Chelsea produced a late surge but Arsenal progressed to the Women’s Champions League semi-finals after winning the tie 3-2 on aggregate despite losing the second leg 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Sjoeke Nusken struck in the fourth minute of added time to give Chelsea a 1-0 victory on the night, but it was not enough to overturn the 3-1 deficit from the first leg. The Blues had several good openings across the two matches and finished rueing missed chances.
The match swung into drama in the final 15 minutes. Around the 80th minute Stina Blackstenius thought she had sealed Arsenal’s spot with a header, only for VAR to rule it out for offside. Chelsea immediately pressed and created a series of opportunities: Nusken spurned earlier chances before forcing a brilliant stop from Arsenal keeper Daphne van Domselaar; van Domselaar also kept out a powerful Lauren James shot and Veerle Buurman’s follow-up hit the post. (Buurman’s goal had been ruled out by VAR in the first leg.)
Nusken’s late strike set up a frantic finish. Emotions boiled over when Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor confronted officials after Katie McCabe appeared to pull Alyssa Thompson’s hair during a scramble. Bompastor was furious that McCabe was not punished more severely; she received a yellow for her protests and, moments later, a second yellow for entering the pitch amid the melee while trying to retrieve the ball. Bompastor was sent off and watched the closing seconds from behind the plexiglass by the Stamford Bridge tunnel.
Chelsea continued to press through Thompson, Nusken and Sam Kerr, but the return leg time ran out. The club — still chasing a first Champions League title — were left frustrated by missed chances across the tie.
Arsenal now await the winner of the Lyon v Wolfsburg quarter-final (Wolfsburg lead 1-0 from the first leg) in the semi-finals. The semi-final first legs are scheduled for April 24/26 with return legs on May 1/3.
Team news
– Sam Kerr kept her place in Chelsea’s starting XI; Bompastor made two changes from the weekend win over Aston Villa.
– Stina Blackstenius returned to Arsenal’s lineup, with Emily Fox and Caitlin Foord also reinstated; Smilla Holmberg, Chloe Kelly and Frida Maanum were on the bench.
Reactions
Bompastor was openly critical of the refereeing and VAR decisions, describing the incident she saw as a clear red card for the Arsenal player and saying the officiating had impacted the overall result. She expressed frustration at not receiving clear explanations from match officials and defended her emotional reaction.
Chelsea captain Lucy Bronze reflected that across both legs Chelsea had done much of the play but lacked clinical finishing: “We were the better team but not the most clinical,” she said, noting the first-leg finishes left them with an uphill battle and urging the squad to take energy from the tie into the rest of the season.
Arsenal boss Renee Slegers praised her team’s mentality in a tense scenario with a two-goal cushion, saying she was proud of how the players managed the game. On the hair-pull incident she said she had seen a still image and that McCabe had apologised; she suggested it might have been unintentional but wanted to review it further. Captain Kim Little added that the squad has grown this season and stressed the need for consistency as they push on in multiple competitions.
What’s next
Arsenal and Chelsea continue their Women’s Super League campaigns while Arsenal prepare for whoever emerges from Lyon v Wolfsburg in the Champions League semis.