Arsenal Women dominant
Arsenal Women took a commanding 3-1 first-leg lead over Chelsea in the Women’s Champions League quarterfinal at the Emirates — Stina Blackstenius, Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo all scored while Lauren James grabbed a brilliant reply for Chelsea. That result leaves Arsenal with a big advantage heading into the second leg and puts them firmly on course for the semis. (theguardian.com) (apnews.com)
Alessia Russo’s 76th-minute strike pushed her to a competition-leading eight goals this season, surpassing her own single-season English scoring record set last campaign. (espn.com) UEFA named Russo Vodafone Player of the Match and the technical observers recorded her completing 3/3 dribbles, making two interceptions, two ball recoveries and winning eight of 13 duels. (uefa.com) Chelsea held 58.9% possession to Arsenal’s 41.1% but the teams finished level on shots on target (six each), and ESPN listed the Emirates attendance as 18,087. (espn.com) The visitors struck the woodwork twice in the first 10 minutes and had a Veerle Buurman finish ruled out for a shove on Laia Codina, while Chelsea’s official report also noted two goals were disallowed during the game. (uefa.com) The return leg is set for 8pm UK time at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday April 1, with Arsenal noting the winners will meet the victor of Wolfsburg v Lyon in the semi-finals. (arsenal.com) UEFA highlighted Chelsea’s resilience historically — the club has never been eliminated at this quarter-final stage and overturned a two-goal deficit in last season’s quarter-final against Manchester City. (uefa.com)
