Action from the Women’s Champions League took centre stage on Tuesday night as London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea did battle in the first leg of the quarter-finals. The Gunners are the current holders of the competition having beaten Barcelona 1-0 in last season’s pulsating final in Lisbon, but required a knockout phase play-off win over OH Leuven to continue the defence of their title after finishing fifth in the league phase.
European success, despite their domestic dominance, has eluded Chelsea over the years but they have work to do to preserve their perfect record in Champions League quarter-final ties as they must overturn a two-goal deficit, thanks to a stunning Lauren James strike, in order to set up a semi-final tie against either Wolfsburg or Lyon.
Goals from Stina Blackstenius, Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo gave Arsenal a 3-1 win as they came out in top as two teams from the same city faced off for the first time in the history of UEFA women’s club competition. Follow the game back below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Arthur Ferridge at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal vs Chelsea highlights
- GOAL! Russo adds a third for Arsenal
- GOAL! James pulls one back for Chelsea with stunning strike
- GOAL! Kelly from range
- GOAL! Blackstenius with the opener
FULL-TIME
21:56 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneArsenal 3-1 Chelsea
Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
21:56 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne90+6: Big block to keep Chelsea in this quarter-final.
Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
21:53 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne90+3 min: On field decision stands, no goal.
Mariona is replaced by Pelova for Arsenal.
Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
21:52 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne90+1 min: GOA....NOOOOO
Chelsea have the ball in the back of the net but it’s disallowed as Buchanan bundles the ball and Borbe over the line.
VAR will check this.
Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
21:51 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne90 min: Three minutes of stoppage time as Chelsea win another corner. Hampton is looking over hoping for the signal to go up for his, but she stays back for now.
Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
21:50 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne89 min: James goes for the curler again but Borbe gets down low to turn the ball behind for a corner.
James goes over to take, in-swinging and the ball is flicked towards goal by Nusken but her effort is straight at Borbe.
Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
21:48 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne88 min: Hinds shows great awareness defensively to cut out a dangerous looking cross into the box and then Smith completes the clearance, taking out Bronze in the process.
Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
21:46 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne86 min: Chelsea still searching for a second goal to take back to Stamford Bridge, but that is leaving gaps for Arsenal to exploit on the counter attack.
Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
21:42 , Arthur Ferridge82mins: Another roll of the dice from Bompastor as Cuthbert is replaced by Kaptein.
Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
21:38 , Arthur Ferridge79mins: Mead and Blackstenius are replaced by Holmberg and Maanum.
GOAL! Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea | Russo '76
21:36 , Arthur FerridgeArsenal’s two-goal advantage is restored! Alessia Russo (who else but her?) is played into space on the edge of the box and hits a well-placed finish beyond Hampton.
Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
21:34 , Arthur Ferridge74mins: Baltimore makes a marauding run forward and breaks into the box but lets herself down with a poorly-hit shot.
Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
21:33 , Arthur Ferridge72mins: Lauren James, who is on a yellow, commits a foul to give Arsenal another presentable set piece. She’ll be on thin ice now, and Bompastor does not have a suitable replacement on the bench.
Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
21:30 , Arthur Ferridge70mins: Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Arsenal have conceded at home and suddenly the Emirates crowd are a little bit nervy. The mood is growing edgy inside the ground.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea | James '66
21:26 , Arthur FerridgeWhat a strike! Chelsea have hope! A poor corner routine is cleared out to Lauren James, who strikes it on the volley first time and drills her effort into the top corner.
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
21:23 , Arthur Ferridge63mins: Quite resolute defending from Chelsea as they endeavour to avoid going three behind. A great last-ditch tackle in the Chelsea penalty area denies Stina Blackstenius a near-certain goal.
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
21:20 , Arthur Ferridge60mins: A tantalising cross from James skids across the box, just out of the reach of Cuthbert.
Goalscorer Chloe Kelly is replaced by the £1m forward Olivia Smith - testament to Arsenal’s strength in depth.
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
21:17 , Arthur Ferridge57mins: Centre-back Naomi Girma is replaced by winger Johanna Rytting Kaneryd. Statement of intent from Sonia Bompastor.
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
21:14 , Arthur Ferridge54mins: Russo sells a wonderful dummy to Keira Walsh and is clear through on goal, but Hampton is equal to her attempted finish. Great build-up from the England striker. She’s let herself down with that shot.
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
21:12 , Arthur Ferridge52mins: Johanna Rytting Kaneryd has been sent to warm up, and is getting ready to come on.
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
21:11 , Arthur Ferridge51mins: Fox puts in a wonderful tackle on Thompson to deny a Chelsea break, and is then hacked down by Baltimore in an act of retribution.
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
21:08 , Arthur Ferridge48mins: Bronze is slow to get to her feet after a crunching collision with Caldentey.
2ND HALF: Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
21:05 , Arthur FerridgeBack underway! Blackstenius immediately makes a marauding run forward and draws a save from Hampton.
Start as you mean to go on, Blues!
Arsenal substitution
21:05 , Arthur FerridgeTaylor Hinds replaces Laia Codina at half-time. The Spaniard was booked in that first-half.
HALF-TIME: Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
20:49 , Arthur FerridgeThere’s the half-time whistle. A big team talk is required from Bompastor.
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
20:48 , Arthur Ferridge45+3mins: Little to write home about in this period of injury time.
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
20:46 , Arthur Ferridge45mins: There will be four added minutes here.
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
20:42 , Arthur Ferridge42mins: VAR check over, decision stands. No goal. On we go.
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
20:41 , Arthur Ferridge40mins: Chelsea look to have pulled one back, but it’s not given! Buurman leapt well over Wubben-Moy to nod home at the back post, but is deemed to have been overzealous in contact.
VAR are checking, though.
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
20:38 , Arthur Ferridge38mins: Another promising-ish Chelsea attack is cut short as Baltimore plays her pass behind Nusken and into touch. The Blues are showing a bit more impetus since going behind, but have been far from clinical on the ball. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
20:36 , Arthur Ferridge36mins: Cuthbert looks to take the free-kick short and plays it straight out behind the goal. The Arsenal fans around the press box really enjoyed that one. Sonia Bompastor in the Chelsea dugout, less so.
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
20:35 , Arthur Ferridge35mins: Codina goes into the book now for a late tackle, and Chelsea have a free-kick some 40 yards out.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea | Kelly '32
20:33 , Arthur FerridgeA moment of genius from Chloe Kelly doubles Arenal’s lead! She is afforded too much space on the edge of the area and shoots from 25 yards out, her effort confounding Hampton - who really should have done better - and creeping into the bottom corner.
Chelsae are left to huddle up and talk it over.
Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea
20:30 , Arthur Ferridge30mins: Another big cheer goes around the ground as Hampton boots a pass into touch under no pressure.
Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea
20:29 , Arthur Ferridge29mins: A massive cheer goes up around the Emirates, almost as loud as that which followed the opening goal, as James is booked for a foul on Blackstenius.
The Gunners take their free-kick quickly and promptly win a corner.
Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea
20:25 , Arthur Ferridge25mins: That’ll be a tough one for Chelsea to take. They’ve arguably been the better of the two sides in the opening 25 minutes but have failed to take any of their chances, and there have been several. Can they respond?
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea | Blackstenius '23
20:23 , Arthur FerridgeAnd Arsenal lead from nowhere! A textbook set-piece as McCabe hooks a free-kick into the box and Blackstenius nods home beyond a rooted Hampton.
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
20:19 , Arthur Ferridge19mins: Buchanan is holding her left hamstring as she trots off. The last thing Chelsea need is another injury, but she seems OK to continue.
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
20:18 , Arthur Ferridge17mins: A big chance for Arsenal as Buchanan trips over her own feet and Blackstenious pounces on the loose ball. Her shot is smothered by Hampton before play is blown dead so the Chelsea defender can receive treatment.
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
20:13 , Arthur Ferridge13mins: Thompson is having a lot of joy down the right flank. She gets to the byline and cuts one back for Nusken, who can’t quite get a shot away.
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
20:11 , Arthur Ferridge10mins: Chelsea break forward and Thompson sees both a shot and its follow-up blocked by Wubben-Moy.
Given the lack of firepower on Chelsea’s bench, they’ll want to get points on the board early. This is three big chances squandered now.
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
20:09 , Arthur Ferridge9mins: Real end-to-end stuff this - entertaining start. Arsenal come again and Fox sees a shot blocked in the Chelsea box.
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
20:08 , Arthur Ferridge8mins: Off the post again! That Chelsea attack came from nowhere - a spirited tackle sends the ball fortunately into the path of James, who tears away and sells Codina a dream before smashing her shot off the far upright.
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
20:06 , Arthur Ferridge6mins: Bronze does very well to cut out a fast-paced Arsenal attack and the Blues counter apace through Thompson. She jinks into the box but her shot rattles the upright.
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
20:05 , Arthur Ferridge5mins: Russo comes deep to pick up the ball and lobs one forward to Kelly, but her pass is overcooked and dribbles out for a Chelsea throw.
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
20:03 , Arthur Ferridge3mins: Dreadful start from Chelsea, this. They can’t keep hold of the ball for love nor money.
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
20:02 , Arthur Ferridge2mins: A first Arsenal corner goes short before Mead’s cross is cleared away. The Gunners recycle and Hampton claims Kelly’s ball into the box.
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
20:01 , Arthur Ferridge1min: Chelsea look to knock the ball around the back to start things off, but are immediately caught out in the Arsenal press. A nervous moment, but Bronze recovers.
KICK-OFF! Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea
20:00 , Arthur FerridgeAnd we’re off! A buzzing atmosphere here in N5.
Both teams’ huddles are held a suitable distance from the centre-circle and the referee.
The players are out...
19:57 , Arthur FerridgeThe two squads take to the pitch in front of an immense crowdsurfer.
Kick-off is imminent!
The light show to end all light shows is presently underway here.
Set to a variety of FIFA soundtrack bangers and retro club classics, ABBA’s Voulez-vous the standout.
Let’s get onto the football now, shall we? Five minutes to kick-off.
Atmosphere building
19:53 , Arthur FerridgeFans are slowly filtering in here at the Emirates - the bottom two tiers of the stadium are about 80 per cent full.
Team news reminder
19:50 , Arthur FerridgeNot long left until kick-off. Here’s a reminder of how the teams will line up tonight!
Arsenal XI: Borbe, Fox, Wubben-Moy, Codina, McCabe, Little (C), Mariona, Russo, Mead, Kelly, Blackstenius
Chelsea XI: Hampton, Buurman, Nusken, Cuthbert (c), James, Thompson, Girma, Baltimore, Bronze, Buchanan, Walsh
Fast facts
19:50 , Arthur FerridgeIt may not be hard to believe that the women’s Champions League has never staged a London derby.
But you may struggle to wrap your head around the fact that two teams from the same city have never faced one another in the competition.
Tonight, of course, will be the first time.
Super-sub potential?
19:45 , Arthur FerridgeIn stark contrast to Chelsea, Arsenal have considerable firepower on the bench.
Chiefly, big-money summer signing Olivia Smith and the young upstart Smilla Holmberg, signed from Swedish side Hammarby in January.
Not to mention the presence of Taylor Hinds and Frida Maanum.
If this match remains tightly contested into the late stages, Renee Slegers has plenty of options at her disposal. Tonight’s match may well be decided in the final quarter of an hour.
About yesterday...
19:40 , Arthur FerridgeThere were rather concerning scenes at Chelsea’s open training session yesterday. Only eight players appeared.
They were: Kadeisha Buchanan, Naomi Girma, Lauren James, Alexia Potter, Keira Walsh, Sandy Baltimore, Chloe Sarwie and Alyssa Thompson.
Sam Kerr may well be the highest-profile absentee. She had been representing Australia at the Asian Cup until Sunday morning, when the Matildas were beaten by Japan, and the conflict in the Middle East has impeded her attempts to get back to London.
It is hoped she will be back, available and un-jetlagged for the second-leg at Stamford Bridge next week.
Chelsea bench options
19:32 , Arthur FerridgeSonia Bompastor will hope to nail her game-plan first time around, because she does not have a massive amount of firepower on the bench.
Two of her nine substitutes are goalkeepers, and four of the remaining seven are recent academy products.
The three leftover are Ellie Carpenter, who returned from the Asian Cup early yesterday morning and may not have much in the legs, leaving Wieke Kaptein and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd as the only fit senior outfield options.
Star appearance in the media room
19:24 , Arthur FerridgeArsenal youngster Michelle Agyemang, who made her name at the Euros last summer, is on location at the Emirates to support her team-mates tonight.
She is presently sidelined as she recovers from an ACL rupture.
Chelsea team news
19:16 , Arthur FerridgeIt is not the strongest Chelsea squad you’ve ever seen, and certainly not the squad they’d have hoped to bring into a fixture as important as this one.
The team does feature the likes of Naomi Girma, the women’s game’s most expensive defender, talismanic full-back Sandy Baltimore and highly-decorated veteran Lucy Bronze.
There is no room for striker Aggie Beever-Jones, who faced a late fitness test ahead of the tie. Lauren James has been in fine form of late and could take her place, though the job could also fall to Alyssa Thompson.
Arsenal team news
19:09 , Arthur FerridgeIt is no surprise, but Sonia Bompastor will not be pleased to see Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo starting for Arsenal. The pair have notched ten goal contributions in the Gunners’ last seven matches between them.
Leah Williamson is absent as expected, as are the Australians Steph Catley, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Caitlin Foord.
Stina Blackstenius has been on form of late and starts up top.
Chelsea team in full
19:00 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneChelsea XI: Hampton, Buurman, Nusken, Cuthbert (c), James, Thompson, Girma, Baltimore, Bronze, Buchanan, Walsh
Substitutes: Peng, Spencer, Carpenter, Kaptein, Rytting Kaneryd, Potter, Sarwie, Storey, Shooter
Arsenal team in full
18:56 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneArsenal XI: Borbe, Fox, Wubben-Moy, Codina, McCabe, Little (C), Mariona, Russo, Mead, Kelly, Blackstenius
Substitutes: Votikova, van Domselaar, Maanum, Smith, Hinds, Pelova, Holmberg, Harwood
CONFIRMED CHELSEA TEAM NEWS
18:50 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneLining up for the visitors tonight...
Our quarter-final lineup. 📋#CFCW pic.twitter.com/RIXHBIO36f
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) March 24, 2026
CONFIRMED ARSENAL TEAM NEWS
18:47 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHere is the Arsenal team to face Chelsea...
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) March 24, 2026
🧱 Wubben-Moy and Codina at the back
💪 McCabe on the left
©️ Little captains the side
COME ON YOU GUNNERS 👊
Watch: Last time out
18:45 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne⏪ Last time out against Chelsea…
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) March 24, 2026
Alessia sets up Meado’s superb strike 🚀 pic.twitter.com/HUAAT3Gdwc
Arsenal vs Chelsea live - team news imminent
18:42 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThe teams will be announced shortly!
Stay tuned...
Arsenal and Chelsea eye salvation in crunch Women's Champions League showdown
18:40 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThere could not be a more fitting occasion to make or break a season than a derby in the Champions League, writes Arthur Ferridge.
As a downtrodden Chelsea travel to Arsenal in tonight’s quarter-final first leg, there is plenty on the line for both London rivals.
Sonia Bompastor has struggled to match the magic of her treble-winning debut season at Chelsea but the Blues still have their sights on the Women’s Champions League glory that has eluded them.
Today's settings
18:35 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThe Emirates Stadium will host tonight’s Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Arsenal vs Chelsea latest match odds
18:30 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneArsenal to win: 5/6
Chelsea to win: 9/4
Draws: 15/8
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
Historic occasion
18:25 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThis is the first time in the history of UEFA women’s club competition that two teams from the same city will face off.
Score prediction
18:20 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneArsenal are unbeaten in two meetings against Chelsea this season, but we are expecting a cagey first leg showdown tonight.
1-1, draw.
Chelsea team news
18:15 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneChelsea are similarly injury hit. Only eight players appeared in their open training session on Monday.
Mille Bright will miss out, while Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter are unlikely to feature.
Arsenal team news
18:10 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneArsenal will be without the injured Leah Williamson as tonight's quarter-final tie comes too soon.
Meanwhile, the Australian trio of Steph Catley, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Caitlin Foord will also miss out as they make their way home from the Asian Cup.
How to watch
18:05 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneTV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on BBC 2, with coverage starting at 7.30pm GMT ahead of an 8pm kick-off.
Live stream: Those with a valid TV license can also catch the contest live online via the iPlayer app and website.
Live coverage: You can follow all the action right here via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Arsenal vs Chelsea LIVE
18:00 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Arsenal vs Chelsea!
It's the first leg of the Women's Champions League as the holders host their London rivals in N5.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news right here ahead of kick-off, which comes at 8pm GMT from the Emirates Stadium. Stick with us!
