Caldentey rescues it in stoppage time
Arsenal Women 1–0 HB Køge in the Champions League opener at Meadow Park on Tuesday. Mariona Caldentey scored the only goal from the penalty spot in the 90th minute plus three (3)(7)(11). You got the win. You did not get a comfortable night.
Steph Catley did not pretend otherwise. "We left it late. It's tough at the moment and in the Champions League there are no easy games" (3).
Slegers: it was not the football that won it
Renee Slegers called it exactly what it was. "It was a mentality, resilience win today and the football didn't give us the win" (8). A heavily rotated side beat a low block with a stoppage-time penalty, and that is the whole story of the 90 minutes (7)(8).
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The bigger question is goals. Three goals in five matches this season, with Beth Mead missing from the attack (7).
Køge enjoyed their night anyway
Nadia Nadim said the Danish side are simply relishing the Champions League adventure after pushing Arsenal all the way (3).
Arsenal are working on a new Ben White deal
Arsenal have made their move to keep Ben White, with talks on a new contract already underway (5). Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton are all in the picture for a defender Arsenal value around €30m (5).
Zechiel is on the January list
Arsenal and Chelsea are both tracking Feyenoord midfielder Gjivai Zechiel, with a €30m move possible in January (6). He is one of the hottest names heading into the next window (6).
Timber on missing another tournament
Jurriën Timber is back with the Netherlands after missing another major tournament through injury. "Ik voelde me alleen in de week van de Champions League-finale goed," he said, which means he only felt right in the week of the Champions League final (1).
Gyökeres reportedly wants out
Viktor Gyökeres is said to be pushing for a winter exit from Arsenal, with AC Milan talks and a loan move in consideration because he wants regular minutes (2).
Rice ready to commit
Declan Rice is prepared to sign a long-term extension at Arsenal, according to the papers (13). It follows the new contract for Mikel Arteta (12).
Six clubs want Dowman on loan
Up to six clubs want Max Dowman on loan in January. Coventry, Burnley, Wolves, Norwich and the Old Firm pair Celtic and Rangers are all interested in the 16-year-old (14).
Brobbey's hat-trick put Arsenal on alert
Brian Brobbey scored a hat-trick for Sunderland in a 5–3 defeat at Manchester City, and Arsenal are among the clubs now tracking him (15).
Fan reactions
The mood on r/Gunners was relief more than excitement, with the late Caldentey penalty the headline of the night and a thread calling it "a very late win" getting us underway in the UWCL. Plenty of fans simply wanted to see the goals start flowing. Match thread
