As Stina Blackstenius picked up the ball midway inside the Chelsea half, she was not sure what to do.<\/p>\n
Then out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a flicker of movement to her left: Arsenal team-mate Alessia Russo was on the run. The pass was slightly behind the England No 9, but she took one touch with her right before blasting a volley into the bottom corner, leaving goalkeeper Hannah Hampton helpless.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer touch was perfect and her finish, it was just so good,\u201d Blackstenius told The Athletic<\/em> after Arsenal\u2019s 3-1 first-leg quarter-final win while head coach Renee Slegers praised Russo\u2019s \u201cconviction\u201d.<\/p>\n Such ruthlessness from Russo, her eighth goal in this season\u2019s Champions League \u2014 a record for the most goals scored by an English player in a single European campaign \u2014 gave Arsenal a two-goal cushion heading into the second leg. It also highlighted what Chelsea are missing: a focal point and clinical finisher.<\/p>\n Sam Kerr, the club\u2019s top scorer in all competitions this season, who was absent having played in the weekend\u2019s Asia Cup final, has lacked gametime since returning in September from her anterior cruciate ligament rupture. Mayra Ramirez has not played since suffering a hamstring injury during pre-season and Aggie Beever-Jones, absent with an ankle issue from the weekend\u2019s 1-1 draw with London City Lionesses, has looked out of form. It is no wonder Chelsea are vying for Manchester City\u2019s Khadija \u2018Bunny\u2019 Shaw, whose contract expires at the end of this season.<\/p>\n Chelsea\u2019s drop off in finishing compared to previous seasons is noticeable. In the past three seasons, they have overperformed expectations in front of goal, but this season, they have underperformed \u2014 scoring 32 goals from an expected goals (xG, a measurement of the quality of chances created) value of 36.9. That is not disastrous, but it is the worst conversion rate in the Women\u2019s Super League.<\/span><\/p>\n Inefficiency has been Arsenal\u2019s downfall in the past, but at the Emirates on Wednesday, they were clinical when precious chances arose. Russo was not the only one. In the 22nd minute, Blackstenius deftly nodded home McCabe\u2019s whipped left-footed free-kick to put Arsenal 1-0 up before Chloe Kelly found herself in space and thought \u201ctrust yourself\u201d as she rifled a long-range shot to double their lead six minutes later.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you hit one like that, you know it\u2019s going in,\u201d Kelly told the media post-match. \u201cSometimes it clicks for you and sometimes you have to ride those storms, but I\u2019m playing with such talented players around (me), it makes it much easier.\u201d Both Kelly and Blackstenius put their efficiency down to enjoying their football.<\/p>\n But it was not as if Chelsea were outplayed. They were just out finished. Sonia Bompastor\u2019s side dominated possession, had the same number of shots on target (six) and one more attempt than Arsenal (14).<\/p>\n In the first half, they came firing out of the blocks, caught Arsenal in transition and on another day could have been 2-0 up within 10 minutes had Alyssa Thompson\u2019s deflected shot and Lauren James\u2019 strike not hit the post. \u201cThat has been the story of our season,\u201d said Chelsea head coach Bompastor. Chelsea were the better side in large parts of the first half as momentum swung.<\/p>\n \u201cWe played a little bit into their hands and we gave them chances that we got away with,\u201d Arsenal\u2019s Beth Mead said. But a razor-like clinical edge provided the north London side with a solid foundation, whereas Chelsea had nothing to show for from the first 45 minutes.<\/p>\n The visitors felt hard done by when the on-field referee controversially disallowed Veerle Buurman\u2019s goal just before half-time, a decision checked by VAR but one which enraged Bompastor as she vented on the sideline, unleashing some fruitful French language.<\/p>\n \n Sonia Bompastor was frustrated by Buurman\u2019s goal being disallowed (Justin Setterfield\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In a parallel universe, Chelsea could have been leading 3-2 at the break, instead they were trailing 2-0. There were signs of disconnect as stray passes failed to find a blue shirt, the most obvious example being Erin Cuthbert hoping to find an onward runner from a free kick, only for the ball to go straight out of play.<\/p>\n James\u2019 outrageous worldie with minimal backlift on the 66-minute mark got Chelsea back in the game, but as the momentum shifted and Arsenal struggled to defend set pieces, the hosts did not crumble. Sleger\u2019s side stayed on task, remained calm, showed discipline and cohesiveness. She praised her team\u2019s mentality throughout. \u201cWhatever the scenario, we were just in the game constantly and happy to do the work,\u201d said Slegers.<\/p>\n Right-back Lucy Bronze felt the 3-1 scoreline belies how even the game was, but Russo came up clutch when it mattered most, sucking the wind out of Chelsea\u2019s sails.<\/p>\n It is the first time Arsenal, who beat Chelsea 2-0 in January in the WSL, have registered back-to-back wins over their rivals since 2016. Renowned as the mentality monsters, Chelsea will have to show their mettle next week at Stamford Bridge. In the same stage of the competition last year, Bompastor\u2019s side came from 2-0 down to defeat Manchester City 3-2. They need the same killer instinct.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As Stina Blackstenius picked up the ball midway inside the Chelsea half, she was not sure what to do. 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