Arsenal Women blow 2-0 lead as VAR penalty disputed in Paris

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Arsenal Women surrendered a two-goal lead in Paris on Tuesday evening, drawing 2-2 with Paris FC in the Champions League after a late VAR-awarded penalty rescued a point for the hosts.

Assistant coach Aaron D'Antino faced the media after the match and made clear the north London side disputed the decision that ultimately cost them all three points.

"It's incredibly disappointing, or frustrating I should say, because we felt like for large periods of the game we had good control," D'Antino said. "They are a counter-attacking team, that is their threat, so we were aware of that."

The goal-kick incident

The decisive moment came from a goal-kick situation involving Leah Williamson, with the referee sending the call to VAR before pointing to the spot.

"We didn't think it was a penalty, we don't think the goal kick had actually been taken for what we had seen," D'Antino explained. "But it goes to VAR and apparently that's a penalty."

Pressed on what Arsenal could have done differently, the assistant coach focused on the build-up rather than the officiating. "If we're looking at what we can control, it's just passing the ball to Leah from what I remember seeing, the ball was still rolling and she was moving it to Leah for her to take the goal kicks as we normally do. So maybe the learning in that is how we get the ball to Leah, so we don't put ourselves in that situation."

He added: "We haven't taken a goal kick, there's no advantage gained by Leah stopping the ball. But as an example of refereeing decisions, we just can't put ourselves in that situation in the first place."

Attacking progress, dropped points

D'Antino repeatedly returned to the theme of Arsenal failing to put the game out of sight after establishing a 2-0 advantage, a point of emphasis given the scrutiny on the team's recent output in the final third.

"Part of the frustration is we saw the best of us in the final third tonight, and a real progression in some of the details we've been working on," he said. "But ultimately, that ball needs to go in the back of the net another time to really kill the game off."

Asked directly whether the attacking play represented an improvement on previous games this season, he acknowledged the tension between process and result. "It's a valuable point to pick up in Europe, but to have a two-goal lead with the improvements that we've been looking for in the final third, ultimately we need to kill the game off and maximise that. So it is conflicting feelings in terms of things we've been working on, but ultimately we need to take maximum points."

On the opening goal Paris FC pulled back, D'Antino pointed to Arsenal's high defensive line as a deliberate part of the plan rather than an error of approach. "Playing high and being brave in our positional detail to try and capitalise on moments in the final third and really suffocate teams there is part of the way that we play," he said, before conceding: "We can't allow teams back in."

The full transcript of D'Antino's press conference was published by Arseblog.

Arsenal take a point from a difficult away trip but will know the margins in a Champions League group can turn on exactly these moments. Attention now shifts to the weekend and the domestic schedule.