'We are ruthless' - Arsenal boss Renee Slegers fires warning to Lyon as WSL giants target comeback in UWCL semi-finals after first leg defeat at hands of eight-time winners

The French champions have a slim lead going into the semi-final second leg after defeating Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. But the Gunners boss isn't going down without a fight, telling reporters after the match that her team is "ruthless" and still has more than enough quality to win the tie and progress to the final.

Slegers' players have a real task on their hands; they're facing the most successful club in the history of the Women's Champions League, with Lyon racking up eight trophies in total and winning the competition six times in seven years between 2015-16 and 2021-22. While Barcelona has emerged as Europe's dominant force in recent years - it's possible that the winners of Lyon vs Arsenal will face the Catalan giants in the final - Lyon are still a hugely difficult team to face up against in this competition.

Asked about her side's chances in the second leg, Slegers said: "Arsenal has done it before against Lyon away, won with good numbers. We have all the opportunity to win the next one. It's going to be 11 vs 11. It's going to be a very difficult game, but we are going to go there and believe that we can do something. We are ruthless and we find ways to score a lot of goals. I don't think we need to doubt ourselves in that area."

Arsenal are also gunning for the 2024-25 Women's Super League title this season, but a domestic break means they have a full week to reset and plot ahead for the second leg of their semi-final tie against Lyon, which takes place on Sunday 27 April.