Last year, Arsenal arrived at Stamford Bridge full of hope, only for a late, controversial penalty and a Katie McCabe red card for dissent to dash their ambitions. Wednesday night, however, told a different story, one that left Chelsea feeling aggrieved and the Gunners celebrating a step closer to defending their crown.
To the Blues, and particularly manager Sonia Bompastor, the decision not to dismiss McCabe for a hair-pull on Alyssa Thompson left a bitter taste. Yet, it raises the question: was that single moment really the reason for Chelsea’s European exit?
In the latest installment of this fierce London derby, we witnessed a familiar sight this season: Arsenal joy amidst Chelsea’s anguish. Renée Slegers’ side once again painted the city red, proving that even a determined Chelsea team couldn’t stop the reigning European champions on their continental charge.
Arsenal rewrite history in Europe
While Sjoeke Nüsken’s late goal earned Chelsea a 1-0 win in the second leg of this UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final, it wasn’t enough to overturn Arsenal’s aggregate advantage.
Following a commanding 3-1 victory at the Emirates last week, the Gunners reached their ninth semi-final, making it three games unbeaten against Chelsea this season, two wins and one draw.
This run marks a significant shift because before their 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in January, which was their first away win against Chelsea since 2018, the Blues had become increasingly dominant in their recent head-to-head.
However, Arsenal’s pedigree as the reigning champions of the UEFA Women’s Champions League shone through when it mattered most.
Historically, the Gunners had struggled against English opposition in Europe, holding a record of seven defeats and two draws in nine games across both men’s and women’s competitions.
They had even lost both legs of their only previous Champions League clash with a domestic rival, Birmingham City, in 2013, but this time, they used their experience at the highest level to blow their rivals away.
Clinical at the Emirates, Resilient at the Bridge
The damage was largely done in the first leg thanks to goals from Stina Blackstenius, Chloe Kelly, and the prolific Alessia Russo, which all proved too much for Chelsea despite early threats.
Lauren James had provided a sensational strike to keep the Blues in the hunt by making it 2-1, but it wasn’t enough to rattle the champions, who found a way to restore their two-goal cushion through history maker and the competition’s top scorer Russo.
Sonia Bompastor’s charge were also haunted by what-ifs. Veerle Buurman had a goal wrongly ruled out for a foul before halftime in the first leg, while Kadeisha Buchanan was perhaps fortunate not to be booked for planting her feet on Anneke Borbe during a disallowed late goal.
Arsenal on Chelsea’s nightmare
The second leg provided a sense of poetic irony, because over a year ago at the Bridge, Kim Little’s challenge on Lauren James led to a controversial penalty and a red card for McCabe.
This time, McCabe escaped punishment for her pull on Alyssa Thompson’s hair, while Bompastor received her marching orders for dissent, watching her side’s hopes of a maiden Champions League title slip away.
In addition, Arsenal were the ones left feeling aggrieved at the Emirates in November, as what should have been a dominant 3-1 victory over Chelsea was reduced to a fortunate 1-1 draw for the visitors.
Two legitimate goals were erroneously chalked off for the hosts, most notably Stina Blackstenius’s 91st-minute strike, and despite the absence of VAR in the WSL, replays confirmed the Swedish international was clearly onside.
While Sonia Bompastor maintained her side did not deserve to lose last night, she has previously been the beneficiary of questionable calls in this derby, and on this occasion, she must simply accept a result that the officials, rather than the performance, secured.
History in the Making
Despite the second-leg loss, Arsenal’s progression ends Chelsea’s run of three consecutive semi-final appearances and in contrast, the Gunners have reached their fourth consecutive semi-final, taking their total to nine (only Lyon, 14, has more).
The Gunners now have as many UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final appearances as all of the other English teams combined (Chelsea 6, Manchester City 2, Birmingham City 1).
The two-time winners now await the victor of the Wolfsburg and Olympique Lyonnaise tie as they look to reach back-to-back finals for the first time in their history.
Elsewhere, Manchester United’s maiden Champions League journey ended at the quarter-final stage. Despite a valiant effort, they fell to Bayern Munich Frauen, who came from behind to win 2-1 on the night in Germany, securing a 5-3 aggregate victory.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
