LONDON — On Tuesday, Arsenal showed why they have won the UEFA Women’s Champions League and Chelsea have not. It was such a dominant display from the title holders that even two disallowed goals for the visitors could not overshadow the Gunners’ ease at finding the back of the net.
Chelsea needed no reminder of what Arsenal were able to do last summer, beating Barcelona to earn a second Champions League trophy. Yet the Blues were given front-row seats to witness what a clinical European performance looks like in a 3-1 loss that was, at times, a turgid performance from Sonia Bompastor’s charges.
Arsenal scored early, cruising to a 2-0 lead after Stina Blackstenius — who scored the winner in the final in Lisbon last season — headed home Katie McCabe’s free kick, followed by Chloe Kelly’s strike from distance that barrelled into the back of the net.
The Gunners knew they would have only a few key chances — 11 in total with six on target — and ensured they buried the ones that mattered early to leave Cheslea on the back foot. That is why they are the only English side to have lifted the coveted trophy.
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Though they had lost control of the game early on, Chelsea responded late into the first half and managed to get the ball into the back of the net. It was supposed to be the goal that got Chelsea back into the game.
Instead, it turned the match on its head.
Veerle Buurman had rose higher than Laia Codina to nod the ball home, but referee Alina Pesu deemed the Netherlands international had fouled the Arsenal defender in the process. It was a soft decision, but VAR was never going to overturn the referee’s on-field decision.
“I don’t think any single player on the pitch thought that was a foul to be honest, apart from the ref,” Lucy Bronze told Disney+. “But I think as soon as the ref gave it, VAR are not going to overturn it.
“It was disappointing because I feel like we could have swung the momentum back a little bit and then it just took a little bit longer. It would have been an important goal to score at half-time. And I think we probably could have got even more back into the game in the second half.”
Had that first goal not been ruled out, the complexion of the game would have looked completely different and may have been the key to galvanizing Chelsea into a comeback.
Indeed, Chelsea looked depleted and though Lauren James had a moment of magic to dispatch a cool-as-you-like strike curling into the top corner, it did not inject enough fight into the side. Some sloppy defending from the visitors allowed Alessia Russo to clinch a third goal.
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Lucy Bronze: Ref the only one on the pitch who would disallow Chelsea’s goal
Lucy Bronze shares her frustrations after Chelsea were beaten 3-1 by Arsenal in the first leg of the Women’s Champions League quarterfinal.
The referee then disallowed yet another Chelsea goal for a foul on goalkeeper Anneke Borbe in the closing stages of the game. The decision was far more clear-cut given Kadeisha Buchanan’s collision with Borbe, and Arsenal stood firm to keep the upper hand heading into the second leg.
Renée Slegers’ side seem to have peaked at the right time. After a slow start to the season, and a poor start to this competition in losing 2-1 to OL Lyonnes, the Gunners are hitting their stride when it matters most.
This time last season, they were heading into the second leg of the quarterfinal with a 2-0 deficit to Real Madrid. To overturn that result, it took a mental resilience that plenty have admired. But now to hold on to their lead will require a different type of mentality. It is now their tie to lose and having defeated Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season, they will feel confident about their chances.
It would be wrong to blame the entirety of Chelsea’s problems on the referee. They had two key chances early into the evening, one via Alyssa Thompson and one from James that both hit the woodwork, something they both will be regretting with hindsight.
Despite once boasting squad depth to be admired, The Blues have been hit hard by injuries. They had no No. 9 to call on with Sam Kerr absent, and Mayra Ramírez and Aggie Beever-Jones injured. Catarina Macario — though yet to be announced — is no longer a Chelsea player, sources have said, and Guro Reiten departed the club for Gotham FC ahead of the NWSL window closing.
The Blues are also lacking defenders with Nathalie Björn, Niamh Charles and Millie Bright ruled out with various injuries. They will be boosted by the return of Matildas pair Kerr and Ellie Carpenter from Women’s Asian Cup duties for the second leg. So too will Arsenal, however, with Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross all returning home as well. All five were unavailable due to fatigue after Australia’s 1-0 loss to Japan in last Saturday’s Asian Cup final.
This is still effectively half-time on the tie. With a second leg at home, Chelsea will be hoping to overturn their two-goal deficit to reach the semifinals. They did this against Manchester City last season, so hope is not lost. Really, if Chelsea want to succeed and reach the semifinals of the competition, they need to keep James fit and get her the ball in key areas.
Ironically, James’s goal was the best of the evening. She was the glimmer of hope in Chelsea’s games and can pull something out of nothing, even having the courage to chip an audacious ball over the backline to set up her teammates.
She has been in fine form since returning from an extended period of absence through injury and Chelsea scarified earlier results to have her in form for when it matters most. And nothing really matters more now for Chelsea. There is nowhere to hide, and a devastating loss would not be repaired by their League Cup victory and possible victory in the FA Cup, given they are likely going to have to return their league trophy after holding it for six years. Man City are nine points ahead of them, eight points ahead of Manchester United in second.
The pressure could not be higher when they host Arsenal, and the second leg next week will define their season.
