That was part of the conversation throughout Euro 2025, a tournament which memorably culminated in England’s shootout victory over Spain on Sunday. The decisive spot kick scored by Chloe Kelly of, you guessed it, Arsenal.
Stina Blackstenius was the source of Arsenal fans’ unbridled joy as she scored their Champions League-winning goal against Barcelona in May. Come the European Championship quarter-finals two months later, the same player had put England on life support by giving Sweden a 2-0 lead after 25 minutes.
But then up stepped, yes, Arsenal’s prodigious teenager Michelle Agyemang, off the substitutes’ bench with an equaliser that took the game to penalties after Lucy Bronze had made it 2-1, from a Kelly cross, in the 79th minute.
Two of the three subsequent penalties England scored in an epic shootout were taken by, yes, Arsenal’s Alessia Russo and Kelly. England were through to the semi-finals, fortuitously so perhaps, but mainly thanks to a significant sprinkle of Arsenal-tinted stardust.
When England fell behind again, this time 1-0 against Italy, coach Sarina Wiegman looked towards her contingent from the red and white side of north London to make the difference once more.
Beth Mead for Lauren James was the first change due to an injury, but it was the second-half introductions of Agyemang and Kelly that proved crucial. With elimination seconds away, Agyemang had the poise to rifle the ball home to keep England alive again. Then it was over to Kelly to book their tickets to the final, scoring from the rebound after her extra-time penalty was initially saved. Arsenal to the rescue. Again.
Of Spain’s starters in the final, seven played for Barcelona, two for Real Madrid, another for the NWSL’s Gotham FC, and one for Arsenal. And, of course, it was — who else? — Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey who opened the scoring. As Kelly and Russo combined to level it up in the second half, references to UK newspaper The Mirror’s ‘Arsenal win the World Cup’ headline, after Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit did the same to help France’s men beat Brazil in that tournament’s 1998 final, were already being made.
Mariona, Kelly and Russo G/A… I’m leaving with something pic.twitter.com/2XAspuQzXp
— Art de Roché (@ArtdeRoche) July 27, 2025
Three Arsenal players — Mead, Leah Williamson and Caldentey — did fail in the shootout after the score stayed 1-1 through 30 minutes of extra time, but that Kelly scored the shootout’s winning penalty was somewhat fitting.
The past year has been about Sliding Doors moments for her and Arsenal alike.
The 27-year-old forward was ready to “take a break from football” before joining Arsenal on loan from Manchester City in January. Kelly had made just one league start in the first half of the 2024-25 Women’s Super League (WSL) season, and her relationship with the club soured as she accused City of trying to “assassinate my character”.
Arsenal had issues of their own at the start of that season. With one league win from four by the time they lost 4-1 to Chelsea in October, their title hopes were over, and it was the end for head coach Jonas Eidevall. The club could have recruited his successor externally, but benefited hugely from instead promoting individual-development coach Renee Slegers.
Arguably, Arsenal are stronger today than they ever have been in the modern era of the women’s game.
They are the European champions, they will play all their WSL home games at the Emirates Stadium in the coming campaign — 15,000 season tickets and six-game packages have been sold already — and have built on the momentum of their Champions League triumph, notably breaking the world transfer record in women’s football to sign Olivia Smith from Liverpool for £1million.
A key objective in this transfer window has been to increase competition for matchday places within the squad. Considering a major element of Chelsea winning the past six WSL titles has been their strength in depth, closing the gap in that regard was always a necessary step ahead of the forthcoming season.
Re-signing Kelly permanently was a key part of that plan, as was recruiting two of Liverpool’s best players, Taylor Hinds and Smith.
The individual quality at Slegers’ disposal was showcased throughout the Euros. Agyemang deservedly won young player of the tournament, but the quality of attackers in the squad at her parent club is such that it’s not certain the 19-year-old will be a regular starter for them in 2025-26. Russo and Blackstenius would be her direct rivals for selection up front, while Kelly, Smith, Mead and Australia international Caitlin Foord are options out wide.
Arsenal will need to make the best decision for Agyemang’s development.
Two seasons ago, that was a dual-agreement with Watford during which she scored for the Championship side against Arsenal in the FA Cup. Last season, she was on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion in the WSL, with Eidevall saying playing “highly competitive minutes” was “really important” for her development.
Arsenal maintain a strong relationship with Brighton, and it’s likely that this time they let them borrow Rosa Kafaji, the creative midfielder signed last summer from Swedish side Hacken. The south-coast club are considered a good place for her development, with the 22-year-old felt to be part of the future at Arsenal rather than being offloaded further down the line.
It is not just on the pitch where Arsenal’s ambition has been felt. They have hosted more women’s games at the Emirates year-on-year since England’s Euro 2022 triumph, and the team’s fanbase has consequently grown.
A sea of red and white shirts welcomed the squad home outside the stadium after that surprise victory over Barcelona in Lisbon, while on Sunday night the surrounding Highbury area was rife with cars beeping their horns to celebrate England retaining their Euros title. That support will continue into the new season.
Even if they haven’t won the WSL for six years, collectively and individually, Arsenal’s players have seized the big moments of late, in Europe and internationally.
Now it is time for them to do it domestically.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Arsenal, England, International Football, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Euros, Premier League
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