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Arsenal took their chances but Chelsea will feel aggrieved to have lost so emphatically. The decision to disallow Buurman’s first-half header was certainly harsh, and the Blues also hit the post twice early on. (James’s effort, that cannoned off the inside of a post, was a far luckier escape for Arsenal than Thompson’s deflected shot from an angle.)
Buchanan’s disallowed effort, much later, was less controversial as she did appear to bundle Borbe into the net in the act of scoring.
90 min +2: Disallowed goal for Chelsea! (Buchanan)
Chelsea’s Buchanan bundles the ball into the net from the corner. Borbe is knocked over and into the goal in the process. VAR will check it. Was there a high foot? Yes, I guess there was, but was it fair? The VAR will surely rule this one out.
The VAR rules it out.
Blackstenius feeds Russo on the edge with the Chelsea defenders backpedalling. The England forward takes two devastating touches in quick succession, getting the ball out of her feet with the first, then smoothly and instantly taking her right-footed shot early, tucking it into the corner. That looked effortless, but was nothing of the sort. Brilliant finish.
72 min: Blackstenius makes a run down the Arsenal right. The ball is worked back from near the byline and James commits another foul, this time on Wubben-Moy, providing the Gunners with a decent set-piece chance. Chelsea clear their lines after McCabe’s delivery.
Chelsea have a corner. Arsenal half-clear it. James is lurking 30 yards out. She nonchalantly controls the ball, takes her time to pick her spot, and bends a looping, dipping left-footed shot imperiously into the top corner. Borbe had no chance – James started the ball’s trajectory firmly off-target but judged it perfectly to whip it handsomely into the corner. What a stunning hit – even better than Kelly’s in the first half.
Game on, tie on.
60 min: More top work from Lauren James. She shows lightning-quick feet to leave Russo standing on the Chelsea right and crosses, looking for Erin Cuthbert.
Kelly is taken off for Arsenal, Olivia Smith comes on. Renée Slegers perhaps fancies more goals.
57 min: Johanna Rytting Kaneryd is on for Chelsea. Naomi Girma goes off. Bompastor is rolling the dice by introducing a forward for a defender.
I think it’s a good move: Arsenal have looked vulnerable at the back. But then of course they can hurt you in an instant at the other end …
54 min: Russo threatens again! She turns Walsh inside-out, inside the box, then belts a shot straight at Hampton. If Chelsea were to lose this 3-0 or 4-0, it would be a pretty inaccurate reflection of the play. Chelsea had eight shots in the first half to Arsenal’s six, with 61% possession, 227 passes to 148.
52 min: Russo is a constant handful for the Chelsea backline. She makes a darting run one moment, then the next, does well to recycle possession after taking the ball to the byline. The pace of the game has dropped a little after a frantic first half, though.
49 min: Arsenal have a corner. Kelly and Hampton, the England teammates, appear to share a joke as the Gunners forward stands next to the Chelsea glovewoman. From the set-piece, taken short, Caldentey curls a shot well wide.
48 min: Lauren James does Lauren James things for Chelsea, embarking on a twisting, skilful run nearly to the byline, and banging an on-target shot straight at Borbe with her left foot. Is she completely two-footed?
Source: The Guardian
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