by Tony Leighton

Arsenal put themselves in a great position to lift the Uefa Women's Cup with a 1-0 away win over Swedish side Umea in the first leg of the final.

After battling throughout a tense 90 minutes in a packed Gammliavallen stadium, the Gunners got their crucial away goal through Alex Scott.

As the game moved into stoppage time the England full-back advanced to drill a superb 25-yard drive into the net.

The return leg takes place at Borehamwood next Sunday.

Scott's late goal stunned the hosts, who as two-time Uefa Cup winners were hot pre-match favourites against an Arsenal side making their first appearance in the final.

But the Gunners were good value for their surprise win, and manager Vic Akers said: "We showed fantastic character - we just never let them get at us.

"By half-time they knew they were up against a team who were no mugs and by the end of the game everyone in the stadium had got respect for us.

"But the job's only half done, and there's no question it will be just as hard next week as it was today.

"Umea are a very good side and they'll certainly be up for it next week - but so shall we, and we'll be aiming to finish the job."