Arsenal manager Renee Slegers has bemoaned Katie McCabe’s hair pull incident overshadowing their two leg Women’s Champions League victory over domestic champions Chelsea.

Ireland’s captain was lucky to avoid being sent off at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday having tugged the hair of Alyssa Thompson as the American sped away towards goal.

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor was livid at the lack of action taken by referee Alina Pesu or the failure of VAR to intervene. She was eventually sent off, citing the moment as the turning point of the tie they were chasing a two goal deficit in from the first leg.

McCabe Apologetic After Discussion With Slegers

McCabe’s incident has dominated the aftermath of the tie and while Slegers claimed there was no intent by the Dubliner, she admitted a discussion with the 30 year old was arranged the following day. “Yeah, I’ve seen it and have spoken to Katie today as well,” the Dutch coach explained. “She’s very apologetic about the situation and it’s unfortunate that it’s happened.”

Slegers is absolutely right to be frustrated that the incident took attention away from what was an excellent Champions League quarter final between two top WSL sides. Arsenal progressed 3-2 on aggregate and will now face Lyon in the semi finals.

McCabe Reports for Ireland Duty After Brighton Clash

McCabe responded to the controversy by providing her input on social media. “I just want to clarify that I was genuinely reaching for the shirt. I wouldn’t ever want to pull someone’s hair. Full respect to Thompson.”

The Ireland captain is due to report for international duty on Monday following Sunday’s FA Cup quarter final against Brighton. Ireland have a World Cup qualification double header against Poland, firstly in Gdansk on Tuesday week followed by the rematch at Lansdowne Road on April 18.

Also read: UEFA Backs Champions League Officials After Sonia Bompastor Slams VAR Following Chelsea Exit to Arsenal as Katie McCabe Hair Pull Goes Unpunished

Arsenal Women goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar has insisted the Gunners want to defend their Champions League title after advancing to the semi-finals on Wednesday night. Arsenal lost 1-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge but still progressed after a 3-2 aggregate victory over their London rivals.

“We want to defend our title,” van Domselaar explained after the match. “That’s what we started the season with. It’s an important part of the legacy, and I feel like we have a lot to bring as well. We’re looking forward to the next game where we’ll do everything we can to defend our title.”

Dutch Goalkeeper Makes Crucial Saves

The Dutch shot stopper made several important saves to help her team across the line in the second leg, with her teammates pushing her towards the away fans at full-time to show their appreciation for her performance. Van Domselaar reflected on the special moment with typical humility.

“I don’t like to be in the centre of attention, but it’s nice of them,” she said. “I feel like we did it as a team and that little special moment for me was special for them to do that. It’s been a bit of an up and down season for me personally but over the last few weeks I feel better.”

Defensive Display Gets Team Over Line

On the defensive display as a whole, van Domselaar added praise for her teammates. “Sometimes you need to be a bit lucky. I feel like today we had the luck on our side. We can be proud of what we’ve done defensively, for sure. Everyone just literally put their body on the line.”

Arsenal will discover their semi-final opponents after the Lyon vs Wolfsburg second leg concludes on Thursday evening.

Also read: Sonia Bompastor Refuses to Address Sam Kerr Exit Speculation Amid Chelsea Striker’s Uncertain Future

UEFA has rejected Sonia Bompastor’s criticism of officiating standards in the Women’s Champions League after the Chelsea boss slammed VAR for failing to penalise Arsenal’s Katie McCabe for pulling Alyssa Thompson’s hair during Wednesday’s quarter-final second leg. The governing body insists it has full faith in the officials selected for the competition.

Bompastor was shown two yellow cards, resulting in a red during Chelsea’s 1-0 win, which saw the Blues crash out 3-2 on aggregate to Arsenal.

The French manager was fuming after VAR failed to review McCabe’s clear hair pull on Thompson late in the match, and also referenced the disallowed Veerle Buurman goal from the first leg.

Bompastor Questions Why VAR Not Checking Incidents

“I can probably understand the referees sometimes can’t see that, but I don’t understand why the VAR is not checking that situation,” Bompastor explained after the match. “At the end, I’m the one who gets a red card, where I think the Arsenal player should be the one who gets a red card. What is the VAR doing in these games? If we have the VAR, why are we not checking these situations? It’s not good enough.”

Thompson was reportedly crying after the incident, with the American winger visibly upset by McCabe’s actions. However, McCabe later posted on social media that the hair pull was not intentional, saying she was genuinely reaching for the shirt.

UEFA Stands Firm on Referee Standards

Sky Sports News understands UEFA has full faith in the officials selected in the Champions League this season, given their experience in European and international competitions. The governing body is confident in their training and development plans for referees in the women’s game, something they’ve invested heavily in over recent years.

Bompastor’s frustration is completely understandable given the obvious nature of the incident.

Also read: Sonia Bompastor Refuses to Address Sam Kerr Exit Speculation Amid Chelsea Striker’s Uncertain Future