Women's Champions League quarter-final second leg: Chelsea vs Arsenal facts
Friday, March 27, 2026
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Arsenal have the upper hand in their all-English UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final with Chelsea, as they take a 3-1 lead to Stamford Bridge.
First-half goals from Stina Blackstenius (22) and Chloe Kelly (32) put the Gunners ahead in the first leg at the Arsenal Stadium on 24 March. Lauren James (66) halved the deficit in the second half, only for Alessia Russo (76) to restore the hosts' two-goal advantage.
Unbeaten Chelsea secured direct entry to the quarter-finals by amassing 14 points in the league phase to finish third (W4 D2).
Holders Arsenal claimed 12 points in finishing fifth in the league phase (W4 L2), reaching the quarter-finals courtesy of a 7-1 aggregate success against OH Leuven in the knockout phase play-offs (4-0 a, 3-1 h).
Last match
The first leg was the teams' first meeting in UEFA competition.
Arsenal had previously ended Chelsea's six-match unbeaten league run in the fixture (W5 D1) with a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge on 24 January thanks to second-half goals from Beth Mead and Mariona Caldentey. The teams had drawn 1-1 at the Arsenal Stadium on 8 November, a late Russo equaliser for the home side cancelling out Alyssa Thompson's early opener.
Overall Arsenal have won 28 of the teams' 58 fixtures, Chelsea recording 23 victories. The Gunners have scored 100 goals to the Blues' 82.
Chelsea are facing English opponents in the last eight for the second season in succession having recorded a dramatic comeback victory over Manchester City in 2024/25 (0-2 a, 3-0 h).
Arsenal have faced English opposition in the Women's Champions League once before, losing 0-3 on aggregate to Birmingham City in the 2013/14 quarter-finals (0-1 a, 0-2 h).
Chelsea were Women's Champions League runners-up in 2021, losing 0-4 to Barcelona in the Gothenburg final.
Chelsea have reached the quarter-finals for the seventh time, having won all six of their previous ties at this stage.
The Blues have reached the last four or better in four of the previous five seasons, and in six of their last seven participations. In 2024/25 they finished Group B with a 100% record after wins over Real Madrid (3-2 h, 2-1 a), Twente (3-1 a, 6-1 h) and Celtic (2-1 a, 3-0 h) before a comeback victory in that all-English quarter-final against Manchester City only to come up short against Barcelona (1-4 a, 1-4 h) in the last four.
Arsenal lifted the Women's Champions League trophy last season after Stina Blackstenius scored the only goal of the game in their defeat of holders Barcelona in Lisbon. It was their second European title after overcoming Umeå in a two-legged final in 2006/07. They are the only English side to reach two European finals.
The title holders have reached a joint-record 17th quarter-final, level with OL Lyonnes. They have won eight and lost eight of the previous 16 ties.
This is the Londoners' 18th participation in the Women's Champions League; they topped Group C last season ahead of Bayern, Juventus and Vålerenga and defeated Real Madrid 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals (0-2 a, 3-0 h) before a semi-final comeback victory against OL (1-2 h, 4-1 a) and that final defeat of Barcelona.
Key stats
Chelsea have only once previously lost the away first leg of a European tie by two goals — last season's quarter‑final against Manchester City, where a 2-0 defeat was overturned with a 3-0 home win.
The Blues have won six of their last eight Women's Champions League home matches (D1 L1), scoring three or more goals in six of those eight contests.
Chelsea have opened the scoring in all three home games in this season's competition.
Arsenal have won nine of their last 11 two-legged Women's Champions League ties.
The Gunners have won their last six Women's Champions League games – their joint-longest winning streak in the competition, matching their 2012/13 streak.
Arsenal have won six of their last eight away European matches (L2).
The Gunners have won all four previous European ties in which they held a two‑goal first‑leg lead, two of those advantages earned at home.
Arsenal have opened the scoring in eight of their nine matches in this season's competition.
Russo's nine Women's Champions League appearances this season have yielded eight goals, the joint-highest tally by an English player in a single edition – matching her own record from 2024/25.
Five of Blackstenius' last seven Women's Champions League goals have been scored in the knockout phase.