Arsenal women manager makes strong VAR plea after controversial Chelsea moment
Arsenal women’s head coach Renée Slegers has expressed her support for the introduction of VAR in the Women’s Super League following her side’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners were left frustrated after two key decisions went against them in a tense contest that saw Alessia Russo rescue a point late on.
Stina Blackstenius had earlier seen her goal disallowed for handball, while Frida Maanum’s stoppage-time strike was ruled out for offside – both calls sparking debate after the final whistle.
Slegers reacts to disallowed goals
Speaking after the match, Slegers admitted she was surprised by the decision to rule out Blackstenius’ goal.
“We were very surprised. I don’t see any players calling for it, and you watch it back – I’ve only seen it from one angle, and it doesn’t look like a handball. That’s frustrating, of course.”
The Arsenal boss also shared her thoughts on the disallowed Maanum goal, acknowledging the difficulty of making such calls in real time.
“[For the Maanum goal] The angle is really hard to see. For me, in retrospect watching it on video, it’s hard for me to see so it’s really hard for the referee on the pitch.”
Praise for Arsenal’s fight
Slegers, however, praised her team’s response after a slow start, highlighting their fight and quality against the reigning champions.
“It’s a game where you see momentum shift, Chelsea were on top of us at the start of the game but we came back and showed such a good mentality, so much quality.”
She also reflected on how crucial officiating decisions can become in tight matches like this.
“It’s fine margins, so certain decisions become really big decisions – that’s out of our hands. But if you were to ask me now if I was in favour of VAR, I would say yes.”
Arsenal’s draw means they remain five points behind Chelsea after eight league games. The Gunners had opportunities to seal all three points late on but were ultimately undone by controversial moments that reignited the debate over the absence of VAR in the women’s game.
Slegers’ comments add to growing calls for video technology in the WSL, especially in matches where fine margins continue to shape title races and top-four battles.
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