Did Arsenal expose Chelsea’s need for a clinical finisher?

Stina Blackstenius and Alessia Russo were ruthless in front of goal in Arsenal's 3-1 win over Chelsea in the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinal first legs. Did that performance highlight the exact sort of clinical forward play Chelsea have been missing?

On this episode of Full Time Focus, host Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Charlotte Harpur, fresh from the Emirates Stadium in London, to break down what we learned from a quarterfinal classic between Arsenal and Chelsea, and what the latest news is on Sam Kerr’s future with the Blues. Jillian and Charlotte also get into the other midweek European matches, from a historic yet bitter night in Manchester, and an upset in Wolfsburg.

PLUS: Melanie Anzidei also hops on the pod to get into the Denver Summit’s historic first-ever win. Melanie was in New Jersey to catch the 2026 NWSL expansion team down the reigning champions, Gotham FC. The pod also discusses a chaotic midweek slate in the NWSL, where many teams rotated out their stars.

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HOST: Jillian Sakovits

GUESTS: Charlotte Harpur, Melanie Anzidei

PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes

VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen

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Referenced on the show:

Ruthless Arsenal expose Chelsea’s need for a clinical finisher

UWCL first-leg defeat to Bayern shows Manchester United must narrow the small margins

Women’s Champions League: 18 goals as Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Barcelona find a scoring streak

Denver Summit shuts out defending champion Gotham FC to earn first NWSL win in big way