Arsenal reach the Women’s Champions League semi-finals after surviving a late Chelsea fightback to progress 3-2 on aggregate

Defending champions Arsenal held firm under heavy pressure to secure a place in the Women’s Champions League semi-finals despite a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

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The Gunners advanced 3-2 on aggregate, thanks to their advantage from the first leg, as Chelsea’s long wait for European glory continues despite their domestic dominance.

Arsenal, who ended an 18-year wait for an English winner of the competition last season, showed resilience once again to keep their title defence alive.

Chelsea, coached by Sonia Bompastor, pushed hard in a frantic closing stage but could not find the breakthrough they needed earlier in the tie.

Stina Blackstenius thought she had sealed the contest for Arsenal when she headed home ten minutes from time, but the effort was ruled out after a VAR review for offside.

That decision sparked Chelsea into life, with Lauren James forcing a strong save from Daphne van Domselaar, before Veerle Buurman hit the rebound against the post.

Moments later, Van Domselaar produced another crucial save, tipping Sjoeke Nüsken’s header onto the woodwork to keep Arsenal ahead on aggregate.

At the other end, Beth Mead also struck the post as Arsenal threatened on the counter-attack during Chelsea’s late surge.

Chelsea finally scored in the fourth minute of added time when Nüsken finished neatly at the near post from a Sam Kerr cross, but it proved too late to change the outcome.

The match ended amid further drama after Bompastor was shown a red card following a tense touchline incident.

Arsenal will now face either Lyon or Wolfsburg in the semi-finals, with Lyon holding a slim advantage heading into the second leg.

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Elsewhere, Bayern Munich progressed after a 5-3 aggregate win over Manchester United and are set to face the winner of Barcelona’s tie against Real Madrid.