Chelsea kept their hopes of a quadruple alive after beating Liverpool in dramatic fashion to book their place in the Women’s FA Cup final. A 94th-minute header from Aggie Beever-Jones broke the visitors’ hearts after Olivia Smith had given them an early lead. Late goals in both halves, however, from Erin Cuthbert and then Beever-Jones proved enough to send the Blues through as they continue their quest for another trophy.
A sun-kissed Kingsmeadow welcomed the return of English domestic football after a fortnight away on international break. Neither Chelsea or Liverpool had come out unscathed from their players’ overseas exploits with Lauren James and Ceri Holland both picking up worrying injuries with England and Wales respectively.
In better news for Sonia Bompastor, Wieke Kaptein was able to return despite picking up a knock in the Netherlands’ victory over Austria on Tuesday. The Chelsea manager made six changes from the side that had drawn with West Ham last time out. It was an illustration of the Blues’ strength in depth with Sandy Baltimore, Kaptein, Mayra Ramírez, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh all starting.
The absence of Holland will have been a huge blow for Amber Whiteley. The Welsh international has been a linchpin in their midfield and ever present when fit. The Liverpool manager, however, will have been delighted to welcome back the in-form Smith to add directness and pace to the Liverpool attack. There was also a return for Gemma Evans and Sam Kerr to her lineup.
It would have been understandable if Whiteley’s team had looked slightly low in confidence after suffering back-to-back defeats. In fact, the visitors produced a competent and mature first-half performance that for the most part kept Chelsea at bay.
They seemed content to sit back early on, maintaining a compact shape as Chelsea came at them with relentless energy. The hosts’ control of the ball, however, failed to translate into clear-cut chances as Liverpool defended the wide areas with aptitude.
Their patience paid off as they took advantage with a devastatingly clinical break forward. It was a sweeping move from back to front that saw them take a surprise lead in the 21st minute. Marie Höbinger’s defence-splitting pass found Smith who had the beating of both Baltimore and Millie Bright before accurately firing home. The jubilant scenes in the away end said it all; Leanne Kiernan briefly disappearing over the barriers amid the celebrations.
It was a goal that sparked a newfound confidence within the Liverpool team and they could have doubled the score just minutes later when Höbinger was denied by the palms of Hannah Hampton.
Just as it looked like they were heading to half-time with a valuable lead, however, Chelsea levelled the score out of nothing. A momentary lapse in concentration saw Ramírez pip the Liverpool captain, Taylor Hinds, to the ball in the box. Her cut-back found Cuthbert who produced an instinctive looping effort that rebounded in off the post despite the desperate Rachael Laws getting a glove to it.
It was a spark that lit a fuse under the Blues who came out to completely dominate after the break. The Liverpool defence was evidently starting to creak at the sinews but for the most part held up under the strain. Ramírez, Cuthbert and Beever-Jones all had efforts, with the latter then denied at point-blank range by Laws.
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With the clock ticking, Whiteley made the surprise decision to withdraw Smith and move to three at the back. It was a move that almost paid off as Hinds broke into space down the right, clipping the woodwork with a dipping cross with Bright just about scrambling away the rebound.
Bompastor’s side, however, always seem to find a way and their famous mentality shone through again with minutes to play. With the board showing eight minutes of injury time, almost everyone in the stadium would have had an inkling that this was not heading to extra time.
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Relentless pressure on the Liverpool box saw the visitors retreating deeper and deeper and inevitably their resilience broke. Beever-Jones, who had been visibly frustrated throughout, found the winner, a soaring header to power Baltimore’s delivery past the helpless Laws.
It was a goal that might prove one of the defining moments of Chelsea’s season. They will head to Wembley on Sunday 18 May, looking to lift the famous FA Cup trophy for a sixth time.