City seal League Cup semi-final spot with strong West Ham win

In partnership with

Manchester City Women

·21 December 2025

City seal League Cup semi-final spot with strong West Ham win

City signed off for 2025 in style as we secured passage into the Subway Women’s League Cup semi-finals with a 5-1 at West Ham.

Quickfire goals from Kerolin and Lauren Hemp gave us a two-goal lead at Chigwell Construction Stadium before Riko Ueki pulled one back for the Irons.

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But Grace Clinton extended our advantage again with a rocket on the cusp of half-time before second-half strikes from Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Laura Coombs rubber-stamped the success.

It represented the Blues’ 14th match in succession without defeat in all competitions and means we’ll face Chelsea in the last four of the League Cup.

WHAT HAPPENED

City made the perfect start in Dagenham, racing into a two-goal lead inside the opening eight minutes.

Kerolin, starting for the first time this season, opened the scoring when she reacted quickest to Bunny’s saved effort to fire her second goal in three matches into the back of the net.

The Blues then doubled our advantage shortly after when Clinton played a pinpoint pass into Hemp’s feet, before the winger broke into the box and squeezed the ball into the bottom right corner.

Following the breathless attacking display by the visitors, West Ham fought back.

After Viviane Asseyi was denied by Ayaka Yamashita in a one on one situation, the Irons halved the deficit moments later when Ueki cut inside onto her right foot and drilled into the net.

The hosts continued to ask City questions, but Jeglertz’s side restored our two-goal advantage before half-time when, following industrious work by Kerolin, Clinton sent a vicious drive into the top corner from the edge of the area.

We then carried our momentum into the second half and after Hemp fired over a Bunny cut-back – the Jamaican grabbed our fourth when sending a header from the back post looping into the net from a free-kick.

Jeglertz injected fresh legs into his side with 25 minutes remaining with Iman Beney and Coombs introduced, and the latter marked her introduction with our fifth when she met Hemp’s pullback to slam into the net.

And with that City ended the calendar year with a superb 5-1 success, which booked our spot into the League Cup semi-finals.

CLINTON’S CHRISTMAS CRACKER

Among a swathe of top-class performances, Clinton was perhaps the standout at Chigwell Construction Stadium.

Always wanting possession, the midfielder created opportunities from out wide and centrally while leading our press relentlessly.

And her tireless display was rewarded with her phenomenal first-half strike.

FLUID FRONT THREE

On paper, Jeglertz set City up with Hemp, Clinton and Kerolin as a bank of three behind Bunny who led the line.

But throughout the contest, the trio fluidly interchanged from either flank and the central position, which often saw the Brazil international collect the ball and cause the hosts problems.

And with each of our attacking trio all on the scoresheet, the instructions from our Head Coach certainly paid dividends.

OFF THE MARK

Such is her incredible scoring statistic, remarkably, Bunny’s goal in East London represented her first goal in the Subway Women’s League Cup this season, and it arrived in typical Shaw fashion.

A free-kick from the right found her at the back post where she lopped a header into the net for her 13th of the season so far.

HOW WE LINED UP

City XI: Yamashita, Casparij (C), Rose, Knaak (Prior 84’), Ouahabi (Greenwood 46’), Blinkdilde Brown (Coombs 65’), Hasegawa, Kerolin (Beney 65’), Clinton, Hemp, Shaw (Murphy 84’).

Unused substitutes: Cumings, Miedema, Wienroither, Thomas.

West Ham XI: Szemik, Endo, Siren, Tysiak (C), Ueki ( Brasero 76’, Csiki (Houssein 67’), Denton, Martinez ( Piuebel 61’) Asseyi (Wandeler, 61’), Morgan, Hanshaw ( Nystrom 61’).

Unused substitutes: Walsh, Belloumou, Pavi, Wandeler, Cemal.

WHAT IT MEANS

The victory secures our place in the League Cup semi-final and sets up a last-four meeting with Chelsea at the Joie Stadium - register your interest in last-four tickets here.