Emma Hayes critical of refereeing as Chelsea bow out of Champions League

Emma Hayes branded Swedish referee Sara Perssons officiating horrendous after Lyon dumped Chelsea out of the Womens Champions League.So-Yun Ji scored a fine free-kick but Chelsea could not topple European giants Lyon, who edged through to a fourth consecutive Champions League final at Kingsmeadow.Eugenie Le Sommers neat finish scrambled a 1-1 draw for a 3-2 aggregate victory for defending champions Lyon, who can add a fourth straight title to the 13th domestic league crown they sealed in midweek.We came desperately close but our run in the Champions League comes to an end. #CFCOL pic.twitter.com/UnN5lo6IT9 Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) April 28, 2019Hayes was left incensed by referee Persson denying Chelsea a penalty, hitting out at the general standard of officiating across Sundays engaging clash at AFC Wimbledon.Im going to take a fine for it, but I thought the referee was horrendous, said Chelsea coach Hayes. You really want strong officials in big games.If hands are outside of what they consider a natural position its a penalty but she didnt call it.She didnt manage the game, I think she was scared of them. She didnt control both teams.Up, over and in! Ji's goal has got us back in this semi-final! #CFCOL pic.twitter.com/Jaw9JULBP9 Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) April 28, 2019Chelsea threw everything at Lyon in the second half, with captain Karen Carney curling a fine shot against a post and Drew Spence side-footing wide from just yards out.Defeat means Chelsea cannot qualify for next terms Champions League as they are unable to finish inside the Womens Super Leagues top two.Hayes felt Chelsea dominated Lyon and deserved to win, but lamented her side for lacking the vital killer instinct.This is probably the story of the teams season; I absolutely feel weve improved, but unfortunately weve been too much of a nearly team this year, said Hayes.Emma Hayes criticised the standard of refereeing (Bradley Collyer/PA)Weve gone toe-to-toe with the champions of Europe, we scared the life out of them and made them average.Lyons seven-year dominance is massively threatened. Its the start of a new era in the womens game. We just would have liked to have progressed and put the nail in their coffin today.We deserve to be in the final but its not about that, its about goals. But I cant be critical, Im so proud of my players.Reynald Pedros accepted Hayes assertion that the rest of Europes big guns are catching up and threatening to end Lyons dominance. FINALE ! #CFCOL pic.twitter.com/egyCM8BeZ8 OL Fminin (@OLfeminin) April 28, 2019Our rivals are getting stronger, said Lyon coach Pedros. Were very much aware, we knew from our experiences once you get to the knockout stages, this year and last year, that other teams are getting stronger.But if we can stay strong against them thats great.We know weve got to work even harder than ever to stay ahead of the pack. Weve just got to do everything we can to stay ahead.(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
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