Arsenal qualified for the Champions League knockout phase after a narrow but industrious victory at Meadow Park, with Beth Mead’s early finish enough to overcome Twente.
Arsenal are guaranteed to come inside the top 12 of the 18-team league phase and may still have a chance to reach the top four and go straight into the quarter-finals depending on results on Wednesday and if they can then win their last game in Belgium against Leuven next week.
“It’s super important [to qualify],” the Arsenal manager, Renée Slegers, said. “That’s of course the position we want to be in. We have the Leuven game next week which is very important to get three points and then get us as high up the table as possible.
“We should win today and we did. We had some moments in the box; we had about 15 shots and I think there were quite a few blocked shots and saves. They defended for their lives and they’ve made it hard for a lot of teams in the Champions League so far.”
Arsenal’s inconsistent form in the Champions League this season – two wins and two defeats – had placed extra importance on this penultimate matchday. They will have been well aware of the threats posed by the visitors, who earned a point off Chelsea in their opener. While Corina Dekker’s side have only secured two points in the competition, they boast a developing group of young players who have been catching the eye.
The Manchester United head coach, Marc Skinner, has hailed OL Lyonnes as Europe's best team but urged his side to take the game to the eight-time European champions in Leigh on Wednesday.
Skinner's team are a point behind the French club in the Women's Champions League table after winning three of their first four matches in their debut campaign at this stage of the competition, meaning they have secured at least a knockout-phase playoff spot.
Both sides hope to finish in the top four to progress automatically to the quarter-finals, and Skinner said: "We’re playing the best team in Europe. I know Barcelona are up there as well, but Lyon have the capacity to be the best team in Europe, so we’re going to need them [the fans], and what I want Lyon to feel tomorrow is the force that Manchester United are and can become.
"Lyon have the ability to create something from nothing in any moment of the game. We have to concentrate and be at our very best. If we defend for the whole game, Lyon will win."
He added: "We can’t just sit off them. We’ve got to be very respectful of that. We must attack. We’re at home and we look forward to trying to give ourselves that quality going forward too.”
When United re-formed their senior women's side in 2018, Lyon were five-time winners of this competition, but Skinner does not want his players to be nostalgic by any thoughts of how far they have come to reach this point: "If I wasn’t Man Utd manager I would be saying: ‘Wow, what a fantastic achievement.’ [But] there is no room for this romanticism. If you live in a nostalgic space, you lose ground."
Skinner confirmed his side would be without Elisabeth Terland because of a knock to her "upper body" on Sunday, but he expects the striker to return for Sunday's league game against Tottenham Hotspur. Tom Garry
The Gunners came into this game on the back of a confidence-boosting win against Liverpool in the Women’s Super League. Slegers freshened things up with two changes as Victoria Pelova and Katie McCabe came in for Emily Fox and Frida Maanum.
Twente’s Corina Dekker, meanwhile, has opted to keep her squad stable in this competition, having made only one change across their four games to date. She did, however, make two on this occasion after alluding to fatigue in her squad before the winter break.
Arsenal made an energetic start as they looked to take the game to their opponents. While Twente were pressing high, attempting to challenge the hosts’ control of the ball, it was Slegers’s side who quickly gained a foothold in the game.
The signs of an opener were inevitable after Pelova saw a shot saved by Diede Lemey and Mead had an effort cleared off the line. They made their pressure count in the 10th minute when the England international bent a low shot into the far corner after strong buildup play.
Arsenal continued to apply the pressure as they looked to establish their lead but they had to be wary of the counterattacking threat of the visitors. Sophie Proost had their best opportunity of the half when she headed an Eva Oude Elberink delivery over at the far post.
Linda Caicedo raced clear from halfway to score the goal that clinched Real Madrid a 2-0 win over Wolfsburg in the Women's Champions League.
The 20-year-old, regarded as one of the top young players in the women's game, recently signed a long-term deal with Madrid and showcased her talents with the second goal. Played through by Caroline Weir, the Colombia striker outpaced the last defender after setting off inside her own half, rounded the goalkeeper, and slotted home a finish in the 67th minute. That added to the opening goal in the 19th by María Méndez for Madrid, who finished the match with nine players. Maëlle Lakrar collected a second yellow card in first-half stoppage time, while Iris Santiago received a straight red in second-half stoppage time.
Madrid moved above Wolfsburg and into third place — one of the four automatic qualifying places — with the win and are assured of at least a spot in the playoffs.
Juventus thrashed St Pölten 5-0 and climbed to second place, on the same points as Madrid and first-place Barcelona, who play Benfica on Wednesday. Cristiana Girelli scored two of Juve's goals — one of which was from the penalty spot.
Paris Saint-Germain will not even make it to the playoffs. The home 0-0 draw with Leuven was PSG's first point of the campaign and the French club cannot now make the top 12. Associated Press
One-nil is always a dangerous score and Twente looked to punish the hosts’ wastefulness. They had a chance immediately after the restart when Oude Elberink broke through the lines at pace. The Arsenal keeper Anneke Borbe, a spectator for much of the match, rushed out to claim bravely, picking up a knock to the face in the process.
Arsenal rang the changes and continued to apply pressure but the visitors held firm, helped by the woodwork that prevented Alessia Russo’s towering header from doubling the lead. They finished with a flurry of chances but could not make them count and had to settle for a narrow victory heading into their final game against OH Leuven, when a top-four place may be up for grabs.
