Chelsea were knocked out of the Women’s Champions League on Wednesday after failing to overturn a 3-1 aggregate deficit to Arsenal, winning 1-0 in the second leg of their quarter-final. The Blues gave themselves too much to do after their defeat at the Emirates Stadium last week and their wastefulness in front of goal is to blame for another failed European campaign.
Sonia Bompastor’s side made a fast start in order to haul themselves back into the tie. Erin Cuthbert’s perfect ping to Ellie Carpenter on the wing saw the right-back cross for Sjoeke Nusken, but her effort trickled narrowly wide inside seven minutes. Alyssa Thompson also went close twice on later in the first half, flashing a shot wide after a bit of pinball on the edge of the box and then lashing an effort over after coming in from the left.
After the break, Sam Kerr forced Daphne van Domselaar into the first of many stretching saves after Nusken opened Arsenal up with a defence-splitting pass right through the middle of the pitch.
With around 10 minutes to go, Arsenal thought they had iced the tie for good when Stina Blackstenius crashed in a header, but her goal was chalked off by a VAR check for offside. Chelsea immediately went down the other end and nearly scored when Nusken glanced a header inches wide, before Lauren James saw a strike pushed away by Van Domselaar and Veerle Buurman somehow couldn’t convert the rebound from close range.
Van Domselaar then added another incredible stop to her highlight reel with a fingertip save to touch Nusken’s bullet header onto the post, but Nusken eventually broke the Arsenal resistance 90 seconds from time with a low drive from Kerr’s cutback. That proved to be too little and too late, however, as Bompastor picked up a red card in the dying seconds for dissent and the Blues were eliminated.
GOAL rates Chelsea’s players from a thrilling night at Stamford Bridge…
