Lioness Leah Williamson remained true to her word after her side cruised to a comfortable 9-0 victory over Leeds United Women in the fourth round of the FA Women’s Cup.
In a heartwarming moment captured on video, the Arsenal defender swapped shirts with Leeds’ Amy Lee Woodruff, who had taken to Twitter earlier in the month after the draw between the clubs was announced to express her admiration of the Euro2022 champion.
Woodruff wrote on Twitter: “I’m gonna play against leah williamson wtf, I’ve already won no matter result.” And after tagging Williamson and querying whether she could have the WSL player’s shirt afterwards, Williamson replied to the tweet asking to swap post-match.
And true to her word, Williamson handed a visibly enthused Lee Woodruff her shirt after the match to make a magical FA Women's Cup moment all the more special for the fourth-tier player and England fan.
Williamson started the FA Cup clash for the Gunners but was subbed at half-time after her side were leading 3-0 at the interval with goals from Caitlin Foord, new signing Kathrine Kuhl and Kim Little.
The second half saw Arsenal’s ranks relish a slew of goals as they boasted eight different goalscorers by the end, including new signing Victoria Pelova, Lina Hurtig, Jen Beattie, Michelle Agyemang and a brace from Stina Blackstenius.
Arsenal’s victory ensured they joined fellow WSL sides Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, West Ham and Brighton in the tournament’s fifth round. The club last won the FA Cup in 2016, after defeating Chelsea 1-0. Since, the silverware has been shared between Manchester City and Chelsea, with the latter current successive title holders.
Williamson and co. will learn their opponents on 30 January live on BBC’s Sportsday show between 18:30 and 19:00, with the programme available to watch on the BBC News channel and via the BBC iPlayer.
Jonas Eidevall’s side currently sit third in the league, three points shy of leaders Manchester United and Chelsea but with a game in hand over both.
The Gunners return to action with an away league clash to seventh-place West Ham United next weekend.
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