In the end, we weren’t talking about football, players or the implications of the title race, as Arsenal and Chelsea ended in a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon. Although it was arguably the biggest showdown of the Women’s Super League (WSL) season, between two top teams (the local champion and the European champions), we were left talking instead about some appalling refereeing decisions that completely overshadowed what should have been a great, high-stakes clash.
The story should have been about how Arsenal, a team that had continued to drop points all season, struggled to contain Chelsea in a game that cemented the Blues’ position as strong title favorites.
Instead, we’re left discussing how different the game is with VAR, how much Premier League football needs to invest better in refereeing, and how annoying it is that the same situations keep happening over and over again. Many of the 56,537 fans – from both Chelsea and Arsenal – berated the referees as they walked off the pitch, and while that may be common in men’s football, this is perhaps the first time such a strong reaction has come from opposing fan bases in the women’s game.
After Alyssa Thompson’s stunning opener for Chelsea, focus shifted to a corner kick that wasn’t a corner, resulting in the goal being disallowed for a handball that wasn’t a handball; A yellow card that should have been red; Then an offside goal held up; Which was quickly followed by a potential winning goal being disallowed for offside which in fact was not the case.
Firstly, Arsenal won a corner kick in the 53rd minute which should have been a goal kick as it finally came out of Arsenal’s boot. This led to Stina Blackstenius swiping the ball out of her body to slot the equalizer into the roof of the net. However, in this action – where the ball passed close to her hand, but did not touch it, in an unnatural position – controversy began, with referee Melissa Burgin ruling the ball out for handball, much to Arsenal’s dismay.
Arsenal midfielder Viktoria Belova was lucky to remain on the pitch after a strong challenge on Keira Walsh’s calf, which resulted in a yellow card, but in reality it should have been red. With VAR, the tackle would have likely resulted in the Netherlands international being sent off and changed the complexion of the game once again.
As the 87th minute passed, Alessia Russo scored with a well-taken goal to make it 1-1, but it was not supposed to be as the English striker was clearly offside – albeit marginally.
And in a final twist of fate, Frida Mannum finished off a masterful counter-attack shortly afterwards to give Arsenal what she thought was the winner, but it was pulled offside despite being level with the last defender.
These mistakes changed the entire game. After full time, and given they needed the result much more, Arsenal were furious. Chelsea may have escaped with a point, but it would be unfair to say the decisions were only against the Blues.
Indeed, after that, both managers demanded the involvement of VAR to mitigate the errors that clouded the match.
“Right now, if you ask me, I think in a match like this, we need fair decisions. We need fairness. I think this is where VAR and technology can come into play,” Arsenal coach Rene Slijers said in a press conference. “Yes, there is more and more at stake in the WSL, at the top, but also in the relegation battle and everything in between. There is more and more at stake, I think we have to look at how we can develop the game in all aspects.”
While Chelsea coach, Sonia Bombastor, who maintained her 32-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League, added: “When you analyze the men’s game, that also happens, you have big matches and we end up talking about refereeing. It happens. Maybe people need to focus on the quality that we have from both teams.”
“This match is probably one of the most beautiful matches in the world. Everyone wants to be in this match for many reasons, two good teams, and the atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium was great. So it’s really good advertising for the WSL. We have to balance that with the officiating.”
This isn’t the first time Chelsea and Arsenal have been involved over a lack of technology or poor decisions either. Last season, the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge produced similar results, with calls for the use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and improved refereeing standards. It is a continuation of the problems in the WSL caused by the lack of fully professional and well-paid referees.
In fact, this is the same story that has continued for over a year with little change from the league, despite a takeover at the start of last season that promised investment in management. Investing in improving the level of referees is the first step; It can then be discussed how and when expensive technology will be introduced, especially VAR technology, which has a range of positives as well as negatives, as we saw from the men’s match.
But with 14 matches remaining in the WSL season, this won’t be the last time this topic makes headlines. It leaves one lingering question: How many more games will be destroyed before improvements are made?
