Arsenal book UWCL semifinal spot after chaotic Chelsea clash, hair-pulling incident with Alyssa Thompson

The Gunners had the advantage throughout both legs but a controversial hair-pulling incident overshadowed the result

Sandra Herrera

Apr 1, 2026

8:14 pm ET

•

5 min read

Getty Images

There's no denying the history that binds Arsenal and Chelsea, but sometimes a new chapter in the rivalry is what keeps things fresh and relevant. Arsenal secured a place in the UEFA Women's Champions League semifinal on Wednesday despite a late surge from Chelsea in what was a chaotic and overly physical game.

In the final minutes of the quarterfinal, Stamford Bridge exploded with excitement. The Blues needed to overturn a two-goal deficit, and a stoppage-time goal by Sjoeke Nüsken cranked up the chaos but sparked late drama instead. Winger Alyssa Thompson had her hair pulled by Katie McCabe in the final minutes in what should have been a red card as things got tense, but in the end, it was Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor who was sent off instead as Chelsea won 1-0 but did not get that second goal they needed to force extra time.

Here's what to know:

Arsenal return to UWCL semifinals

There will no doubt be further discussion and potential consequences over the final moments of the match. But it's Arsenal who now await the winner of Wolfsburg and OL Lyonnes in the remaining quarterfinal matches.

The Gunners were effective in absorbing any pressure, and even though they looked to have sealed Chelsea's fate in the 80th minute with a strike by Stina Blackstenius, a VAR check confirmed the goal offside. Still, the performance was enough to ensure a return to the Champions League semifinals.

Head coach Renee Slegers took a reflective tone in the postgame, noting the players' efforts and the opportunity to keep defending their title.

"We are in a really good place, like the way we're working, the way the group are taking on things, how they are together, how they try to maximize everything, every single day," Slegers said after the game.

"They so much deserve it because they invest so much. We have players ready to play, to start to finish. We're doing everything together. So the group is in a fantastic place. I'm pleased to work for Arsenal and with this group of players. So, I think that's been great that we are in this place, but of course, we want to be in this place consistently."

A night of frustration for the Blues

Having entered the night trailing from the first leg, Chelsea knew they had to take advantage of the game in front of them, but fell short.

The Blues managed the first half, forcing goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar into action, and Alyssa Thompson managed a good look on goal. Sam Kerr's effort was ruled offside, and Chelsea kept getting denied by the post before Sjoeke Nüsken's late-game goal. With a surge in fleeting hope, Chelsea pushed to level the game, and Arsenal defender tried to slow down Alyssa Thompson but got a fistful of hair instead.

> Kate McCabe was NOT given a foul for a hair pull on Chelsea's Alyssa Thompson in the waining minutes of their UWCL tie 😳

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor was instead given two yellow cards in a minute for arguing the non-call of the referee and sent off 👀 pic.twitter.com/zJvkGUQzbi

— W Golazo (@WGolazo) April 1, 2026

Thompson could be heard on the broadcast shouting "she pulled my hair" toward the sideline referee, as McCabe attempted to soothe things over after not getting carded initially, while Thompson was visibly frustrated by the unchecked incident. In an effort to back the player, Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor argued with officials for a foul check, but it fell on deaf ears, and she was carded twice and sent off.

McCabe appeared to eventually be cautioned with a yellow. Though typically, hair-pulling is often deemed a violent offense and issued a red card. Bompastor took offense to the lack of a red card and brought evidence of the poor officiating into her postgame interview.

"Disappointed about the result and the fact we couldn't qualify for the semifinal, it was one of the big objectives in our season. So it's really frustrating. And, yeah, it's difficult to say that, but I think overall, in both games, I think I'm really proud of the players, I think they put a really great performance. But at this level, we need to understand, we need to be clinical when we create the chances. And I think we had enough chances to win the game tonight, to just bounce back from last week. And yet, that's the reality. We couldn't score more than one. And

"If we speak about the last 10 minutes. Of course, it's emotional because you want to win the game, you want to try as much as you can to just go back in the game and try to qualify. And yeah, I was really upset. I'm better now, but because again, one more time, I had one of my players, Alyssa Thompson, her hair was pulled, and I don't understand why the VAR cannot check that," sai