Women’s FA Cup: Liverpool, Man City & Man Utd cruise into fifth round
Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United advanced to the fifth round of the Women’s FA Cup, where 55 goals were scored in 12 matches played on Sunday.
Top contenders Liverpool overcame their goal-scoring woes by outscoring fourth-placed London Bees six times, with six separate players on the scoresheet, including debutants Denise O’Sullivan and Martha Thomas.
Women’s Super League leaders City cruised to a 6-0 win at third-place Bournemouth after Khadija Shaw opened the scoring with a stunning header in the 19th minute.
Three more goals, a Lauren Hemp strike and a double from Laura Coombs, settled the race at half-time; Substitute Vivianne Miedema scored twice after the break as City extended their unbeaten run to 16 matches in all competitions.
Manchester rivals United also made light of the draw with a 5-0 victory over third-placed Burnley.
Captain Maya Le Tissier put Marc Skinner’s team ahead two minutes later, while new signing Lea Schuller and 16-year-old academy graduate Layla Drury were also on target.
In the only WSL tie of the tour, 14-time winners Arsenal beat Aston Villa 2-0, with captain Kim Little scoring a goal and an assist.
“He’s incredible. He does everything 100%. He can really perform at this level,” Arsenal manager Renee Slegers told Channel 4.
Second-tier Nottingham Forest forced Brighton to the Broadfield Stadium – without manager Dario Vidosic for personal reasons.
Brighton took the lead through Madison Hayley’s penalty on the stroke of half-time, before Jelena Cankovic’s header secured late victory.
WSL 2 frontrunners Charlton Athletic were the weekend’s top scorers, scoring 10 goals without reply in an emphatic display against Swindon Town.
Bristol City beat WSL 2 side Southampton in the only draw that required extra time. The Robins equalized late in the second half to force another 30 minutes before Emily Syme completed the comeback in the 118th minute.
Meanwhile, other clubs in the second tier, Birmingham City and Sheffield United, also completed the race after 6-2 and 2-1 victories against Hull City and Ipswich, and Oxford United beat Middlesborough 3-1 in their only match in the third tier.
The National League’s York City were the lowest-placed team in the competition, but their history record dates back to the fourth round, when they lost 3-0 to Chatham Town.
