A fortnight after facing each other in the Women’s Super League, the two Manchester clubs came up against each other in the FA Cup. The WSL match was a tight affair, which City dominated and edged courtesy of a sublime chip from 20 yards out by Caroline Weir. With United sitting fourth in the WSL table and City fifth, the tie would be a tight one to call especially as league form naturally goes out of the window in any derby cup clash.
Manchester City fans await the arrival of the teams, including Ellen White (below left) and Lauren Hemp (below right).
Amongst the City fans waiting outside Leigh Sports Village were John (above centre right) and David (above centre left). John said: “It’s my first time I’ve come to watch this … yeah it’s usually the men’s team. This old man here now (David) has started to watch the women’s and he loves it. So hopefully it’s a blue win.”
A mum with two children, the daughter is a City fan and the son is a United fan. When asked for a prediction of the score – daughter: I think 2-1. Son: err … 2-1 to United. Mum: I’m going 2-1 United. (Her City fan daughter groans).
The match was broadcast live on BBC Two, with presenting duties being taken by Alex Scott (top right), Rachel Brown (middle left) and Willie Kirk (middle right). The team’s WSL match in October 2021 attracted a record peak audience of 1.1m on BBC One and there were also 114,000 live streams of the 2-2 draw on BBC Sport online.
United started brightly, pressing and harrying their neighbours and took the lead after 13 minutes when captain Katie Zelem’s corner looped in at the far post. City’s attempts to get back into the game during the rest of the first half were stymied by United’s impressive defensive display with the visitors being restricted to a couple of half-chances.
Some of the 2,335 fans who attended the match at the Leigh Sports Village.
City made two changes at half-time with Vicky Losada and Jess Park making way for Hayley Raso and Caroline Weir and they made an instant impact, with Raso providing the cross which Lauren Hemp slotted home at the far post. The visitors continued to pile on the pressure and had their noses in front eight minutes later when Ellen White pounced on a weak header back to her keeper by United full-back Hannah Blundell, calmly rounded Mary Earps and slotted home. On the hour mark another United error led to another City goal when Earps allowed Weir’s left-footed shot to squirm under her and inside the near post. Khadija Shaw added a fourth in the 79th minute with her first touch after coming on, smashing the ball into the roof of the net from two yards out after Hemp’s shot was parried into her path by the United keeper.
Manchester United’s Diane Caldwell picks the ball out of the net after White scored City’s second goal (top), Weir fires home the third and celebrates with fellow goalscorer Hemp (middle) and Shaw (above) celebrates scoring the fourth goal with teammates. City’s substitute Julie Blakstad surges forward as the visitors search for a fifth goal (below). Manchester United’s goalkeeper Earps puts a disappointing match behind her as she signs a young fan’s England shirt (bottom).
It was derby delight once more for City who made it to the quarter-finals courtesy of a stunning second half display which led to a thumping 4-1 triumph over their neighbours. The Manchester side will again face north-western opponents in the quarter-finals when they host Everton.
