The Women’s FA Cup semi-finals take place this Sunday, with Tottenham, Leicester City, Manchester United and Chelsea vying for a spot in the final at Wembley on May 12.
Tottenham and Leicester will be hoping to reach an FA Cup final for the first time, while both United and Chelsea look to reach a second consecutive FA Cup final.
Tottenham vs Leicester City
Tottenham face Leicester at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, kicking off at 12:00 PM. The game is set to be broadcast live on BBC Two.
Tottenham have already created history by reaching the semi-final, having never previously gone beyond the quarterfinals. So far in this year’s competition, a last-gasp winner from Rosella Ayane saw the Lilywhites secure victory over Sheffield United in the fourth round, and a strike from Kit Graham sealed victory over Charlton Athletic in the fifth round.
A dramatic penalty shoot-out win over WSL leaders Manchester City saw Spurs through to the semi-final in a historic win. After going behind, Beth England equalised in the 96th minute for the North London side, sending the game to penalties. Rebecca Spencer made vital saves to deny Alex Greenwood and Chloe Kelly from the spot before Amy James-Turner stepped up to score the winning penalty and pull off a shock win at Brisbane Road, which will give Spurs confidence they are capable of going all the way in the competition.
Sunday’s fixture will also be one of the biggest games in Leicester City Women’s history. The Foxes picked up convincing wins over Derby County and Birmingham City in the fourth and fifth rounds, scoring 10 goals in the two games. This preceded an impressive 2-0 quarter-final win against a Liverpool side who currently sit fifth in the WSL table, Jutta Rantala netting twice to fire Leicester into the last four. Matt Beard’s Liverpool side attempted to get back into the game after going two down but were unable to deny the Foxes their first FA Cup semi-final appearance.
Both sides will be hoping to continue making history on Sunday, with Wembley Stadium and silverware within touching distance. Tottenham go into this fixture as slight favourites. Spurs currently sit 6th in the WSL table, while the Foxes sit ninth, and Spurs have the better head-to-head record between the clubs, having won seven of the nine meetings between the clubs, including a 1-0 victory over the Foxes last month. However, a tight game that could go either way is certainly expected on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester United vs Chelsea
Manchester United face Chelsea in a huge FA Cup clash at Leigh Sports Village on Sunday afternoon, kicking off at 14:35. The game is set to be broadcast live on BBC One.
The game will be a repeat of the 2023 FA Cup final, where Chelsea won 1-0 in a hard-fought encounter.
Manchester United will be looking to build on an impressive 4-1 league win over Everton last time out, as they aim to avenge last season’s FA Cup final by beating the Blues to reach a second consecutive FA Cup final. The Red Devils kicked off their FA Cup campaign with a convincing 5-0 win over Newcastle United, before defeating Southampton 3-1 on the south coast in the fifth round. United secured their semi-final spot with an emphatic 4-0 win over Brighton at the Broadfield Stadium in March. It has been a brilliant cup campaign for the Reds so far.
Emma Hayes’ Chelsea are looking to win a fourth consecutive FA Cup trophy in her last season at the club. The Blues picked up a 3-1 win over fellow London club West Ham United before two narrow 1-0 victories over Championship side Crystal Palace and Everton in the following rounds secured their semi-final spot.
Boosted by the return of Hinata Miyazawa and Leah Galton from injury in the previous fixture, Marc Skinner’s side will be hoping to pick up their first ever win against Chelsea, in order to keep their only realistic opportunity of silverware this season alive.
However, Chelsea will go into the game as favourites. The Blues have the far superior head-to-head record, having won nine in ten games against United. Hayes’ side have also had a much better league campaign so far, currently sitting 12 points above the Red Devils in second place. However, United may take some encouragement from the fact that Chelsea have failed to win their last two games, including a loss to Arsenal in the FA WSL Cup last time out.
It will certainly be an exciting weekend of Women’s FA Cup action ahead, as the competition reaches its conclusion.
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