Notice: Undefined index: banner_ad_width in /home/ayekooto/public_html/wp-content/plugins/quick-adsense-reloaded/includes/render-ad-functions.php on line 359
Notice: Undefined index: image_width in /home/ayekooto/public_html/wp-content/plugins/quick-adsense-reloaded/includes/render-ad-functions.php on line 359
Notice: Undefined index: banner_ad_height in /home/ayekooto/public_html/wp-content/plugins/quick-adsense-reloaded/includes/render-ad-functions.php on line 360
Notice: Undefined index: image_height in /home/ayekooto/public_html/wp-content/plugins/quick-adsense-reloaded/includes/render-ad-functions.php on line 360
Late extra-time goals from Georgia Stanway and Janine Beckie settled
a terrific Women’s FA Cup final as Manchester City eventually overcame Everton at Wembley to lift the trophy for the third time.
Substitute Stanway latched on to Jess Park’s clever through ball and slotted in off the post, when a penalty shootout had been looming, and
Beckie calmly netted an ever later third.
United States midfielder Sam Mewis had deservedly nodded City in
front from Alex Greenwood’s corner shortly before half-time, but France’s Valerie Gauvin headed level from Izzy Christiansen’s second-half corner as Everton fought back.
Played without any fans at Wembley amid ongoing coronavirus restrictions, the contest was the closest-fought the women’s final has
seen since the fixture was first staged at the home of English football
in 2015, as last season’s delayed competition came to a dramatic
conclusion.
Gareth Taylor’s City side could have settled it earlier in the game, as
Scotland midfielder Caroline Weir struck the woodwork twice in the
second half before England skipper Steph Houghton saw a header
tipped on to the post in extra time.
That was one of a number of superb saves from Everton’s 22-year-old stopper Sandy MacIver, on a day when City’s 21-year-old England keeper Ellie Roebuck also impressed, adding to an entertaining spectacle.
The 50th Women’s Cup final had originally been scheduled for May but
was delayed because of the pandemic and the cup resumed at the quarter-final stage in September, after the 2020-21 league season had already commenced.
Unbeaten in their first five games of that new Women’s Super League season, the Toffees arrived at Wembley in fine form, but it was still last season’s WSL runners-up City who were considered the pre-match
favourites and they lived up to that tag with a strong opening 45
minutes.
But Everton, appearing in their first final since 2014 and trying to win their first cup since 2010, battled back strongly and the game was almost end-to-end at times in the final 20 minutes of normal time, before holders City edged clear in the latter stage of extra time to win the cup for the third time in four seasons.
Vincent Paul
Comment here