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November 8, 2025 Stadium of light, Sunderland Granit Xhaka came home. Once the pariah of north London, booed and jeered by the same stands that would later rise to applaud him, he now stood again on English soil as Sunderland’s captain — and as one of the Premier League’s most unlikely redemption stories.  The Black Cats, reborn under Régis Le Bris, entered the match unbeaten at home and fourth in the table — the best start by a newly promoted side since Hull City in 2008. Ar

November 8, 2025 Emirates Stadium, London The Emirates had the weight of history upon it. Arsenal against Chelsea — not merely a London derby, but the summit of women’s football in England. As VERSUS  aptly wrote, this was the Queens of Europe against WSL Royalty.  Chelsea came unbeaten in twelve league games, leaders of the division, and architects of a dynasty. Six wins in seven, imperious at home and relentless abroad. They hadn’t fallen behind in a WSL game since March. A

November 4, 2025 Fortuna Arena, Prague The night was cold in the Czech capital, the air brittle with expectation. Red, white and blue lights flickered over the Fortuna Arena, where Slavia Prague, unbeaten at home, prepared to test Arsenal. Arsenal arrived without Gyökeres — a muscular injury sustained at Burnley shelving him after what had been his most convincing half in Arsenal colours. Seven players absent now for injuries. Zubimendi suspended through accumulation, Rice on

November 2, 2025 King Power Stadium, Leicester City Arsenal begin a gruelling stretch of five matches in three weeks—Chelsea next, then Bayern, followed by the North London Derby and Real Madrid.  From the international break, the mood in the camp was mixed. Katie McCabe returned buoyed by her hundredth cap and goal for Ireland, but Olivia Smith and Frida Maanum were ruled out through injury, and Kyra Cooney-Cross remained sidelined with illness. The players walked out to the

October 29, 2025 Emirates Stadium, London October ended in perfection: six games, six wins, twelve goals scored, none conceded. Arsenal became the first English team in history to win six matches in a single month without allowing a goal. Four points clear at the top of the Premier League, unbeaten leaders in their Champions League group, and now EFL Cup quarter-finalists — Mikel Arteta’s side are in uncharted form. History was made before kick-off. With Martinelli injured, 1

October 26, 2025 Emirates Stadium, London The Eagles, winless in 14 visits to the Emirates, arrived under Oliver Glasner disciplined and dangerous, their 19-game unbeaten run only just broken at Goodison Park. Community Shield winners, unbeaten in their first six league games, and now making their European debut with victories over Fredrikstad and Dynamo Kyiv.  Knee on the floor. Whistle. The game starts.Arsenal began sharply but Palace was strong. The first half was tense, c

October 21, 2025 Emirates Stadium, London Atlético Madrid arrived in London bearing both scars and pride. Simeone’s men had opened the Spanish season with their familiar cocktail of defiance and discipline — a 3–2 win over Rayo Vallecano courtesy of a Julián Álvarez hat-trick, followed by a 5–2 demolition of Real Madrid, their first time scoring five against their city rivals in seventy-five years.  In Europe, they had fought as they always do — from behind, in pain. A 3–2 de

16 October, 2025 Estádio da Luz, Lisbon After a bruising opening defeat in the Champions League, Arsenal responded with the measured assurance expected of reigning European champions. Pragmatic, patient, and built on the simple discipline of avoiding further wounds. Renné Slegers made several adjustments from the weekend’s domestic win, bringing in Lotte Wubben-Moy for the injured teenager Katie Reid, sidelined with a groin issue. From the start, the pattern was familiar. Ars

12 October, 2025 Emirates Stadium, London Renné’s tone before kickoff was one of realism disguised as resolve. “I do want to win every single game, of course,” she said. “But I’m also a realist. The game is on a very high level. There are going to be spells for every professional sports team but champions find ways.” Brighton, her opponents, had shown their unpredictability this season. Their 4–1 win over West Ham, powered by Arsenal loanee Rosa Kafaji, hinted at an adventuro

7 October, 2025 Meadow Park, London They entered this campaign as Champions, but this loss to Lyon was the slow collapse of Arsenal’s own architecture. For a moment, the night seemed to promise another resurgence. Beth Mead, weaving past five defenders with characteristic defiance, slipped a pass to Alessia Russo, whose finish across Christiane Endler was pure efficiency. The roar that followed felt like a restoration of order. But football, as ever, has a short memory. Lyon,

October 04, 2025 Joie Stadium, Manchester Last season in Manchester, Arsenal triumphed 4–3 in a seven-goal storm, Blackstenius the late heroine. That victory extended a five-match unbeaten run against City. Tonight, the run ended. The opening half unfolded in tension — patience against pressure, control against chaos. Arsenal began brightly: Smith carved the first chance, Mariona curled at Yamashita, Russo prowled between lines. But City settled, Miedema — once Arsenal’s own

3 October, 2025 Emirates Stadium, London For two seasons running, West Ham had found victory in north London. They arrived at the Emirates again, under a new manager and with old ambitions. Mikel Arteta, marking his 300th match in charge, reshuffled after the midweek win over Olympiacos. Gabriel returned fit, Timber and Calafiori reclaimed the flanks, and Bukayo Saka — making his 200th Premier League appearance — led the line. Declan Rice faced his former club, while Eberechi

October 1, 2025 Emirates Stadium, London Olympiacos are centenarians of Greek football, founded a century ago in Piraeus. Giants at home, crowned in 2024 with Greece’s first European trophy — the Europa Conference League.  At 14, in Bilbao’s academy, Arteta trained under José Luis Mendilibar. Thirty years later, his Olympiacos side stood in Arsenal’s way. Olympiacos also carried ghosts: his first European tie as Arsenal manager in 2020, victory in Athens followed by heartbrea

September 27, 2025  Emirates Stadium, London Renée Slegers knew the danger. Aston Villa, bruising and direct, had humiliated Arsenal 5–2 last spring. Saturday offered a chance for redemption. Arsenal arrived in bittersweet circumstances. The club had just been honoured as Club of the Year at the Ballon d’Or, yet the individual prizes carried frustration: Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey were overlooked. Arsenal began brightly. Russo’s cross found Mead but hesitated on her

September 24, 2025  Vale Park, Staffordshire At Vale Park, under cool September skies, Arsenal faced a contest measured less by artistry than by principle. For a club with fourteen FA Cups but only two League Cups — the last in 1993 — the Carabao Cup competition remains unfinished business. The scars of last season’s 4–0 semi-final humiliation by Newcastle still lingered. Reputation, as much as progression, was on the line, and Mikel Arteta made that plain. Vale Park, with it

September 21, 2025   Leigh Sports Village Stadium, Manchester The last meeting was a wild seven-goal affair: Kelly pouncing early, Toone cancelling out, Caldentey from the spot, Maanum slaloming, Little stretching the lead — then nerves as McCabe’s errors allowed Terland and Le Tissier to drag it back to 4–3. For McCabe, that unease still lingers.  For United, Arsenal have become a thorn difficult to pull. Winless in the last four WSL meetings (two defeats, two draws), their

September 21, 2025  Emirates Stadium, London The shadow of February’s 5–1 thrashing still hangs heavy. That night Arsenal did not beat Manchester City; they dismantled them. Ødegaard opened with authority, Nwaneri—still a boy—lashed in a strike of adult certainty, and Lewis Kelly mocked Haaland with his own meditative celebration, palms pressed as if to murmur: be humble.  Martinelli, eternal tormentor, stitched his partnership with Havertz into something exquisite. Now, hist

September 16, 2025 San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao Opening nights in Europe do not crown champions, but they reveal temperament. Arsenal, back in the Champions League after seasons of absence and heartbreak, found their proving ground in Bilbao. This was Arsenal’s first ever competitive clash with a Basque side. Gabriel laid flowers at Pichichi’s bust; Arteta returned home to the region of his boyhood. Their fans showed unity too—waving Palestinian flags in defiance, something othe

September 13, 2025 Emirates Stadium, London Back from the international break, Arsenal’s squad did not return drained but sharpened. Merino struck four in two games for Spain, Ødegaard orchestrated Norway’s 11–1 demolition of Moldova, and Madueke and Rice both scored for England. Nottingham Forest, now led by Ange Postecoglou  —ex Tottenham—  inheritor of Nuno Espírito Santo’s rigid defensive lines, but already reshaping them into something more expansive.  Forest began disci

September 12, 2025 Chigwell Construction Stadium, London The evening in east London opened with a stumble. Within minutes, Arsenal were behind: a cross, misjudged, slipped through Daphne van Domselaar’s gloves and cruelly spun into her own net. Yet, Arsenal did not panic. Renée Slegers called for calm, composure, and patience. By the 21st minute, the balance was restored. Russo’s movement dragged defenders aside, Beth Mead slipped the perfect pass, and Frida Maanum finished w