The dramatic top-of-the table encounter between Arsenal and Chelsea was marred by poor officiating while Manchester City benefit from ‘mentality shift’
There were many interesting talking points from the dramatic stalemate between Arsenal and Chelsea – Alyssa Thompson’s stunning goal for the Blues, the impressive defensive performance of Lotte Wubben-Moy, the 56,537-strong crowd, Chelsea’s choice of a back four over a back five, Arsenal’s decision not to play with a natural No 6 – but, disappointingly, it is the quality of the officiating that has and will dominate. Both Renée Slegers and Sonia Bompastor said afterwards that they think the introduction of video assistant referees would be a positive step in helping eliminate the most obvious of errors, such as Blackstenius’s goal being ruled out for a nonexistent handball, and in assisting with the more marginal calls: whether Alessia Russo was offside for her goal or Frida Maanum was offside when her effort was ruled out.
The reality is that while there has been a big push to improve the standard of officiating in the Women’s Super League – there is investment in coaching and support around officials and steps are being taken to ensure as many as possible can operate as full-time professionals – refereeing is still playing catchup. VAR brings problems of its own but if technology can lift the pressure on referees in the WSL and help ensure they get the majority of big decisions right then it feels like a no-brainer. It’s a potentially costly endeavour, but if WSL wants the focus to be on the football in a fixture that, as Bompastor put it, “is one of the most beautiful in the world”, then they need to ensure the controversies are at a minimum, for the sake of the game and the referees. Suzanne Wrack
