Emma Hayes and her team travelled to Spain to face Real Madrid in our first match of this season's Women's Champions League, and were hugely unlucky not to come away with all three points.

Despite having to come back from conceding early on, Niamh Charles put us level before half-time and Sam Kerr then headed us into the lead from Charles' cross. However, Real Madrid were given a controversial penalty to equalise and then an added-time winner from Charles was ruled out for offside in similarly debatable circumstances.

Hayes preferred to start by looking at the strong showing from her Chelsea team, rather than the officials, though.

‘For me I’m going to focus on the performance, because I can only control that,’ she said. ‘I thought the performance was a controlled one with us, especially away from home in Europe. You can see we’re managing so much more of the ball and I thought it was comfortable.

‘I thought we controlled after the first goal. It was a really poor goal, but it was a deflection so not much you can do. Millie goes out to block it, Ann’s wrong-footed. But I thought we dominated the game and we went 2-1 up.

‘I told the players at the end not to focus on the result, focus on the performance, because all the things we set as objectives, all the things we’re working on, I saw them come out. I thought across the league we’re dominating the ball, but for me it’s not about dominating the ball.

‘It’s about progressing our play into the right areas and the part that let us down today of the things we can control was the last part of the finishing phase. So we have work to do in that area.’

However, there was no avoiding those two big calls by the officials, with Jessie Fleming appearing to make her challenge outside the penalty area for the penalty, and Charles clearly onside for her late goal. Hayes let her feelings be known in no uncertain terms.

‘I could see from the bench it was a tackle outside of the box so I’m absolutely shocked that those managing the game couldn’t see that. That was clear. Of course, maybe Jessie shouldn’t lunge in that area, but it’s clearly outside and at this level, when we were in control of the game, important decisions go against you, it makes it difficult.

‘There was the free-kick that was awarded a penalty, and then we score a really good legitimate goal with Niamh three or four yards onside. It’s embarrassing. I had to check because Niamh’s onside but the reason the goal was ruled offside was because Sam was interfering with the goalkeeper.

'Sam’s about seven yards away from the goalkeeper, she’s nowhere near her, so I cannot understand the decision whatsoever. I think we’ve been robbed of what should have been a 3-1 game.’

There was a big positive from Madrid for Hayes to finish on, though. With a goal and an assist, plus another goal harshly ruled out, it was another excellent performance from Charles at left-back.

‘Absolutely superb, she really is, and I’m gutted for her at the end. Can you imagine, you score a really good goal like that, how frustrated the player is feeling? She played a superb performance, scored a superb winner, but right now her feeling is frustration.

‘But that’s what she’s been working towards, to really reach her top level and I think there’s more to come from Niamh, but she’s playing really well.’