That’s all from me today! Be sure to join John for updates on the Arsenal parade, or Rob Smyth for minute-by-minute coverage of the Women’s FA Cup final.
Speaking of the Arsenal parade, John Brewin is on hand now to bring you all the latest from north London.
Some more images from north London…
You won’t be surprised to know that blue is the dominant colour here outside Wembley, with Brighton’s blue and white shirts mixed in with Manchester City’s sky blue tops making it the dominant colour on display, as blue flags wave either side of me. There are also plenty of ‘neutrals’ here too, donning Lionesses kits. I’ve seen ‘Russo’ on the back of a few England shirts already and a couple of ‘Williamson’ shirts. It’s a relaxed, friendly atmosphere without even the slightest hint of hostility or trouble. Everyone is calm and enjoying themselves.
There were chaotic scenes in Paris last night after PSG won the Champions League. More than 400 people have been arrested.
And they’re off! Scotland are now flying to the United States ahead of the World Cup next month.
Nothing dampening this title parade after a 22 year wait. I walked from my mum’s in Hoxton, near my old council estate, to Essex Road and there were red shirts everywhere, in every park, on every street, in every shop. It feels like every Lime Bike has been commandeered by Arsenal fans finding ways around the road and station closures. There’s already flares going and loads of chants around where Upper Street meets Essex Road. There’s also queues snaking out of the Tesco Express as people get supplies in and a big big queue for the public toilets on Islington Green.
Jesse Marsch named his Canada World Cup squad yesterday. He remains convinced it is the strongest squad Canada has ever assembled.
Tyler Fletcher earns Scotland World Cup call-up
Scotland have drafted Manchester United youngster Tyler Fletcher into their World Cup squad as a replacement for the injured Billy Gilmour.
Fletcher, the 19-year-old son of former Scotland captain Darren, was handed his international debut after coming on at half-time in Saturday’s 4-1 friendly win over Curacao at Barclays Hampden.
The teenage midfielder has now been added to Scotland’s 26-strong World Cup squad after Napoli playmaker Gilmour suffered a knee injury during the first half against Curacao, which has ruled him out of the tournament that starts next month in North America.
Fletcher was one of five young players given the chance to join Scotland for training over the past week and made a big impression on boss Steve Clarke.
Clarke said on Saturday when assessing his options: “Obviously I’ve got Connor Barron, Andy Irving, Lennon Miller, and you see for yourself how good young Tyler is.
“The three that I mentioned are on standby. Obviously Tyler joined us this week. He’s trained well this week so he’s a little bit closer than the other three.” PA
Speaking of the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo is heading there with Portugal in the coming weeks.
But is that really a good thing? Here’s what Jonathan Wilson thinks…
Lenny Peters has messaged in to say:
“Tuchel seems to have made his mind up about Henderson a long time ago. But surely Lewis-Skelly on form, quality, versatility, drive, energy and stamina should be in the squad ahead of Jordan?
“How much is experience worth over all the above?”
It’s a real shame that Mikel Arteta didn’t put Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield earlier in the season. I do think, given his recent form, that he would be in with a good chance of making the England squad if he had been in that position just a few months sooner.
He was brilliant against PSG yesterday.
Vivekanand Muthukrishnan has emailed in to say:
“I can’t believe that people are questioning Arsenal’s credentials for the title. All this while (since late Wenger era), the complaint against them has been that they are too soft, try to play too expansively, no spine or grit to outlast opponents.
“They build the grit, the spine slowly and steadily, repeatedly finish 2nd and finally find a way to win the title. And that too in a season when the level of competition amongst the 20 teams has been pretty tight. I think they fully deserved the title win. Other sides in London can definitely learn a thing or two on how to back a manager to construct a side to challenge for the title.
“With regards to yesterday’s game, the players fully leveraged their mandatory heavy duty vehicle license. They could have exerted themselves better during the extra time when PSG could have been caught out but it felt they decided to luck it out in the penalties.
“It will be interesting to see where they will go from here. They have a solid base to build on, their primary opponents are all rebuilding and if they get it right, they can definitely pave the way for an Arsenal era.”
Kári Tulinius says:
“I think Arteta saw where the Premier League was headed tactically, with fast transitions and pressing key, and built a squad that can be expected to defend any situation that comes up. They were the side best adapted to counter current trends, and being a step ahead of everyone else makes you likelier than not to win.”
Hundreds of Arsenal fans are already out and about in north London for the Premier League trophy parade.
The midfield? New leaders? Defensive headaches?
What challenges do the next Liverpool head coach face ahead of the 2026-27 season?
We are just 11 days away from the start of the World Cup! That came around quickly…
Anyway, be sure to check out some of our latest team guides.
Jeff Sax has emailed in to ask:
“The question for me about this season is: were Arsenal very good or did Manchester City and Liverpool just have a ‘bad’ season?”
In terms of the Premier League, I think the title has been coming. They didn’t finish second for the last three seasons, narrowly missing out on the trophy, out of luck. Many people might not like the way they play, but they are very good at how they play.
I am interested to see what the general consensus is, however.
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Steven Greff has messaged in to say:
“I think it was a brave effort and that Arsenal didn’t let themselves down. They neutralised the threat of a better attacking team for much of the game, and were in it until the end. PSG came thinking it was all in the bag and left holding on to the trophy by the skin of their teeth. If Arsenal add to their team wisely they will be back.”
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Some more from Arsenal fans…
David Wong says: “I was never really a football fan, but I fell in love with Wenger’s Arsenal from 1996 onwards. From that point on, whenever people asked, I’d say I supported Arsenal — and I always wanted them to win, especially against Man United.
“Over time, though, I came to realise that what I actually supported wasn’t Arsenal FC — it was Wenger’s free-flowing, attacking football. Even in the darker years towards the end of his tenure, Arsenal still played attractive, beautiful football. They don’t anymore.
“That’s why, yesterday, it was something of a relief to see Arsenal lose. As many said after the match: PSG saved football — and I agree wholeheartedly. Football is about dreams, not winning ugly or winning at all costs. And really, isn’t that true of life itself?”
Colin Young says: “As much as I am still hurting from the loss of the CL final, I’m way happier that Arsenal have become one of the best supported teams in the world.
“It’s quite bizarre to hear comments like ‘Arsenal are a lefty club’ but when you look at the global fan-base and see the extraordinary variety of people and cultures that are happy to identify with the Arsenal badge... it’s heart-warming.”
It’s an overcast day around Wembley, offering some cooler air after the recent heatwave, but Brighton fans are already arriving in shorts and bucket hats, on the day of their women’s team’s first Wembley appearance. Talking to Brighton fans, they are confident that their recent league win over Man City can give them the know-how to produce an upset this afternoon.
Brighton face Manchester City today in the Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium. Tom Garry spoke to Brighton head coach Dario Vidosic ahead of the historic occasion for the club.
Speaking of World Sevens, Chelsea won the tournament yesterday following a thrilling 6-5 win over Manchester United in the final.
Aggie Beever-Jones was the star of the tournament with eight goals and five assists. She also scored the winner just seconds before full-time against United.
West Ham confirm Hansen ACL injury
West Ham have confirmed that defender Tuva Hansen suffered an ACL injury while competing at World Sevens on Friday. Hansen picked up the knee injury in West Ham’s final group match against Aston Villa.
A statement from the club read: “West Ham United can confirm that Tuva Hansen sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury during Friday’s World Sevens Football game against Aston Villa. A scan has confirmed the injury to her left knee and the Norway defender will see a specialist next week to determine the next steps in her recovery programme. Everyone at West Ham United would like to wish Tuva a full and timely recovery.”
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In some other transfer news, Barcelona completed a £70m deal to sign Anthony Gordon this week.
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The Luton striker Lasse Nordas is attracting interest from Danish side AGF, who have made contact with the League One club, after impressing while out on loan at Heerenveen. The Norwegian, who scored six goals in 18 appearances for the Dutch side in the second half of the season, would prefer to stay in England and has suitors in the Championship.
Anil Patel has messaged in about yesterday’s game, saying:
“Waking up in a cloudy North London this morning I feel yesterday was a missed opportunity; 1-0 to the Arsenal is a chant, not a tactical plan.”
The best images from Budapest and beyond as, after reaching their first Champions League final in 20 years, Arsenal lost out on penalties to the defending champions Paris Saint-Germain…
Arsenal fan Manish Melwani says:
“I watched the match at home in Singapore with my dad, his friend, and his friend’s son. We were devastated. But I feel much better today. PSG are an incredible attacking team that runs roughshod over opponents. We forced them to eke out a victory on penalties. Maybe we didn’t exorcise the 2006 loss to Barcelona, but we’ve certainly exorcised our most painful demons: losing 8-2 to United, for example.
“And amidst all the schadenfreude from haters, I was deeply moved by Marquinhos comforting his countryman Gabriel at the end of the match. That, to me, is what football should be.
“We’ve come so far. This Arsenal team is not done yet.”
Arsenal on way home for north London parade
Arsenal left Budapest bright and early this morning to get back to London in time for their Premier League title parade.
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Brad McMillan has emailed in to say…
“I can’t help feeling Arsenal fans need to get over themselves, and stop complaining about the ‘vitriol’ aimed at them. This happens when you’re a big club who wins leagues and gets to finals, so take it as a sign of your success, not the target of some special hatred.
”Besides, Mourinho’s Chelsea never reached a Champions League final, so there’s no comparison there.”
“Mohamed Salah’s parting shot was to demand the return of heavy-metal football at Liverpool and, in their reasoning for sacking Arne Slot, the club’s hierarchy have concurred. It is a brutal, but understandable decision to remove Slot on the basis that Liverpool’s style must evolve, though responsibility for this season’s regression does not rest with the coach alone…”
In a statement on the Liverpool website on the departure of Arne Slot, the club owners wrote: “That this was a difficult decision for us to make as a club goes without saying. The contribution Arne has made to Liverpool FC in the time that he has been with us has been significant, meaningful and – most importantly of all to supporters and ourselves – successful.
“As such, our appreciation for everything he has achieved could not be greater, particularly as it was underpinned by a work ethic, a diligence and a level of expertise which further underlined our view that he is a leader in his field.
“From the moment that we first encountered Arne, it was immediately clear that he is an individual who does not merely accept responsibility, he embraces it. This was evident when he agreed to take over as head coach, when he guided us to the Premier League title and throughout the season just ended when he faced considerable challenges and burdens.
“At the same time, we have collectively come to the conclusion that change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward. Again, it must be stressed that this is not a decision which has been reached lightly, anything but.”
Liverpool sacked head coach Arne Slot yesterday, ending his two-year spell in Merseyside. Andoni Iraola is currently the favourite to replace him.
Right, let’s pause on talking about the Champions League final…
PSG head coach Luis Enrique told TNT Sports last night: “Arsenal are getting closer and closer. This team adds a bit more attacking power and desire. This team can have everything. It will hurt tonight.
“They played great. It’s normal. They try to take the match into phases they are strong. We tried to control the ball and press. We have won the title.
“It is cruel for Arsenal fans, but it is inevitable that this club win the Champions League. Mikel Arteta will see the positives because that is the kind of guy he is.”
The social media reaction was quite something last night…
With that, Arsenal fans, I want to hear from you! What are your thoughts on yesterday’s match? And how are you feeling now?
Also, let me know if you’re heading to the parade this afternoon. I saw plenty of Arsenal shirts on my way into The Guardian HQ this morning. It’s going to be a busy day in north London.
I was at the Emirates Stadium for the screening of the Champions League final yesterday, and there was quite an unusual vibe at full-time. Yes, everyone there was absolutely devastated about the result, but after a few moments there was a real sense of pride.
Nobody was angry, just gutted at having lost in the worst possible way.
It’s not often you see a trophy parade the day after a defeat like that, but fans, players and staff deserve to celebrate what has been a hugely successful season.
Police make more than 400 arrests during PSG celebrations
Paris police deployed thousands of officers to control crowds at some of the city’s hotspots, using teargas and arresting more than 400 people, after Paris Saint-Germain’s win over Arsenal in Saturday’s Champions League final.
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Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice told TNT Sports last night: “The emotions and the stakes are so high. It’s cruel. He [Arteta] spoke about how much he loves us as a group. How we’ve given 100 per cent every single game with everything that’s been thrown at us.
“This is only the start for us. We got over the line in the Premier League, this would’ve been one step further but it wasn’t to be. We keep building. Since I came to the club it was a quarter-final exit, then semi-final and now final. We keep going and keep staying positive. This isn’t going to define us.”
So, who impressed in Budapest? Click below to read Ed Aarons’ player ratings…
Mikel Arteta emphasised the need to take the pain from Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat and “turn it into fuel” for the 2026-27 season.
He said: “Pain, that’s it. When you are so close in the competition, and you are a few penalties away from winning the biggest club competition, that’s the way we should feel.
“First of all you have to go through that pain, digest it, and turn it into fuel. To improve and to reach a different level, because it would demand a different level with the quality around Europe. I want to congratulate PSG because they are in my opinion the best team in the world.”
Before we continue, be sure to click below to recap the action from last night.
Preamble
Hello, good morning and welcome to another Matchday live! It was Champions League final heartbreak for Arsenal last night as they fell to a 4-3 loss on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain. I have lost count of how many talking points came from the game, but we’ll look back at those throughout the day.
Speaking of Arsenal, they also celebrate their Premier League title win today with fans in north London from 2pm (BST) – hopefully last night’s defeat won’t leave them too disappointed.
The excitement does not stop there, as we will also be looking ahead to this afternoon’s Women’s FA Cup final between Manchester City and Brighton (3pm kick-off).
All that and more to come!
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