It’s the Women’s FA Cup semi-finals this weekend and there are two intriguing contests in store.
Women’s Super League leaders Manchester United host bottom side Brighton on Saturday, Chelsea, currently second in the table, travel to aspiring, fifth-placed side Aston Villa on Sunday.
On form and reputation alone, United and Chelsea are the obvious choices for the final clash at Wembley on May 14, but can Brighton and Aston Villa throw a spanner in the works?
This is the first time that both United and Villa have reached this stage of the competition. Brighton have reached this stage before but lost to Arsenal in 2021. Chelsea, meanwhile, have won four of the last eight editions. Should Emma Hayes’ side fail to win the Cup this season, though, it would mean there would be a name on the trophy that isn’t Manchester City, Arsenal or Chelsea for the first time since 2012.
A semi-final win will be a significant undertaking for Brighton as they battle to overcome a confident United (who currently boast the best defensive record in the WSL, conceding only nine goals this season). They have endured a difficult campaign and are now onto their third head coach of the season (Melissa Phillips who joins from NWSL side, Angel City) as they desperately try to avoid relegation.
Brighton…
