Chelsea going backwards in UWCL as quadruple hopes crushed by Barcelona

With each eyes connected the UEFA Women's Champions League semifinals, fans mightiness beryllium forgiven for forgetting different engaged play crossed Europe's biggest home leagues, but determination was plentifulness going on.

First thing's first, Barcelona enactment the sword to a miserable looking Chelsea astatine Stamford Bridge, completing an 8-2 aggregate triumph earlier Arsenal near Lyon shocked with a memorable comeback successful to publication their spot successful the final.

Meanwhile, successful the English Women's Super League, Crystal Palace had their relegation confirmed by an imperious West Ham United broadside who fired 7 goals beyond the hosts connected a Sunday erstwhile Manchester City kept their hopes of European shot live with a 1-0 triumph astatine Leicester City.

In the Frauen-Bundesliga, Bayern Munich claimed their 3rd consecutive rubric with 2 games to spare aft Leipzig mislaid 3-0 to SGS Essen. Over successful Italy, Fiorentina shocked recently crowned champions Juventus with a 3-1 win, Inter emphatically painted Milan bluish pursuing their 4-1 Derby della Madonnina triumph and Lazio deed Como for 4 unanswered goals.

Finally, successful Spain, it was different frantic play of trying to debar the driblet for those languishing astatine the ft of the Liga F table. But, with 3 matches inactive to play, there's inactive plentifulness of accidental for drama, arsenic Real Madrid (who trounced Madrid CFF 7-3) volition beryllium alert arsenic they proceed to nip astatine Barcelona's heels.

Chelsea's Euro dreams dashed again

For the archetypal clip successful 18 years, the Gunners person reached a continental final. Their commanding 4-1 triumph implicit eight-time champions Lyon overturned a 2-1 first-leg deficit, securing their summons to Lisbon for the final, a signifier they person not reached since the 2006-07 triumph, erstwhile the contention was inactive known arsenic the UEFA Women's Cup. They besides go the archetypal English squad to scope the last since 2021, erstwhile Chelsea suffered a dense 4-0 decision to Barcelona successful Gothenburg, a achy representation for the Blues repeated astatine Stamford Bridge connected Sunday.

Chelsea, meanwhile, endured a humiliating exit. Despite narrowly losing to Barcelona astatine the semifinal signifier successful each of the past 2 seasons (1-0 connected aggregate some times), they were comprehensively beaten 4-1 again, crashing retired 8-2 connected aggregate against the reigning champions.

This play was meant to people a caller epoch for Chelsea nether 2021-22 UWCL-winning manager Sonia Bompastor, who was tasked with delivering the continental occurrence that eluded Emma Hayes during her 12-year reign. After back-to-back semifinal heartbreaks, Chelsea appeared person than ever up of this campaign, but aft a crushing six-goal deficit, they present look further distant from European glory than ever before. -- EK

Bayern, Deutsche Meister

Back successful October, arsenic Bayern travelled to Wolfsburg, determination was already speech that a triumph astatine the Volkswagen Arena would equate to a 3rd consecutive title. On that day, it was successful information the hosts who were victorious. The pursuing month, the Bavarians drew astatine Freiburg and astatine location to Eintracht Frankfurt successful the span of 5 days. And for a while, it looked arsenic if determination would beryllium a four-way sprint to the decorativeness line, but 1 by one, the challengers fell away.

From Wolfsburg's stumbles to Bayer Leverkusen moving retired of steam to Frankfurt suffering 2 captious losses aft the Winterpause, lone 1 squad stayed the course, refusing to driblet a azygous constituent pursuing that brace of draws backmost successful November.

It hasn't ever been cleanable oregon beauteous from the Bavarians this season, but Bayern's prime shone done each clip they took to the transportation successful home enactment with homegrown Klara Bühl and Danish superstar Pernille Harder (who tin present boast 10 successive league titles with 4 antithetic teams) starring the complaint arsenic the squad has grappled with injuries and knocks passim the year.

Although caput manager Alexander Straus has already announced his departure to articulation up with Angel City successful the NWSL astatine the decision of this season, his tenure successful Germany has marked the afloat changing of the defender arsenic Munich person cemented their spot astatine the apical of the tree. -- SL

Crystal Palace deed solid ceiling

Crystal Palace's debut play successful the apical formation ended successful heartbreak arsenic a crushing 7-1 decision to West Ham confirmed their relegation. With nary mode to flight the drop, they volition instrumentality to the 2nd tier for the 2025-26 campaign.

Palace struggled passim the season, collecting conscionable 9 points from 2 wins and 3 draws. A spirited triumph implicit 11th-placed Aston Villa concisely offered hope, narrowing the spread to safety. However, a drawstring of defeats, combined with Villa's important wins, saw the spread widen to 7 points. With lone 2 games remaining, the Eagles yet ran retired of clip for a precocious revival.

It's a communicative that has go each excessively acquainted for recently promoted teams. Just similar Bristol City past season, Crystal Palace person suffered contiguous relegation. The spread betwixt the WSL and the Championship appears wider than ever, suggesting that the yo-yo signifier betwixt divisions is improbable to extremity anytime soon. -- EK

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Arsenal scope UWCL last for the archetypal clip successful 19 years

Arsenal person reached the UEFA Women's Champions League last for the archetypal clip successful 19 years aft beating Lyon 5-3 connected aggregate.

Quick hits

EIGHT. Returning Lionesses springiness City much reasons to smile. Sunday day didn't people the archetypal clip successful caller past that Leicester City person made things uncomfortable for Manchester City but, conscionable arsenic they person connected erstwhile occasions, the Sky Blues recovered a mode done acknowledgment to Jess Park's precocious winner. The 3 points are capable to support a faint glimmer of a top-three decorativeness unfastened for City but, the infinitesimal for the visitors was the instrumentality England duo Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood, who had some been sidelined since past year.

SEVEN. Inter yet assertion derby honours. Even arsenic Elisa Poli slalomed done the AC Milan box, acceptable to dispatch the shot into the bottommost country and reconstruct Inter's lead, determination was the question of whether oregon not the Nerazzurre would yet beryllium capable to clasp onto an vantage successful the Milan derby, pursuing 3 frustrating draws already this season. But alternatively than implode, the visitors successful Vismara lone strengthened their advantage, adding a brace of precocious goals done Tessa Wullaert for a much-deserved triumph implicit their metropolis rivals. But much beyond the win, Inter confirmed a second-place decorativeness -- their highest ever successful six years successful Serie A -- and a European berth for adjacent season.

SIX. Spanish relegation contention heats up. With 3 matchdays of the Liga F play left, the representation of which 2 teams volition driblet into the 2nd tier has yet to travel into absorption with Valencia's 2-0 triumph distant to Real Sociedad capable to support their endurance hopes live though they stay routed to the level of the table. Still hanging successful the driblet zone, but wrong touching region of safety, Betis volition beryllium ruing the 2 points they fto gaffe aft Natalia Padilla-Bidas cancelled retired Rosa Márquez's opener, not slightest with Tenerife and Barcelona inactive to come. Similarly, some Levante and Espanyol improved with respective draws against Atleti and Eibar but neither are location and adust yet.

FIVE. The Fiorentina rollercoaster loops erstwhile more. Having wrapped up the Italian rubric past play - their archetypal Scudetto for 3 years -- Juventus whitethorn good person been expecting to proceed the enactment successful Florence connected Friday but swiftly ran into a Fiorentina squad who'd again recovered their goal-scoring touch, and much vitally, their equilibrium crossed the pitch. One of Italy's much erratic teams this season, the Viola could yet upset the likelihood and find themselves finishing supra Roma to assertion Serie A's 3rd and last Champions League spot but arsenic ever this year, the Fiorentina squad that shows up is arsenic predictable arsenic a coin toss.

FOUR. Leipzig neglect to instrumentality flight, again. Still lone 9 years old, and conscionable successful their 2nd play successful the Frauen-Bundesliga, it's arguably expecting excessively overmuch of the Roten Bullen to beryllium a accordant mid-table squad yet, but pursuing Leipzig's 3-0 nonaccomplishment astatine location to Essen connected Saturday, RB present find themselves without a triumph successful five, incapable to adjacent occupation SGS's backup goalkeeper, Kim Sindermann implicit the weekend. Unlike Essen -- 1 of the FBL's past lasting autarkic teams -- RB are good susceptible of spending large implicit the summertime to further fortify their squad, with these aboriginal years providing much of a learning experience, adjacent arsenic this play peters out.

THREE. Le Bihan shines for the Biancocelesti. Two teams trading overgarment each season, Como and Lazio person separately enactment successful convincing performances this play -- a archetypal play for some successful their existent iterations -- and person besides played retired a quintet of breathtaking games arsenic some person adapted to Italy's apical flight. In their past gathering of the campaign, it was Lazio who came retired connected top, acknowledgment successful ample portion to Clarisse Le Bihan's hattrick punctuating the 4-0 triumph for the visitors. Although it's inactive aboriginal days, the inclusion of some successful Serie A lone looks similar it volition adhd much chaos moving forward.

TWO. Goalkeeping takes a vacation successful Madrid. Filippa Angeldahl's belter from 25-yards was undoubtedly the prime of the clump arsenic Real Madrid played retired a silly 7-3 against Madrid CFF. For each Las Blancas' goals, including Angeldahl's and Alba Redondo's braces, Linda Caicedo's stoppage clip onslaught arsenic good arsenic Caroline Weir's ninth of the season, the visitors managed to people 3 and, arguably, should person had astatine slightest 2 much with Real's sloppy defending connected amusement throughout.

ONE. Seagulls decorativeness connected a high. As Brighton fans person swiftly leaned this season, a Dario Vidosicteam volition seldom play boring shot and adjacent if the consistency is, arsenic of yet, lacking for the Seagulls (who person had to contention with their just stock of injuries this season), the excitement is not. Away to Everton connected Sunday afternoon, Brighton were again, container office, coming from down doubly earlier stealing each 3 points successful stoppage clip acknowledgment to Nikita Parris' debased drive. And though it was a squad effort from the visitors astatine Walton Hall Park, Parris continued to amusement her worthy arsenic an experienced caput successful the squad that marries maturity with youthful exuberance. -- SL