Manchester City held the Women’s FA Cup with a hard-battled 3-1 extra-time triumph over Everton in the final at Wembley on Sunday, at last concluding the 2019-20 season after the competition was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gareth Taylor’s side dominated ownership from the opening shot however were made to buckle down for the success, with Everton striker Valerie Gauvin counterbalancing Sam Mewis’ opener for City.
Substitute Georgia Stanway scored the decisive strike in the 21st minute of additional time, squeezing the ball through the legs of Everton goalkeeper Sandy MacIver who had done well to keep her side in contention after the match finished 1-1.
Janine Beckie scored with the last kick of the game to seal City’s third FA Cup win, their seventh significant prize since turning professional in 2014, however no fans were available to see it because of COVID-19 limitations.
“It was an exciting game to play in. Everton put out an unbelievable performance and we matched it. We had extra gear to go up to in the end. It was just about having enough to find it,” Stanway told the BBC.
“The boots were shaking a bit but we also knew we had it under control… It’s sad that my family aren’t here, but I hope to do a rerun of this in the years to come.”
City had early possibilities through Chloe Kelly, who played for Everton in the early rounds of the competition yet moved to Manchester in the nearby season and was not cup-tied because of a change in the principles.
Everton were generally ready to absorb the pressure. Nonetheless, the defensive discipline of Willie Kirk’s side was broken in a matter of seconds before halftime when American World Cup winner Mewis headed in from a corner.
They might have made it 2-0 10 minutes after the break yet Caroline Weir hit the post with a sliding shot and the subsequent exertion by Kelly was splendidly spilled by MacIver.
That demonstrated definitive as Everton went up the opposite end and constrained a corner, from which French striker Gauvin scored with the rear of her head having seized the close to post. It was the 24-year-old’s 6th goal since her move from Montpellier in August.
The two sides had a whirlwind of chances close to the end of the second half with Weir hitting the woodwork again for City with a twisting shot from the edge of the region.
In any case, the match went to an additional time where Stanway, who likewise scored in a year ago’s final, snatched the activity and afterward set up Beckie to seal the success.
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Buzz Illustrated journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.