Women's Champions League quarter-final first-leg highlights, report: Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea

UEFA Women's Champions League holders Arsenal will take a 3-1 lead to Chelsea next week after victory in the first leg of their all-London quarter-final.

Although Chelsea hit the post twice early on, Arsenal led 2-0 at the break through Stina Blackstenius and Chloe Kelly. Lauren James pulled one back in some style, but competition top scorer Alessia Russo restored the Gunners' two-goal cushion.

Match in brief: Arsenal take their chances

Injury-hit Chelsea went with a back three, though both teams had absentees due to Australia's AFC Asian Women's Cup final in Sydney on Saturday. It was the visitors who nearly took the lead out of the blue early on, Alyssa Thompson cutting in from the right touchline and her cross ricocheting off Laia Codina and onto a post. Not long after, Lauren James got clear and struck the same upright.

However, Arsenal recovered from that difficult start and, midway through the first half, they took the lead when Stina Blackstenius headed in Katie McCabe's free-kick. Now Arsenal had momentum and, in the 32d minute, Chloe Kelly let fly from distance to double their advantage.

Chelsea pushed to pull one back late in the first half, but Arsenal started the second period the brighter. Alessia Russo tested Hannah Hampton, and Naomi Girma then got in the way of Blackstenius' follow-up. Nevertheless, Chelsea halved their deficit in the 66th minute thanks to a spectacular long-range curling lob into the top corner by James.

Despite that boost for the Blues, it was soon 3-1 as Blackstenius found Russo in the box to tee herself up and bury her competition-leading eighth goal of the campaign. Last season, Chelsea overturned a two-goal deficit in the second leg of an all-English quarter-final against Manchester City, and they will have to do so again next Wednesday if they are to keep up their record of never going out at this stage of the competition.

Vodafone Player of the Match: Alessia Russo (Arsenal)

Alessia Russo with her awardUEFA via Getty Images

"She was involved in everything with and without the ball for Arsenal in the second half. She had two shots, one of those a world-class strike to give her side a buffer in the tie. She completed three out of three dribbles, made two interceptions, completed two ball recoveries and won eight of her 13 duels."
UEFA Technical Observer Group

Charlotte Richardson, match reporter

Arsenal made the most of home advantage by working hard in tough conditions to earn a two-goal cushion at the halfway point in this entertaining quarter-final. We saw goals of real quality from both sides. Chelsea hit the woodwork twice in the first ten minutes, created lots but produced only one moment of goalscoring magic. They will dust themselves off and go again on their own patch. This tie is far from over.

Reaction

Renée Slegers, Arsenal coach: "[It was] a tough game for both teams. I think there were a lot of battles. It was very intense with little time on the ball in central areas. The team that got out could create chances. Chelsea created some big ones at the start; we stayed in the game, kept calm and found solutions.

"Everyone in the squad was so involved, so engaged and ready. We made changes, but the football doesn't change. I am really happy with where the squad is at."

Sonia Bompastor, Chelsea coach: "[There's] frustration around the result, but tonight I am proud of my players for executing the game plan and doing what we wanted as a team on the pitch. I think the difference in this game is that one team was clinical and efficient enough to score three goals.

"If we score those two chances [when Chelsea hit the post twice early on], I think we completely change the game. If we do that in the first 15 minutes, it is a confidence boost and it makes a big difference. That has been the story of our season."

Alessia Russo, Arsenal goalscorer and Player of the Match: "We used the crowd and we needed them a lot as well. It was a tough game, but we're really aware it's a tie of two legs, so we're not getting too ahead of ourselves. It was a good game, but we'll put in the work again for next week. I love scoring goals and will do it as much as I can, but doing it [at Arsenal Stadium] is even more special. It was a big moment and an important win tonight."

Kim Little, Arsenal captain: "We've got to be happy with the win and the three goals. It was a tense affair. Both teams were aware of each other's strengths, and I thought we took our goals really well. We made it count. Defensively we were secure, maybe until a little bit later on in the game, and then [Alessia Russo's] finish was top class. We're very aware it's just the first half of these two legs so we will reflect on the game and look to improve for the second leg."

Lucy Bronze, Chelsea defender: "Momentum swayed throughout the game; Arsenal got their goals when the momentum was with them. We felt like we got back in the game, but we have been in this situation before. It's frustrating tonight as I think we deserved a bit more. The 3-1 scoreline doesn't show the real game. For large parts of the game, we were the better team. We had our chances; they were just more clinical than us. We know we can overturn this result, but Arsenal are a top team as well. We're looking forward to the next game already."

Key stats

• Russo's eighth goal of the campaign breaks the record of seven for the most by an English player in one UEFA women's club competition season – a record she herself set in 2024/25.
• Blackstenius scored her first Women's Champions League goal since her winner in last year's final against Barcelona; Kelly also opened her account for the campaign.
• Kim Little became the seventh player to reach 90 UEFA women's club competition appearances.
• Arsenal are in a joint-record 17th quarter-final.
• This was the first game in this competition between two teams from the same city.

Line-ups

Arsenal: Borbe; Fox, Wubben-Moy, Laia Codina (Hinds 46), McCabe; Mead (Holmberg 77), Little, Mariona (Pelova 90+3); Russo, Blackstenius (Maanum 77), Kelly (Smith 60)

Chelsea: Hampton; Girma (Rytting Kaneryd 57), Buchanan, Buurman; Bronze, Cuthbert (Kaptein 82), Walsh, Nüsken, Baltimore; James, Thompson