# Women’s FA Cup: talking points from the weekend’s action

Arsenal’s barren spell continues, Lauren James proves the difference, and Marc Skinner has his eyes on the prize.

## Rejuvenated Liverpool end Arsenal’s hopes

Liverpool’s second win under the interim manager, Amber Whiteley, a  that saw them into the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 2016-2017, was one that defined “steadying the ship”. It would have been easy for the team to fold given the  and the . In Whiteley, however, they have a coach who understands the club and its players better than most and the game plan for a difficult cup tie away proved spot on. Disciplined and tireless, they shut down the spaces and pounced to create chances when the opportunity arose.

It led to yet more disappointment for Arsenal whose barren spell in the FA Cup continues. It is nine years since they last lifted the trophy, having won it 14 times before that – and there has to be some consternation around the club about the lack of silverware recently. In the time since they  (2018-19), they have won just two league cups. With the title now looking out of reach, they only really have the Champions League to play for. Renée Slegers’ game management was poor on Sunday but that will happen now and then, especially with a young coach. This result, however, spoke to a more fundamental problem – one that involves recruitment and management of the business side of the club. In that respect, Arsenal have fallen way behind rivals Chelsea and it is no coincidence where the trophies have gone in recent years. If changes are not made, the gap will only continue to grow. **Sophie Downey**





Amber Whiteley applauds in a huddle with her Liverpool players after just her second game in charge.

## Shaw should be in Ballon d’Or contention

Khadija “Bunny” Shaw’s consistent goal-scoring form continued in Manchester City’s 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final win over Aston Villa on Sunday. The Jamaica international’s performances have not dropped since she joined City in 2021, and a further goal against Villa had a few fans calling for the 28-year-old to win the Ballon d’Or this year. That is unlikely if City do not get their hands on a trophy, particularly the Champions League, with players such as Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí also in the conversation. But Shaw would be a worthy winner. Her spell out with injury this season coincided with City’s drop in form. She injects attacking life into the side and is once again on the verge of a 20-goal season.

If City do claim a title this campaign it will be down in no small part to her clinical finishing. Her effort against Villa opened the scoring and the former goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis, who was on the BBC commentary, credited Shaw as being the difference in the match. She said: “She is the difference in quality between these two teams, she is the one who has made it happen.” **Sarah Rendell**

## Chelsea’s quadruple quest remains on

Chelsea took another step towards a historic quadruple with their 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Crystal Palace ensuring their passage to the FA Cup semi-finals, but it was far from straightforward. The Blues won 7-0 at Palace under the former manager Laura Kaminski in September in the WSL but they struggled to capitalise on their dominance on Sunday, converting just one of their 21 shots. It was Lauren James who broke the deadlock just past the hour mark to earn the win but this was far from Chelsea’s fluid best.

Winning ugly though, is the mark of champions. “The big difference between us and the other teams at the moment is that we’ve been able to win games even when it’s tough and difficult. The most important thing in football is just to win,” said the Chelsea coach, Sonia Bompastor. She is right, of course, winning is everything, but with a run of four back-to-back games against Manchester City ahead – in the League Cup final, the league and twice in the Champions League – Chelsea need to find their flow more convincingly. The manager agrees: “One was enough, so it’s good, but if you look at the statistics from the game we had 12 shots in the first half, but only one on target. I think that is not enough.” **Suzanne Wrack**





Lauren James scored her fourth goal of the season to seal Chelsea’s spot in the semi-finals. Photograph: Neil Holmes/SPP/Shutterstock

## Rotation, what rotation?

The Manchester United head coach, Marc Skinner, continued his policy of only using minimal squad rotation for cup games, as he once again fielded essentially the strongest team he could for their FA Cup quarter-final . The strategy is working on the pitch in the cups in the sense that his team have avoided slipping up. But what costs might this strategy bring in the long term, in terms of squad harmony and providing competitive experience to academy products?

Just as in the fourth and fifth rounds, when United faced third-tier opposition in West Brom and Wolves respectively, the first-choice goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce and the regular centre-backs Maya Le Tissier and Millie Turner started on Saturday. Hinata Miyazawa, Leah Galton and Melvine Malard have also started all three cup ties, while the England midfielders Ella Toone and Grace Clinton both started for the second round in succession. It meant that, for example, the Wales goalkeeper Safia Middleton-Patel remains on just one senior appearance for United in total, while several youngsters were unused substitutes on Saturday. But on the flip side, with the team now just one win away from a third Wembley final in three years, on the pitch the strategy is delivering and this is clearly a competition Skinner wants to win. **Tom Garry**
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