Arsenal too clinical for Chelsea as Lucy Bronze insists Blues were better in Women's Champions League defeat

Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze has claimed that the Blues were the "better team" across their Women's Champions League quarter-final tie against Arsenal despite suffering a painful aggregate defeat. The England international believes a lack of efficiency in front of goal was the only difference between the two London rivals.

• Blues' European dreams ended in frustration

  The match at Stamford Bridge was defined by slim margins and a late surge from the hosts that ultimately fell short. A dramatic 94th-minute goal from Sjoeke Nusken secured a 1-0 victory on the night for Sonia Bompastor's side, but the damage done during the opening encounter proved too much to overcome. The Blues fell 3-2 on aggregate, as the mountain left to climb after the first leg was simply too steep to scale against the reigning champions.

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  Bronze blames lack of clinical edge

  Bronze did not hold back in her assessment of exactly where the tie slipped away. Despite securing the victory on the night, the veteran full-back pointed to Chelsea's struggles in the final third as the ultimate deciding factor over the two matches. "There's not much more we could do across both legs. We were the better team but not the most clinical. That was the difference," she told the BBC. "They had clinical finishes in the first game which gave us an uphill battle against a top team. We knew we could get the win tonight which is obviously what we did but too many missed chances and crossbars.

  "There's not much more we could do. The keeper made some really good saves. We can be proud of ourselves, we were the better team, we won the game today. We need to take that energy and focus into the end of the season because there's still things to play for," Bronze added.

• Bompastor fumes over officiating drama

  The match ended in chaotic scenes as Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor was sent off during the closing stages. The Blues boss was left incensed by an incident involving Katie McCabe and Alyssa Thompson, later pulling out her mobile phone during a post-match interview to highlight a hair-pull on the American winger that went unpunished by VAR. "I brought the phone with me. I don’t know if you can see that, and that’s probably not usual," Bompastor said. "But if you look at this video... 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."

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  Fading league hopes and FA Cup focus

  Despite the European heartbreak, the mood in the Chelsea camp remains defiant as they pivot back to domestic matters. The Blues have already secured the Women's League Cup this season, but their iron grip on the Women's Super League crown is slipping. Bompastor's side currently trail leaders Manchester City by nine points with just three matches remaining, leaving them on the verge of missing out on the league title for the first time in six seasons and only the third time in 11 campaigns. 

  With their WSL hopes hanging by a thread, Bronze urged her team-mates to maintain the level of performance shown in the second leg against Arsenal, concluding: "We can be proud of ourselves, we were the better team, we won the game today. We need to take that energy and focus into the end of the season because there's still things to play for." The squad must now recover quickly as they prepare to face Tottenham in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Monday, looking to add a second piece of silverware to their season and bounce back from their European exit.