When Chelsea lifted the Women’s FA Cup for the third time in five seasons at Wembley last year, the destination of the trophy followed a familiar pattern. In the past 10 years the list of winners reads similarly to that of the WSL title winners with Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal rotating domestic silverware between them – only Liverpool’s back-to-back league titles in 2013 and 2014 puncture the narrative.
The chance for another side to triumph at Wembley next month is not strong but, with Arsenal and Manchester City eliminated, it is there going into this weekend’s semi-finals. Manchester United welcome Brighton to Leigh Sports Village on Saturday with both sides eyeing a maiden final in the competition but this is no David v David battle. Marc Skinner’s United top the WSL, one point clear of Chelsea but having played a game more, while the Seagulls sit bottom, a point behind Leicester with two games in hand.
The teams met in the league before the international break and Brighton’s 4-0 home defeat demonstrated how big a hill they face. Brighton have had a difficult season. The team will be on their third manager in less than six months when the former London City Lionesses manager Melissa Phillips takes charge for the semi-final, and that is without counting Amy Merricks’s caretaker stints.
The former Bayern Munich manager, Jens Scheuer, left last month after six games, failing to win in his three WSL matches. Phillips’s job is huge and she has limited time to save Brighton from the drop. An FA Cup final place would be the catalyst for change. Whether they will have the forward Kayleigh Green or defender Guro Bergsvand back is unknown.
Standing in their way are a United who cannot afford to end without a trophy. Expectations are sky-high thanks to a stellar campaign in which they have maintained their title challenge to the closing stages for the first time in their short history. With the WSL title race a four-way battle, the FA Cup could represent United’s best chance of a first trophy as a top-flight team.
Sunday’s semi-final offers a greater chance of an upset, with a strong Aston Villa hosting a somewhat depleted Chelsea at Villa Park. Carla Ward’s side have been phenomenal this season, with four points taken off Manchester City and an FA Cup quarter-final defeat of City a highlight. Shrewd recruitment, with Rachel Daly, Lucy Staniforth and Jordan Nobbs signed in the knowledge they were looking for first-team football before the World Cup, has provided the experience and top-class talent needed to elevate their play.
It was somewhat disappointing, then, that Chelsea dispatched Villa with such ease in their final outing before the international break, scoring twice in the first half and early in the second for a 3-0 victory. Villa looked a shadow of the side who have become one of the most exciting to watch.
That result perhaps spoke to just how big the gap is between the holders and the rest. Emma Hayes’s side were shattered before that fixture, having played 120 minutes and taken part in a penalty shootout in midweek at Stamford Bridge to reach the Champions League semi-finals. Injury ruled out Millie Bright and kept Erin Cuthbert on the bench. The narrative was that this was Villa’s time to strike, to influence the title race even further and increase their own credentials. Instead, Chelsea shifted their ranks and were comfortable winners. Going into the semi-final, Chelsea are in a better place, with the international break providing a relative breather from the relentlessness of competing on multiple fronts.
Can Villa beat Chelsea? Yes. Do they genuinely believe they can yet, though? Maybe not enough.
In many respects it would be hugely disappointing if Chelsea were to triumph in the FA Cup and league once more after such a thrillingly open campaign. Arguably, they are favourites for both. On the other hand, it would highlight the incredible job done at the club to maintain a competitive edge despite more boats rising – and show just how much the rest still need to do.
