Alessia Russo earns draw with Chelsea but Arsenal rue controversial decisions | OneFootball

The boos rang out at the Emirates Stadium as the officials exited the pitch at the final whistle, the result of two disallowed Arsenal goals the second of which would surely have turned a 1-1 draw into a 2-1 home win if it had stood. Alessia Russo’s late equaliser did at least keep alive the Gunners’ slim hopes of remaining in the title race, the gap between them and Chelsea, the league leaders, remaining at five points, but the question has to be asked: why aren’t we providing the referees with the technological support to ensure they can get big decisions right through video assistant referees (VAR)?

Renée Slegers had warned that her team would “have to be ready from the get go” against the defending Women’s Super League champions, but the message had not stuck. It was Chelsea that stepped on to the pitch with an almost unplayable intensity coursing through them and the Gunners could not cope. The Chelsea press was exceptional in the first 20 minutes, with the players alert to every move, ready to stifle the home side from stringing passes together over and over again.

That they took the lead was unsurprising. Alyssa Thompson was magic and the finish was sublime. The US international, who returned to the starting XI with Aggie Beever-Jones rested as a precaution due to a dead leg sustained in England’s game against Australia, shifted across the top of the box from left to right and played a one-two with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd before sweeping the ball into the far corner.

Sonia Bompastor’s side should have been two ahead soon after: Lucy Bronze left Katie McCabe in her wake as she raced down the right before finding Catarina Macario, who forced a save from Daphne van Domselaar. The ball came back off the bar but the goalkeeper was equal to Wieke Kaptein’s follow-up.

They would rue their first half profligacy, but Arsenal had issues further forward too, with decision making in the final third poor as they started to see more of the ball when they settled into the game.

The home side maintained their freshly found energy after the break and in the 53rd minute believed they had equalised. The decision to rule the goal out was an odd one, Stina Blackstenius alleged to have handled the ball when she brought it down before she fired into the roof of the net after both Niamh Charles and Millie Bright failed to connect with Beth Mead’s corner. Replays showed the ball coming off the hip of the Swedish forward and with no VAR in the WSL to intervene the referee’s decision stood, much to the fury of the crowd and Slegers.

Chelsea would dispute that the corner should have been awarded in the first place but the perceived injustice against Arsenal lit a fire in the stands. The players responded and Olivia Smith entered the fray as they pushed for the equaliser. There were poor decisions beyond the goals too, Arsenal midfielder Victoria Pelova potentially lucky to be on the pitch after her boot was high into Keira Walsh’s calf.

With three minutes remaining Arsenal finally found the equaliser, the substitute Frida Maanum’s angled pass finding Russo, who fired in. The England forward was potentially offside, though the lack of lines drawn on the angle of replays made it hard to tell.

Slegers’ side were denied a winner soon after, this time the flag went up, Maanum adjudged to have been offside as she raced onto Russo’s through ball and lifted it over Hannah Hampton and in.

The spoils were shared, Arsenal are down but not totally out. The attention now will be on how we accelerate the quality of officiating and at what point we use technology to give them the help they need.

Header image: [Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters]