Matildas set Wembley date as Arsenal, Chelsea advance to women’s FA Cup final

London: Almost half of the Matildas’ starting XI who turned out against Brazil in two friendlies last month could take the field at Wembley when Chelsea and Arsenal do battle in the Women’s FA Cup on December 5 (December 6 AEDT).

Sam Kerr’s Chelsea booked a return to Wembley with a 3-0 rout of Manchester City on Sunday (Monday AEDT), set up by two first-half goals in five minutes to Erin Cuthbert and Melanie Leupolz. Arsenal and Caitlin Foord later put Brighton to the sword by the same margin to secure their spot in the decider.

Caitlin Foord played 65 minutes for Arsenal against Brighton and is staring down the barrel of a Wembley showdown against Matildas teammate Sam Kerr.Credit:Getty

Kerr was substituted on the hour mark for the Blues, while for Arsenal only Foord took the field out of an Australian contingent which also includes Lydia Williams and Steph Catley.

All four started for Tony Gustavsson’s side in last week’s 2-2 draw with Brazil at Parramatta’s Commbank Stadium, which came three days after a 3-1 win over the South Americans at the same venue.

Foord was also substituted after 65 minutes but not before coming closest to breaking the deadlock shortly after half-time at Boreham Wood’s Meadow Park, just north of London. The Gunners had dominated possession in the opening term but had little to show for it before forward Beth Mead took control, finally setting up the first goal for Kim Little in the 50th minute.

The England international scored herself four minutes later when she rifled a low shot into the far corner.

A disappointed Sam Kerr after being subsituted during Chelsea’s 3-0 Women’s FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester City.Credit:Getty

Brighton offered little in attack as the game wore on and Leah Williamson completed the win for Arsenal in the 76th, with Mead again the provider.

Meanwhile City, seeking a third straight title in the competition, improved in the second half against Chelsea but conceded again when Beth England headed home from a Jessie Fleming cross in the 89th minute to seal victory for the London side.

“I thought our mentality was superb today: our pressing, our counter-pressing, our restarts, how we created chances was so efficient,” said Chelsea manager Emma Hayes.

“We didn’t let the game turn into something it didn’t need to be. We’ve been giving away unnecessary goals so it was nice to keep a clean sheet.”

England international Beth Mead was on song for the Gunners.Credit:Getty

In the Premier League, West Ham United’s Declan Rice scored a fine goal from distance as the rampant Londoners breezed past Aston Villa 4-1 at Villa Park to pile the pressure on home manager Dean Smith.

The result was West Ham’s third straight win in the league while it was the fourth consecutive loss for Villa, who are now just three points above the relegation zone.

West Ham hit the front in the seventh minute when full back Ben Johnson cut inside from the right and fired a brilliant left-footed shot into the far corner.

Jarrod Bowen almost doubled the lead minutes later from a rapid counter-attack before Villa equalised in the 34th through Ollie Watkins, who finished with aplomb following a reverse pass from Matty Cash.

Jarrod Bowen scored the fourth of West Ham’s goals having earlier gone close against Aston Villa.Credit:Getty

West Ham, however, kept up the pressure and were rewarded when Rice restored their lead before half-time. Pablo Fornals and Bowen scored in the 80th and 84th minutes respectively.

“Getting four goals, the resilience we showed at different times of the game and the save Lukasz made at 2-1. It’s a good sign we can come here and be a bit disappointed with the way we played and get a result,” said West Ham manager David Moyes.

“It’s been a great week. But you know what happens in football. It can turn around and bite you … I don’t want West Ham to become that flaky inconsistent team a lot of people remember them as.”

In Sunday’s other match, a frantic four-minute period saw three goals in the match between Leeds and Norwich. A 2-1 win for Leeds moved them three points clear of the relegation zone while the Canaries remain anchored to the bottom of the table and winless after 11 matches.

Brazilian Raphinha opened the scoring after 56 minutes at Carrow Road but Andrew Omobamidele took just two minutes to level proceedings. Raphinha’s countryman Rodrigo, however, took the same amount of time to restore Leeds’ advantage and ensure the three points for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

with Reuters

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