But it wasn’t just VAR that harmed Arsenal’s chances of becoming the first British side to reach successive Women’s Champions League finals.
The two-time European champions, who beat Lyon in last year’s semi-finals, were completely outplayed by the eight-time champions on Saturday.
“Arsenal came here last year and overcame the deficit to win, this time Lyon got their revenge,” former England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis said on BBC Two.
“They were the better team and had the better quality on the pitch.”
From the start, Slegers’ defence looked shaky as the French side peppered their goal with chances.
“Lyon raised their levels today. They came out really strong. They had Selma Bacha and Melchie Dumornay back in the side, who are world class players,” Arsenal captain Kim Little told BBC Two.
“They were the better team. Across two legs it was two teams with styles of football that have gone against each other.”
Dumornay, widely regarded as one of the best attacking players in the world, had been deemed unfit to play in the first leg, but she made her mark in the reverse fixture – running rings around the Arsenal backline.
“You can’t go into these games with slow starts and let Lyon build momentum,” former Arsenal defender Anita Asante said.
“They rode the expectation better and got players who could cause problems into the game early.”
Brown-Finnis added: “Their performance from the start to the finish was superior to Arsenal’s”.
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