20th August 2006. It’s the morning after the Arsenal Men’s first competitive match at Emirates Stadium. Gilberto has saved the launch party with a late equaliser, lashing home Walcott’s cross at the back post. But whilst the fans consoled themselves with the Match of the Day highlights and braced themselves for what would ultimately be an underwhelming start to life in their new home, the Women were about to begin a season that would go down into legend.

Not that they knew it at the time, and certainly, the early signs did not bode well. On the eve of the new campaign, captain Faye White, Arsenal’s rock-solid warrior in the backline, tore her ACL, ruling her out for almost the entirety of season, forcing Vic Akers to find a new defensive partnership for the battles to come. However, there was positive news, with the acquisitions of midfielder Katie Chapman and exciting young forward Karen Carney, signed over the summer from Charlton Athletic and Birmingham City respectively.

Arsenal hadn’t dropped a point in the League since October 2005, and their winning momentum showed no signs of slowing down as they mercilessly steamrollered every team in their past. The Community Shield opener against Everton was clinched with ease, before all eyes turned to the league. A 14-0 win over former champions Fulham, followed by a 9-0 victory in the reverse fixture in October, set the tone for what was to come.

Europe, however, was a different matter. This time, Arsenal travelled to Russia for their round-robin tournament, with Rossiyanka acting as the hosts. It was they who Arsenal played first, and here, the dream very nearly died. An incredible 9-goal thriller saw Arsenal race to a 3-1 lead at half time, thanks to a hat-trick from Fleeting, yet Rossiyanka refused to stand down. It was Fleeting vs the Russian Champions, as 3-1 became 4-2, and then became 5-3. With 5 minutes remaining, Olga Letyushova brought Rossiyanka to within one goal, and backed by their home support laid siege on the Arsenal goal to find what would have been an incredible 5th goal. But time was their enemy and Arsenal escaped with a crucial first win.

In their next match, against Femina Budapest, it was a return to business as usual for Arsenal, as they comfortably saw off their Hungarian opponents with a 6-0 win. An own goal midway through the first half from Aranka Paraoanu got the ball rolling, and soon, Jayne Ludlow, Katie Chapman and Rachel Yankey were all on the scoresheet. The Gunners could even afford the luxury of a missed penalty from Lianne Sanderson, as Gemma Davison capped off the scoring with Arsenal sixth. The true test, however, was still to come.

Arsenal owed Brøndby one. The previous season, the two had faced off in the last round of qualifying fixtures, and on that occasion, it was the Danes who had prevailed. It was a critical defeat that saw Arsenal slip to second in the group and face Frankfurt. Their path in the knockout round rested on this match, and Arsenal knew it. From the off, they were intent on ensuring history would not repeat itself. Yankey and Ludlow both hit the woodwork as Arsenal piled on the pressure. Ultimately, one goal would be enough, with young star Sanderson scoring the only goal of the game early in the second half.

With three wins out of three, Arsenal topped their group and could look to enjoy a less treacherous path through the rest of the competition. The quarter finals pitted them against Icelandic side Breiðablik. It wasn’t even a contest. Despite playing in freezing conditions, Arsenal simply overran their opponents, cruising to a comfortable 5-0 win. It was no different in the return leg at Meadow Park, a routine 4-1 win. But whilst things may have been going well for Arsenal, the same could not be said of the rest of the front runners.

Reigning champions Frankfurt, who had been Arsenal’s nemesis the previous year, received a taste of their own medicine when they were shocked by Norwegian side Kolbotn, going out on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate draw. Runners up Turbine Potsdam also had the rug pulled out from under their feet, with Brøndby, still smarting from their defeat to Arsenal, trouncing the German side 3-0 at home, and then seeing out the tie despite a 2-1 defeat in the return leg. Suddenly, the draw was opening up for Arsenal, an opportunity beckoned for them. It would be Brøndby again in the Semi-Finals, a side they knew well, a side they knew they could beat. But fate had other ideas, with disaster looming just around the corner…