Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea: Russo equaliser earns Gunners a point against the league leaders | OneFootball

A late Alessia Russo equaliser saw Arsenal snatch a point against Chelsea, who had gone ahead in the first half thanks to a goal from Alyssa Thompson.

It was a close encounter in the Women’s Super League between Arsenal and Chelsea at the iconic Emirates Stadium this afternoon.

Arsenal was looking to trim the lead at the top of the table, and Chelsea not wanting to see their momentum stalled.

The game had that intensity and fine margins. Chelsea struck early, but Arsenal showed resilience and a late surge to snatch a draw.

As it happened

Chelsea looked sharp out of the blocks as they moved the ball with purpose and probed the Arsenal defence. Within just a few minutes, they forced a big chance: a move down the right ended with the ball hitting the post via Johanna Rytting Kaneryd after a neat turn and shot.

In the ninth minute, Chelsea made their dominance count. Thompson picked up the ball near the halfway line, surged forward, and received a return pass from Kaneryd before curling a delicate chip over Arsenal keeper Daphne van Domselaar into the far corner. It was a composed, high‐quality finish to give Chelsea the lead.

Arsenal were under pressure; Chelsea continued to threaten and in one sequence Wieke Kaptein’s header was tipped onto the bar by Van Domselaar.

Meanwhile, Arsenal tried to find their footing. They won a corner, began to gain possession, and appeared to regain some composure. But Chelsea’s back door was shut firmly, and the Gunners were unable to make their pressure count. Half-time was reached with Chelsea still 1-0 ahead.

Arsenal emerged with fresh urgency into the second half. The pressure was applied, the momentum shifted, and the corners came along in quick succession. The reward arrived in the 54th minute, as sustained pressure paid dividends when Stina Blackstenius slammed home after a consistent spell in Chelsea’s box to level the score. Or so they thought. Alas, the goal was ruled out due to handball which the home crowd and Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers disagreed with.

The match swung. Arsenal dominated possession and territory, pressing Chelsea deep and looking for a winner. Chelsea, meanwhile, remained dangerous on the break, their early goal allowing them to soak pressure and counter. In the closing stages, Arsenal substitute Frida Maanum delivered a superb cross that found Russo, who converted to put the Gunners level with Chelsea.

In the 90th minute Maanum had a shot on goal of her own which was ruled offside by the referee in what was a very close call.

In the end, the final whistle blew with Arsenal completing a spirited comeback to secure a point. Chelsea’s early promise and polished finish were extinguished by Arsenal’s second-half resurgence. The result keeps the league race very much alive and hands Arsenal a boost-while for Chelsea, it’s a reminder that momentum needs constant maintenance.

The line-ups