Alessia Russo’s excellent strike implies that Arsenal take a 3-1 benefit into their Ladies’s Champions League quarter-final second leg towards Chelsea.
A shocking Lauren James end had halved the deficit for Chelsea, who additionally noticed two targets dominated out, however the reigning champions put in too robust a efficiency on the Emirates.
Chelsea made a lightning-quick begin, twice catching Arsenal out down the proper as each Alyssa Thompson and Lauren James struck the within of the far submit after slack defending from the hosts within the opening eight minutes.
However Arsenal scored towards the run of play after a Katie McCabe free-kick was glanced previous a helpless Hannah Hampton by Stina Blackstenius within the twenty second minute.
Chloe Kelly then doubled their lead 10 minutes later, latching onto Beth Mead’s lay-off to bend a beautiful shot into the bottom-right nook from outdoors the field.
Shortly earlier than the break, Veerle Buurnam rose above Laia Codina to nod the ball in from shut vary earlier than the Spaniard went down beneath little strain, and the aim was dominated out.
James pulled Chelsea again into the sport within the 66th minute. Arsenal did not clear their strains from a nook, and the 24-year-old chipped a superb long-range effort over the gang and Anneke Borbe.
Russo then drilled a pinpoint strike into the bottom-left nook to revive Arsenal’s lead 10 minutes later earlier than Kadeisha Buchanan bundled the ball over the road in stoppage time, although it was dominated out for a foul on Borbe.
VICTORY AT HOME!! pic.twitter.com/wWU3P1nUM0
— Arsenal Ladies (@ArsenalWFC) March 24, 2026
Information Debrief: A well-recognized story for Chelsea
Chelsea went winless of their two Ladies’s Tremendous League conferences with Arsenal this season (D1 L1), however they may not cease that run on Tuesday.
That is the primary time they’ve performed three or extra video games towards the identical aspect in a marketing campaign with out successful at the very least one match since 2018-19 (D2 L2 versus Manchester Metropolis).
It was not for lack of making an attempt, although. Chelsea completed with extra pictures (14 to 12) and the next anticipated targets (xG) tally (1.47 xG to 1.43), whereas each side completed with six makes an attempt on course.
But it surely was Russo who dealt the possibly greatest blow. She has now scored eight targets within the Champions League this season, setting the outright document for probably the most targets by an English participant in a single version of the competitors.