Arsenal Women striker Vivianne Miedema had to be taken off on a stretcher during the Gunners’ 1-0 defeat to Lyon on Thursday evening.

The Netherlands international sustained what looked like a serious knee injury just before half-time at the Emirates, and she was in no state to continue.

It is a devastating setback for Miedema. The WSL’s record goalscorer had just returned from a mid-season sabbatical after declaring that she wasn’t “mentally or physically ready to play”.

The 26-year-old had scored in four matches back to back going into the Lyon game, but she could now be out of action for a while. After the match, Gunners boss Jonas Eidevall said:

“I haven’t spoken to her or the doctor and got an update. Right now, that takes a lot of my thoughts. I’m very concerned over that, of course, but we had to stay focused during the game and focus on our performance.”

If Arsenal’s worst fears are confirmed, it would be a huge setback for the London club, having also recently lost Beth Mead to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Despite losing to Lyon, the Gunners still sealed their progress to the Champions League quarter-finals. They face FC Zurich in the final group fixture next week.