Lotte: “Were we away from home?” | Interview | News

While the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final second leg was held at Stamford Bridge, the game had a familiar soundtrack.

That’s because all the noise came from the Arsenal supporters from start to finish, cheering us onto the semi-finals with a 3-2 win on aggregate.

After the game, we asked Lotte Wubben-Moy what it’s like to have such an advantage in these games.

She said: “Are we away from home? It didn’t sound like that. The only difference was that it’s a blue stadium. Our fans were so good tonight. I think they out-sung the Chelsea fans tenfold, even though they were probably outnumbered by them. Our fans are incredible and it’s such a strength of ours.

“This game required a lot of focus and concentration, but that’s what we’re made for. These nights are special. The history that this club has in the competition is definitely something that plays to our advantage. To be honest, when you’ve got those fans screaming behind you, the intensity and the focus is made somewhat easier.”

In her pre-match press conference, Lotte spoke about the Arsenal ways and the quiet confidence in our team. So how does she describe the Arsenal way tonight?

“Gritty, disciplined,” she said. “I think our job was kind of cut out for us. We knew we had to come in and give them a hard time, both attacking and defensively. We would have probably liked to have been slightly more aggressive in that first half, but ultimately I think the discipline that every single player had to defend, to come down into the low block, mid-block and limit their chances was something I’m incredibly proud of and it’s what allowed us to get over the line tonight.”

Daphne van Domselaar made a number of huge saves throughout the match, keeping us two goals ahead before Chelsea’s late consolation.

“They speak for themselves, to be honest,” Lotte added. “She was incredible tonight. Everyone put their shift in, but I think in particular kudos to Daphne. She was pretty special.”