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Amidst the screams of anger and against the anger armoryreturn to emirates, chelsea stay alive to increase your invincibility Women’s Super League Record till 30th game under the leadership of Sonia Bompastor. But if two major refereeing decisions had not gone against the hosts, leading Arsenal head coach Renée Slagers to voice his support for the introduction of VAR in the women’s top flight, the defending champions could have suffered defeat, putting the Gunners back in the title race.
“I think we deserved to win and I think some of the goals we scored were bad decisions,” he said. alessia russoWhose late closing, past squeezed hannah hamptonSaved a point for Arsenal to keep themselves within five of Chelsea. “I know the job of a referee is tough, [but] “We’re at a higher level right now, so I’m disappointed.”
Arsenal were angered when referee Melissa Bergin disallowed Stina Blackstenius’s equalizing goal for handball early in the second half; Replays showed that Blackstanius had controlled the ball with his upper thigh and got his hand safely away before firing his finish into the roof of Hampton’s net.
It lit the fuse for an emphatic second half at the Emirates, as Arsenal overturned Chelsea’s calmer, better performance after Alyssa Thompson’s stylish ninth-minute opener. Roussos finally equalized for Arsenal in the 87th minute, although Frida Manam’s precise cross looked set for an upset. Then, when Manam was sent to medically proceed from Hampton and blow up the roof of the Emirates, Manam appeared to be partially aft, only to hoist the flag.
“It’s really hard to see from that angle,” Slagers said. “For me, looking back, to be able to see it on video, to be able to stop, it’s hard for me to see it. It’s also really hard for the referee on the pitch to see it in live action.”
But in the case of Blackstanius’ disallowed goal, the sluggers were in the clear. “We were very surprised because I didn’t see any player calling for it,” he said. “I’ve just looked at it from an angle and it doesn’t look like handball, so it’s disappointing. If you asked me this question now whether I’m in favor of VAR, I would say yes.”
Former England international Izzy Christiansen said the Gunners were “robbed”. “What he did was extraordinary from start to finish in the second half,” he said. “He scored two goals that were disallowed. That game should have finished 3-1 to Arsenal. Those were two absolutely disappointing decisions.”
Having lost to Manchester City so far this season and dropped points against Manchester United and Aston Villa, Arsenal could not afford another defeat and fell eight points behind Chelsea; Although the way the champions started suggested they could move through Arsenal’s press at will, Thompson completed a stylish move by lifting a shot past Daphne van Domselaar.
“We created many chances in the first half, we probably could have finished the game and we scored a goal, it was not enough to eliminate the opponent’s hopes,” said Bompastor. “They survived and I think it was more difficult in the second half.”
Chelsea got themselves into trouble, creating loose play from the back when the ball was headed for a corner where Blackstanius headed home Arsenal’s equaliser. The cross was led by Niamh Charles, but only as far as Blackstanius, who took control with his midriff. The decision to deny it, confounding the crowd of over 50,000, gave Arsenal the fire and fury to suffocate Chelsea in the second half.
“It increased their energy and urgency and they wanted more and were confident we could score one,” Slagers said. Eventually, once Manum was brought on, Arsenal found their finishing touch. Hampton should have done better to deny Rousseau’s half-volley at the back post; Manam then held his head and did not give him any chance.
However, Chelsea managed to survive. Manchester City now has a chance to achieve their seventh consecutive win against Everton on Sunday. Arsenal will regret not being two points behind. “It’s nice margins, so some decisions become really big decisions,” Slagers admitted. “It’s out of our hands.”