Russo puts Arsenal in charge against Chelsea in Women’s Champions League

Holders Arsenal take a two-goal lead into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea next week after a 3-1 win at the Emirates Stadium, with the quality of the goals, two disallowed Chelsea goals and the Blues’ injury woes the talking points.

A Stina Blackstenius header and Chloe Kelly long-range effort made it 2-0 after the visitors had twice hit the post before Veerle Buurman’s header was ruled out for a very soft foul on Laia Codina, but Lauren James was on hand to reduce the margin in style, curling in from outside the box. Alessia Russo restored the Gunners’ cushion but there was drama at the close, when Kadeisha Buchanan’s goal was ruled out after she ploughed her foot into Anneke Borbe as she put the ball over the line.

The buildup had centred around the steady depletion of Chelsea’s squad. Sonia Bompastor had only eight outfield players in their open training session before this first leg, with several players following individualised programmes to try and ready them for the encounter.

By kick-off the Blues’ starting XI was strong, but their bench lacking, with four teenagers (Gabriella Storey, 16, Chloe Sarwie, 17, Lois Shooter, 18 and Lexi Potter, 19) and Ellie Carpenter, fresh off a flight back from Australia after the Asia Cup final sitting alongside Wieke Kaptein and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd.

In this context, Chelsea’s two dropped points against London City Lionesses on Saturday was not a shock, and their dominant League Cup final win over Manchester United a week prior was hugely impressive.

After weathering a spell of Arsenal possession in the opening minutes, the Blues of the cup final showed up, Alyssa Thompson and Lauren James wreaking havoc on a backline sorely missing Leah Williamson and their centre-back Steph Catley. Their first big chance came on the break. It started when Lucy Bronze dispossessed Beth Mead in the Chelsea box and ended with a Thompson effort which took a deflection off Laia Codina and bounced once to shift goalwards before coming back off the inside of the far post.

Sensing Arsenal’s nerves at the back, two minutes later the visiting team went agonisingly close again. Codina did well to get back in front of James who was played through but the forward got her shot away and it came back off the inside of the same post that had denied Thompson.

Slegers’ side were riding their luck, but after those close shaves they started to settle and were rewarded in the 22nd minute when James was penalised for an unnecessary foul on Mariona Caldentey 10 yards outside the box. Katie McCabe curled in the free-kick and an unmarked Blackstenius nodded home.

They doubled their lead in style when Kelly powered the ball in from 25 yards out, having ended a six-month drought with a hat-trick in Saturday’s 5-0 win over West Ham.

They were fortunate their lead wasn’t reduced shortly before the break, when the referee ruled out Veerle Buurman’s header after the defender rose above Codina and nodded in. The Dutch international had two hands on the shoulder of the Arsenal centre-back who didn’t attempt to challenge for the ball, but it was an incredibly soft decision and the video assistant referee did not overturn it, presumably because it was not considered a clear and obvious error.

The home team looked comfortable after the break, even with Codina, on a yellow for a challenge on Sjoeke Nüsken, having made way for Taylor Hinds and McCabe shifting into the left centre-back role.

Russo twice went close to putting the game beyond Bompastor’s side; the first effort came soon after the restart and the second followed a delightful twist away from Keira Walsh and both brought saves from Hannah Hampton.

They were punished for their profligacy in their period of dominance in the 66th minute. A corner from the right was eventually nodded away by Beth Mead but landed enticingly at the feet of James who took a touch, picked her spot and curled a dipping effort into the top corner from 20 yards.

Arsenal seemed unperturbed though, perhaps fuelled by the battling run they had to go on to lift this trophy last year, or their bragging rights over their opponents after an impressive 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge in January. Russo was on the scoresheet in the 76th minute, spinning the ball up from her feet with her first touch and powering it in with her second, following a pass from Blackstenius, for her eighth Champions League goal of the season.

Chelsea were furious at the death, when Buchanan’s bundled-in effort was ruled out, but this was far less controversial, the defender taking out Borbe with some force in the process. Advantage Arsenal, but if this is what a heavily depleted Chelsea can do, nothing is in the bag.

Header image: [Photograph: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty Images]