Manchester City have taken the opportunity to defend their Vitality Women’s FA Cup trophy with both hands, defeating Arsenal 2-1 to secure their spot in next month’s final at Wembley.
The two previous meetings between the two sides had both finished 2-1 with each side earning a victory. The scoreline was the same again this evening with Manchester City coming out on top.
It was City who looked the strongest early on and they soon broke the deadlock. Caroline Weir was brought down a couple of yards outside the Arsenal area. It was captain Steph Houghton who stepped up to take the resulting free-kick and she couldn’t have placed the ball any better. Her shot had the pace and curve necessary to bypass Manuela Zinsberger and give the home side the lead.
The visitors levelled matters 10 minutes later when a neat pass inside from Beth Mead found Jordan Nobbs in plenty of space. The Arsenal midfielder wasn’t closed down quickly enough and her looping effort from 25 yards left Ellie Roebuck with no chance and The Gunners had parity.
The level scoreline lasted only a matter of seconds with City almost immediately regaining the lead. Chloe Kelly played a low ball to Ellen White in the Arsenal area and while she was well blocked, the forward was able to scramble the ball to Sam Mewis. The United States international struck the ball first time it whizzed past a helpless Zinsberger. That goal meant City went into the break 2-1 up and on course for another Vitality FA Cup final.
Arsenal lost captain Kim Little to injury early on in the second half. She was replaced by Lia Walti and if anything, the reshuffle benefitted The Gunners. The fresh body in the middle meant that they were able to get a grip on the game and pile some pressure on the City defence. However, the few sights of goal that their star striker Vivianne Miedema had resulted in the player either being let down by a poor first touch or being sniffed out by resolute defending.
She looked to have a golden opportunity to draw her side level in the dying seconds of the match. Katie McCabe chipped a cross towards the back post that Miedema looked certain to nod in, however, the outstretched hand of Ellie Roebuck clawed the ball away before it reached The Netherlands international.
That proved to be a game-winning interception as the match finished 2-1 and City secured their place in the final. They will face an in-form Everton side at Wembley who will certainly fancy their chances of taking the silverware home. If either team plays anywhere near their best it is sure to be a great spectacle.