A resplendent strike from South Korean international Ji So-Yun six minutes from time sent Chelsea through to the FA Women’s Cup final, concluding a 1-0 victory against fellow WSL 1 side Manchester City.
With Notts County overcoming Everton following an imposing 3-0 victory earlier in the week, the stage was set for the Pies at Wembley Stadium with their opponents being decided at Adams Park on Monday.
And it was the eventual winners who posed a threat early on, with Eniola Aluko forcing an early counter before watching her softly driven effort ricochet off the post less than two minutes in to the affair. Gemma Davison also proved to be a danger for the Blues, who were listed as the home side, as she was unfortunate to not find So-Yun waiting on the edge of the box.
In a game fuelled with end-to-end attacking football, both clubs opted for a long ball approach while putting the defensive lines under pressure. A moment of magic from Manchester City’s Toni Duggan almost opened the scoring as the England international’s trickery helped her beat the first defender and find teammate Demi Stokes with a crafty back heel, before Nikita Parris could only blast her effort high over the Londoner’s goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl.
Chelsea Nightingale also had two opportunities for the visitors to find their way onto the score sheet within a matter of minutes, but subsequently saw her acrobatic volley and powerful header saved by Lindahl – who looked dominant between the sticks with and without possession.
The Swedish number one was then called in to action again as a boisterous challenge from centre-back Gilly Flaherty fell into the hands of City, but Parris’ explosive strike fell wide of the target snapping a seat in two in a fortunately unmanned stand of the League Two ground.
With City captain Steph Houghton making her first start of the campaign for the Citizens, she looked destined to also earn her first goal of the season as her free-kick was drilled in dangerously but both goalkeepers were keeping their side in the game.
The second half produced a similar encounter, with end-to-end football leaving supporters questioning how the electronic broad was yet to a display a goal.
Early efforts from Hannah Blundell and Aluko tested City keeper Alex Brooks up one end, while Isobel Christiansen and Natasha Harding were pushing for a goal up the other. Harding looked certain to score the opening goal but was left bewildered as her blistering shot towards an open goal was somehow blocked by the sliding challenge of Niamh Fahey, before Lindahl scrambled from the ground to parry the rebound.
As attacks continued and neither side looked to back down, Chelsea relied on Claire Rafferty to make her side’s second goal line clearance, in identical fashion to the first as City broke and left the Blues’ goalkeeper on the floor after their initial efforts.
A captivating operation from an attacking City trio saw Jennifer Beattie, Harding and Parris all break together down the right hand side, and with the ever-present Duggan 12 yards from goal as the ball fell to her feet, travelling supporters were left in astonishment as a third goal line clearance ensured Chelsea a lifeline in the semi-final, Rafferty once again the hero.
Nonetheless, it was Chelsea who broke the deadline in the dying embers of the emphatic clash, with substitute Drew Spence beating the defence with her pace and skill before playing a well-placed pass through to So-Yun. In expected fashion, the PFA Player’s Player of the Year kept her cool on the edge of the box, and neatly tucked the ball past Brooks leaving the visitors little time to make counter a response.
As the full-time whistle blew, Chelsea substitutes and staff alike ran onto the pitch to swarm their victors with an FA Cup final at the national stadium looming, while City leader Houghton dropped to the ground in despair at falling short of a trip back to London.
