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Yosua Arya

Sonia Bompastor has receipts! Fuming Chelsea boss pulls out phone in interview after Arsenal's Katie McCabe goes unpunished for Alyssa Thompson hair pull as Blues exit Champions League

S. Bompastor
Chelsea FC Women
K. McCabe
A. Thompson
Chelsea FC Women vs Arsenal Women
Arsenal Women
Women's Champions League
Women's football

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor pulled out her mobile phone during a post-match interview to showcase video evidence of a controversial officiating decision. The Blues boss was left incensed after Arsenal defender Katie McCabe escaped punishment despite pulling Alyssa Thompson’s hair in the closing stages of their Women's Champions League quarter-final.

  • Bompastor produces phone to highlight VAR failure

    The Blues’ European dreams ended in bittersweet fashion at Stamford Bridge. Despite a 1-0 win on the night courtesy of Sjoeke Nusken’s 94th-minute strike, Chelsea fell 3-2 on aggregate to London rivals Arsenal. However, the result was overshadowed by a controversial incident involving McCabe and Thompson that was somehow missed by the officials.

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  • Fuming Chelsea boss demands answers

    Frustrated by the lack of VAR intervention, Bompastor - who was sent off during the match for her protests - took the unprecedented step of pulling out her smartphone in a post-match interview. She used the device to replay the footage for the cameras, insisting that the blatant hair-pull on her young American winger warranted a straight red card.

    "I brought the phone with me. I don’t know if you can see that, and that’s probably not usual," Bompastor said while holding up the screen. "But if you look at this video and I don’t know if you can… See, but for me it is clearly a red card for the Arsenal player. She’s pulling Alyssa’s hair. So I think for me is the VAR again, he’s not able to check that situation. I don’t know why we have the VAR."

    Regarding Thompson's reaction, as quoted by BBC, Bompastor said: "She was crying. She's trying her best on the pitch in both games and it is not good enough, when you are playing football and someone pulls your hair, it's bad. Of course, she was crying and emotional with that situation and the result."

  • McCabe's clarification

    As the footage of the altercation went viral, McCabe took to social media to provide her version of events. The Irish defender insisted there was no malicious intent behind the contact, posting on Instagram: "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."

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  • Sonia Bompastor Chelsea Women 2026Getty Images

    What comes next?

    Chelsea must now lick their wounds and pivot quickly to the Women's Super League and domestic cup competitions. They currently sit second in the WSL, nine points behind leaders Manchester City, while Arsenal are third with 38 points, having played two games less. The Blues will next face Tottenham in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Monday.