Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has hit out at the standard of officiating following her side's 3-1 Women's Champions League quarter-final first-leg loss to Arsenal. Despite a spectacular Lauren James effort, the Blues were undone by a ruthless Gunners side at the Emirates. Bompastor insists her team "deserved better" after seeing a crucial goal disallowed, leaving them with a mountain to climb in next week's return leg.Arsenal moved a significant step closer to defending their European crown with a clinical first-leg victory in front of 18,000 fans. The Gunners capitalised on Chelsea’s defensive lapses, with Stina Blackstenius and Chloe Kelly firing the hosts into a two-goal lead. Although James briefly reignited hope for the visitors with an audacious second-half strike from distance, Alessia Russo's late goal restored Arsenal's two-goal cushion. Chelsea were left to rue their luck after hitting the woodwork twice through James and Alyssa Thompson, but the turning point was a controversial disallowed goal for Veerle Buurman, which replays suggested was a soft decision.Speaking to BBC Sport about whether her side deserved more from the contest, Bompastor reflected: "Yeah I think we can probably all say that. As a team we had a good performance. It's difficult to say that when you lose the game and concede three goals but I think we deserved better and more on the day." The Chelsea head coach was particularly incensed by a disallowed goal, arguing the referee’s premature whistle prevented a proper VAR intervention. Addressing the overall standard of the officials, Bompastor added: "It was not good enough. When you are playing quarter-final of the Champions League you need to have the best referees. Especially when you have the VAR. I think it's crazy the goals we got disallowed were actually good goals. The referee whistled before the VAR checked the decision. When you know the VAR is there, allow the goal and if the goal is not allowed because there is a fault you just disallow the goal. So I think it was not good enough. Maybe people will think I am saying that because I am a bad loser and we lost the game. Credit to Arsenal, they won the game and don't worry about that, that's not my main concern, but at this level it has to be a lot better."Beyond the refereeing controversy, the match highlighted a growing divide in squad depth. Chelsea arrived at the Emirates significantly depleted by injuries, leaving Bompastor with limited options to change the game from the bench. While the Blues dominated the opening 15 minutes, their lack of clinical finishing proved fatal. In contrast, Renee Slegers’ Arsenal side looked every bit the defending champions, extending their winning streak to 10 matches in all competitions. The Gunners’ ability to weather the early storm and punish Chelsea’s mistakes underlined their status as the team to beat in 2026.Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingThe rivalry shifts to Stamford Bridge next Wednesday for a high-stakes second leg, but both London giants must first navigate crucial domestic fixtures. Arsenal host Tottenham in a north London derby on Saturday, looking to maintain their peak form, while Chelsea welcome Aston Villa on Sunday. .