Arsenal delivered a dominant and efficient display away to OH Leuven to take a 4-0 lead into the second leg of their Women’s Champions League playoff at the Emirates Stadium next week.
Frida Maanum opened the scoring, Olivia Smith added the second, Maanum struck again and Alessia Russo finished things off against the Belgian side before midfielder Kim Little came off the bench late on to put the cherry on top of the evening, making a staggering 400th appearance for the club.
The Champions League holders are 90 minutes away from an all-WSL quarter-final tie against Chelsea, who qualified automatically for a place among the final eight by finishing in the top four at the end of the league phase.
It was never going to be as connected a performance for the travelling Gunners, with five changes made to the team that secured an impressive 1-0 win over WSL leaders Manchester City on Sunday. Arsenal have needed to rotate a little amid a hefty run of fixtures and although this was the first leg of a tie that would earn a spot in the Champions League quarter-final stage it was also the optimal time to rest legs, with Renée Slegers’ side having earned a 3-0 win against Leuven in their final game of the league phase.
