DESPITE 22 shots, Chelsea were only able to score past Arsenal once as a wasteful attacking performance from the Blues sent the Gunners through to the UEFA Women’s Champions League semis.
Having won the first leg at the Emirates 3-1 with goals from Stina Blackstenius, Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo, a slight defeat and a fair slice of luck at Stamford Bridge was enough to send Arsenal through.
The reigning European Champs survived an onslaught from Chelsea but also had chances of their own, as a combined 38 shots on the night was only enough for a single Sjoeke Nüsken goal in the 94th Minute.
It was a frustrating night for Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor, as the French coach saw red in the final minutes for protesting a colossal refereeing mistake, when referee Frida Mia Klarlund Nielsen fail to send off Katie McCabe for a clear and obvious hair pull, on American forward Alyssa Thompson.
So whilst Arsenal set their sights on either Lyon or Wolfsburg in the semi-finals, Chelsea will continue battling the Gunners on the domestic front, as both teams fight for a top three spot in the Women’s Super League alongside Manchester United.
Story of the Match
Bompastor made three changes to the Chelsea side that lost the first leg, as the Blues welcomed back Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter who were on international duty, with the pair losing an Asian Cup final to Japan. The Australian duo replaced the injured Mayra Ramírez and Nathalie Björn whilst Kadeisha Buchanan entered the line-up in place of Naomi Girma.
Renée Slegers made four changes to Arsenal’s XI, replacing Anneke Borbe for Daphne van Domselaar who returned in goal. The Dutch coach also welcomed back Australian pair Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord in place of Katie Reid and Beth Mead, while Olivia Smith started ahead of first-leg scorer Chloe Kelly.
Both Nüsken and Thompson had big chances inside the opening 15 minutes to drag Chelsea back into the tie, but the pair flashed shots wide of the post and another over the crossbar.
Despite all their pressure and attacking threat, the first half ended goalless with a stern Arsenal defence just 45 minutes away from a Champions League semi-final.
Chelsea’s intensity continued into the second half as a Kerr shot was emphatically denied by Van Domselaar, who made several more saves to keep the Blues at bay and the scores level.
The night just didn’t fall the way of Chelsea as they smashed the post twice in the final minutes of the game and saw manager Bompastor sent off for reacting to a hair-pull from Arsenal’s Katie McCabe, that somehow didn’t result in a red card for the full-back.
So despite all their huffing and puffing, the Blues couldn’t completely blow the house down as the Gunners survived by the skin of their teeth to go through to another UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final.
