Alessia Russo scored twice as Arsenal bounced back in the Women's Champions League to pick up a much-needed victory over Real Madrid.

The England international headed in both goals in the second half after Scotland midfielder Caroline Weir's superb volley put the visitors in front.

Renee Slegers' side were winless in their previous three matches, losing 3-2 to Bayern Munich last week and drawing with Tottenham and Chelsea in the league.

Their form threatened to put Champions League knockout stage qualification at risk but victory over Real Madrid boosts their position with two league phase matches remaining.

Aside from Russo's goals, Arsenal did not create many chances, though record signing Olivia Smith was dangerous and tested goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez on a few occasions.

Real Madrid forwards Linda Caicedo and Naomie Feller were a threat throughout but Arsenal improved in the second half and got the job done.

"I felt we deserved more. It was a very close game - the key moment was when we didn't go 2-0 up," said Real Madrid manager Pau Quesada.

"I'm still very proud of the aggression we showed and our identity. We find it hard to accept this defeat."

Arsenal host FC Twente after the international break before finishing their league phase campaign with a trip to OH Leuven.

Only the top four teams out of 18 qualify automatically for the quarter-finals and the bottom five teams are eliminated.

It wasn't the start to the season the European champions wanted as they found themselves sitting eight points below WSL leaders Manchester City at the weekend.

There was pressure on Arsenal to deliver in this game and they needed to bounce back from last week's defeat by Bayern Munich, where they threw away a two-goal lead and lost 3-2.

Slegers made four changes, freshening up the front line, and gave an opportunity to England international Chloe Kelly from the start.

It was her cross that Russo headed in to draw the teams level early in the second half, while Smith returned to the starting XI and was their biggest threat throughout.

Mead had an immediate impact when she was introduced from the bench and picked out Russo from a corner.

It had been a largely underwhelming display from Arsenal, who are struggling to reach the heights that took them to European glory last season - and to live up to raised expectations as a result.

The 3,000-odd at Meadow Park braved the freezing conditions and were ultimately rewarded with victory.

Slegers admitted last week it was a "hard period" for the club, but it is only results that matter and Arsenal did enough to boost their chances of qualification.

Arsenal have come through slumps before under Slegers and this could be a catalyst to get things back on track in the WSL and in Europe.

She admitted: "This block has been a challenging one for us. We really needed three points. I agree, the result was more important than the performance.

"Of course you want to get rewarded for the work you do. It's important to get wins. I'm happy with how the players went into the game.

"We went in under pressure - we didn't talk about it but everyone knew we had to win. If you looked at the Champions League table we were 1-0 down.

"The way the players respond under pressure is such a high level. I'm really proud of the group."

Arsenal hope to get their league form back on track when they host Liverpool at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, 6 December (12:00 GMT). They face Twente next in the Champions League on Tuesday, 9 December (20:00 GMT).

Real Madrid welcome Eibar in their next league match on Sunday, 23 November (15:00 GMT), and host Wolfsburg in the Champions League on Tuesday, 9 December (20:00 GMT).

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