Arsenal and Chelsea booked their place in the Women’s FA Cup final after beating Everton and Manchester City respectively in their semi-final outings on Sunday.
FA Cup semi-final (April 15)
- Everton 1-2 Arsenal (Kelly 67’ pen; Carter 25’, Quinn 90’)
- Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City (Kirby 5’, 74’)
Arsenal had Louis Quinn to thank for their late victory against Everton, with the tall defender heading home at the death after Danielle Carter’s opener was cancelled out by a Chloe Kelly penalty.
Carter broke the deadlock from close range after fine work on the right flank from Heather O’Reilly whose low cross was slotted home first time by the Arsenal forward.
GOAL! It’s @ArsenalWFC who break the deadlock as @DanielleCarter converts from close range to put them 1-0 up against @EvertonLadies. 👏
📺 https://t.co/iurND7BwjL pic.twitter.com/zIEPEsBvIG
— The SSE Women’s FA Cup (@SSEWomensFACup) April 15, 2018
The Gunners went into the break with a slim lead, but Everton responded well following the restart and won a penalty for a foul on Olivia Chance by Dominique Janssen.
Kelly made no mistake from 12 yards, beating Sari van Veenendaal with a low effort to level the game midway through the second half.
GOAL! @Chloe_Kelly98 levels from the spot against her old side and it’s all square between @EvertonLadies and @ArsenalWFC.
📺 @BBCRedButton
💻 https://t.co/iurND7jVsd pic.twitter.com/Aj0ENo124K— The SSE Women’s FA Cup (@SSEWomensFACup) April 15, 2018
Arsenal would have the last laugh, however, with Quinn scoring in the final minute of the game to send the Londoners into the FA Cup final.
GOAL! A last-gasp header from @louise_quinn4 sends @ArsenalWFC into the #SSEWomensFACup final! 😯 pic.twitter.com/XQ1qFrLYy3
— The SSE Women’s FA Cup (@SSEWomensFACup) April 15, 2018
Chelsea had Fran Kirby to thank for two well-taken goals that earned them an impressive win over Manchester City.
They took the lead just minutes after kickoff, with Kirby capitalising on slack defending to coolly finish past Hedvig Lindahl.
WHAT A START 😍@frankirby has put @ChelseaLFC in front in the first 5!
(1-0) pic.twitter.com/2V57qEOdMk
— The SSE Women’s FA Cup (@SSEWomensFACup) April 15, 2018
And after City chased an equaliser in the second-half, Kirby struck again on the break, embarking on a solo run that started just inside her opponents’ half.
Running with the ball down the right, she checked inside the defender and wrong-footed Lindahl to put clear daylight between the two sides.
She’s dooooone it! @frankirby has put @ChelseaLFC up by 2⃣!
Can @ManCityWomen comeback? Watch live to find out on @BBCTwo and online: https://t.co/iurND7jVsd pic.twitter.com/d3lmCYVluI
— The SSE Women’s FA Cup (@SSEWomensFACup) April 15, 2018
Chelsea will be favourites going into the FA Cup final given they’re currently top of the WSL 1, four places and eight points better off than Arsenal, but the Gunners aren’t to be underestimated after shocking Manchester City in the Conti Cup earlier in the season.
