Russo and Emily Fox denied by smart stops from Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, the Gunners eventually made the breakthrough seven minutes from half-time. 

A well-worked team move saw Caitlin Foord pick out Frida Maanum inside the box, with the Norwegian remaining calm and finishing into the far corner. 

Fox again went close with an effort that crashed the crossbar, but Arsenal finally got their second when substitute Stina Blackstenius fired the ball home in the 75th minute.

Mariona Caldentey, another substitute made by Slegers, grabbed the Gunners' third before Foord sealed a statement win at the Stadio Comunale Vittorio Pozzo Lamarmora. 

Heading into Tuesday's match, Arsenal were winless across their last three Champions League away matches (D1 L2), but were worthy winners in Italy this time around. 

They accumulated an expected goals (xG) total of 2.5 from their 17 shots, compared to Juventus' 1.06 from their 12 attempts during the contest. 

In the other early kick-off taking place on Tuesday, Barcelona romped to a comfortable 7-0 victory over St. Polten, helped by a flurry of goals at the end of the first half. 

With the game level after half an hour, Ewa Pajor opened the scoring in the 32nd minute after turning home Ona Batlle's cross at Carina Schluter's front post. 

Kika Nazareth then doubled Barca's advantage six minutes later before Pajor notched her second of the game after being picked out by Ballon d'Or Feminin winner Aitana Bonmati. 

Keira Walsh then curled a wonderful effort into the far corner from the edge of the box as Claudia Pina concluded the 13-minute onslaught on the stroke of half-time. 

Barca notched their sixth from the spot after Kamila Dubcova brought down Batlle, with Pina sending Schluter the wrong way, before Caroline Hansen completed the scoring to move her side onto six points in Group D. 

Frida Maanum's first-half strike ensured Arsenal progressed to the second round of Women's Champions League qualifying after a 1-0 win over Rosenborg.

Maanum netted the only goal of the game in the 19th minute after Caitlin Foord saw her cross spilled by Rugile Rulyte, with Maanum on hand to finish from close range. 

The Gunners could have made the encounter more comfortable as Alessia Russo's header came back off the crossbar to conclude a dominant first half.

Arsenal struck the woodwork a further two times after the interval, through Russo and Kyra Cooney-Cross, with Leah Williamson also seeing her header cleared off the line.

But Jonas Eidevall's side were able to restrict their opponents to very little, with the hosts ending the contest with 30 shots, though only five of those were on target.

Arsenal go through to the next stage of the next stage of the competition, which is a knockout tie played across two legs.

Emma Hayes bizarrely recited part of a poem after Jonas Eidevall branded her accusation against him of male aggression “irresponsible”.

Eidevall’s Arsenal defeated Hayes’ Chelsea 1-0 earlier this month in the Continental Cup final but the result was overshadowed by a spat between the two managers.

Hayes took exception to a touchline altercation between Eidevall and Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert and appeared to push the Arsenal boss after the match.

Both managers were speaking for the first time since the contest ahead of matches this weekend, and Eidevall did not hold back in criticising Hayes for her remarks.

“I thought the comments that I heard after the game were very irresponsible and they were not mirroring the conduct that I had in the technical area,” Eidevall said on arsenal.com.

“I think always when you make comments about other persons, you have to take into consideration what effects that may have. That’s why you need to be, especially when you’re a leader, you need to be very good with words.

“You need to understand the consequences of both your actions and your language and that’s why I think it’s really, really important that we treat each other with a lot of respect and that we stay at facts as much as possible and don’t get too emotional.”

Hayes’ response – when asked whether she would change her comments – was to read a line from Robert Frost’s poem Choose Something Like a Star: “When at times the mob is swayed to carry praise or blame too far, we may choose something like a star, to stay our minds on and be staid.”

Neither manager offered an apology, with Eidevall saying he was “very happy” with the way he conducted himself, while Hayes described a conversation with her young son about responding to aggression.

“My son said to me after the game, ‘Mummy, when you push someone in school you’re asked to go and take time out’,” she told reporters.

“And I said to him, ‘You know what darling, you can’t meet aggression with aggression. All you can do is tell the teacher’. I thought it was a really good conversation to have with my son.”

Pressed further, Hayes indicated she regretted her reaction, saying: “I’ve had a fantastic break, I’ve already explained an important analogy that I shared with my son and the lessons learned and my focus is on moving forward and I’ve had time to look at my star.

“Of course it’s not right to meet aggression with aggression. I can only control my own behaviours.

“I’ve reflected on that and next time I just need to listen to my son’s advice and I need to go to the teacher if I’ve got anything to say.”

On Eidevall’s branding of her as “irresponsible”, Hayes said simply: “I don’t have an opinion on it.”

There appears no prospect of clear-the-air talks between the pair any time soon, with Hayes, who will not face any sanction for the push, adding: “We don’t play Arsenal, we don’t have each other’s telephone numbers, we’d have no reason to do that.

“But I’m sure when I become the boss of the USA we will have conversations. Until the end of the season, my focus is on Chelsea.”

Eidevall revealed, meanwhile, that Frida Maanum, who collapsed during the cup final in worrying scenes, could return in next weekend’s match against Leicester.

“Everything is looking good and that’s the most important thing,” said Eidevall. “She’s on a graduated, monitored protocol now to return to play.

“She will not be available for selection (against Bristol City) on Sunday but, after that, if everything goes as planned, it looks promising for her to be available to play again.”

Arsenal have confirmed that “no obvious cardiac causes” have been found following Frida Maanum’s collapse during the League Cup final victory against Chelsea on Sunday.

The Norwegian midfielder was treated by medical staff after collapsing off the ball during second-half stoppage time at Molineux and was carried off on a stretcher after about seven minutes.

Arsenal went on to win 1-0 and the Gunners confirmed on Tuesday that she did not lose consciousness and travelled back home with the team.

The club have since confirmed that Maanum has undergone “extensive testing”, which has been reviewed by “two leading cardiologists” and there have been “no obvious cardiac causes” found so far.

She has also had a monitoring device fitted to record her heart function and will undergo a “progressive return” to training.

Maanum will not be involved in Norway’s upcoming European Championship qualifiers against Finland and the Netherlands.

A statement on the club website read: “Following the incident during the League Cup final on Sunday, which resulted in Maanum being substituted at the end of normal time, she has undergone extensive testing and support from our medical team at Arsenal.

“The test results have been reviewed by two leading cardiologists and there are no obvious cardiac causes found from these thorough investigations so far.

“Frida has subsequently had a monitoring device fitted to record her heart function and will now undergo a progressive return to training protocol.

“Once Frida has been monitored for a full one-week period, her normal training will be closely reviewed and monitored, before a decision will be made on her returning to play.”

Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum will not feature in Norway’s upcoming Euro 2025 qualifiers after collapsing in Sunday’s League Cup final win against Chelsea.

The 24-year-old collapsed off the ball in stoppage time and left the field on a stretcher before Arsenal clinched a 1-0 victory in extra-time.

The Gunners announced on Tuesday that Maanum was “doing well” and was being assessed by medical staff and on Wednesday added she will not be joining up with Norway’s squad.

A club statement read: “Frida Maanum will continue to be closely monitored by our medical team at Arsenal this week and will therefore not meet up with the Norwegian national team before their game on Friday.

“We are liaising closely with the Norwegian medical team. Frida is stable and doing well and we’ll share further updates as and when we receive them.”

Norway will launch their Euro qualifying campaign at home against Group A rivals Finland on Friday and play the Netherlands in Breda next Tuesday.

Sunday’s final at Molineux was halted for seven minutes as Maanum was treated by medics.

Arsenal later confirmed she did not lose consciousness and, after travelling back from Wolverhampton with the team, did not require hospital treatment.

Maanum was substituted before Stina Blackstenius’ 116th-minute goal saw Jonas Eidevall’s side lift the trophy for a second successive season.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.