She Shoots, She Scores

The champions of Europe met the champions of England for the first time this season, as the two biggest teams in English football prepared for their most important game of the season so far.

Chelsea took the early lead as we are used to seeing, with Alyssa Thompson scoring her first WSL goal less than 10 minutes in. They continued to be the stronger team throughout the first half, with Arsenal holding some possession but unable to produce any goals with it.

The second half however, Arsenal came back out fighting. They controlled the majority of possession, and fans believed that it had eventually payed off when Stina Blackstenius scored from a corner in the 53rd minute. However, referee Mellisa Burgin was quick to rule it out as a handball, and the goal was disallowed. This was immediately seen as a controversial and later incorrect decision, as playback shows that no foul was committed in anyway, but with no VAR in the women’s league, the poor decision stood and the score remained 1-0 Chelsea’s way.

This call only sparked Arsenal further, and with fire within them they continued to dominate possession and put up a fight against Chelsea’s defence. Their reward came when Alessia Russo produced a late equaliser in the 87th minute to level the game.

More controversy was to come however, as Frida Maaunm’s stoppage time goal was also ruled out for a supposed offside ruling, another controversial decision which left fans and staff calling out the questionable officiating.

The 1-1 draw sees Chelsea dropping points for only the second time this season, but Arsenal were left rightfully disappointed to not be taking away all three points. Scenes of frustration followed from both players and staff – touch line scenes saw heated discussions and arguments between Arsenal staff led by manager Reneé Slegers and the match officials – and of course the fans, as Burgin was booed off in a dramatic scene following the full time whistle.

The performance today from the referee and the rest of the officiating team is further proof that the standard of referring in the top flight of women’s football is no longer acceptable; with too much at stake, poor and incorrect decisions like this that can change the outcome of the whole season cannot be allowed. The inclusion of VAR in the WSL has been a topic of discussion for years, and after today’s game, both team’s managers have called for its inclusion in the league. With the majority of referees in the women’s game not being fully trained or professional, it is clear that changes need to be made to ensure fair outcomes in such important games like today.