She Shoots, She Scores

Following their 3-1 win in the first leg, Arsenal travelled to Stamford Bridge to get the job done against Chelsea and seal their spot in the semi-final of the Champions League.

The Gunner’s produced a dominant performance, with a stand-out display from goalkeeper Daphne Van Domselaar, who produced a multitude of star-studded saves, including game-changing stops against shots from Lauren James and Sjoeke Nüsken late in the game.

Stina Blackstenius was the first to break the deadlock, heading in an assist from Smila Holmberg in the 80th minute, however it was quickly disallowed, as it was ruled that Holmberg had been offside. Beth Mead also had a near miss when she struck the post during stoppage time.

The only goal of the night went to Chelsea, thanks to a stoppage time shot from Nüsken in the 90+4th minute.

Despite the 1-0 win, it wasn’t enough for the Blues who bowed out of the competition with a 3-2 defeat on aggregate. This marks the first time Chelsea fail to make the semi-finals since the 2021/22 season, adding another year to their long ongoing fight for a Champions League title.

Despite the monumental win, attention following the game was turned to controversy, following an incident where Katie McCabe made a challenge on Alyssa Thompson in which she pulled on her hair. Other games have seen such action result in straight red cards, however play was continued without going to VAR and no card was given to the Arsenal defender, resulting in backlash from Chelsea coaching staff and manager Sonia Bompastor receiving a yellow card.

Things went from bad to worse for the French manager, as a mistimed throw in meant that she stepped onto the pitch, meaning she received a second yellow card and was subsequently sent off in stoppage time. Following the game, Bompastor expressed her frustration at the decision following the hair pull, criticising the refereeing and the decision not to get VAR involved.

McCabe was quick to provide a statement on social media, stating on Instagram “To clarify that I was genuinely reaching for the shirt, I wouldn’t ever want to pull someone’s hair. Full respect to Thompson.” Still, the incident has reopened the ongoing debate surrounding VAR in the women’s game, giving an opposed argument for its permanent inclusion, with Bompastor stating “If VAR isn’t able to check that situation, I don’t know why we have VAR.”

Arsenal will now advance to the semi-finals to face OL Lyonnes in a repeat of last year’s identical semi, where the Gunners qualified for the final on a 5-3 aggregate. While the French will surely be seeking revenge, Arsenal will be ready to fight to retain their title.