Manchester United reach Women’s FA Cup final after Bizet and Clinton sink City | OneFootball

It would be wrong to suggest there has been a seismic shift in momentum in Manchester but United’s 2-0 defeat of a beleaguered City to set up a third successive FA Cup final, against Chelsea, showed a maturity and composure that has sometimes proved elusive in the fixture.

“To get back to a final is no mean feat, so I’m really pleased,” said Marc Skinner. “The performance today was incredible. Credit to the players, we dominated. It should’ve been more.”

City bowed out of the tournament with a whimper, their last hope of a trophy over within 22 minutes but written off by many before a ball was kicked at a windswept Academy stadium. Nick Cushing’s squad, torn apart by injuries, is so threadbare that only four outfield players were named on the bench, including the 17‑year‑old Sacha Lewis, who joined Derby on a dual registration in January to get playing minutes in the National League Northern Premier Division.

Kicked out of the Champions League by Chelsea, 13 days after they endured a League Cup final defeat against Sonia Bompastor’s side, and seven points adrift of third-placed United in the Women’s Super League, for City the FA Cup had offered a chance to salvage something from a disastrous injury-crippled season.

“In the sense of trophies, the season is over,” Cushing said. “We can still mathematically get into third place. We have to win out now.”

There will be an inquest at the end of the season, he added, though who will be in charge remains to be seen: the temporary manager was evasive about his future when he joined on an interim basis after Gareth Taylor’s sacking in March.

“The injury crisis needs to be examined, 100%, every team needs to do a post‑season review,” he said. “To do that now is really difficult because you have to go really in depth and have everyone involved and we’re still preparing for games. So many injuries can’t just be bad luck, but it can’t all be down to poor practice.”

It took six minutes for United’s aggressive press to reap rewards against the depleted City, Ella Toone’s ball over the top brought down by Celin Bizet who wrongfooted Gracie Prior before firing past Khiara Keating. Furious, Keating booted the ball in the direction of the centre circle, Kerstin Casparij playing Bizet onside probably out of her eyeline.

City were already without Vivianne Miedema and Jill Roord, who were added to their heaving injury list during the international break, and lost another key player in the 17th minute, the Australia forward Mary Fowler clutching the knee of her heavily strapped right leg after it seemed to collapse inwards as she extended with her left. After some treatment off the pitch, it had appeared that Fowler might return. By the time Naomi Layzell came on to replace Fowler, City were two goals down, Gabby George’s corner met by Grace Clinton, who turned it in with her head after she escaped some lax marking from Kerolin.

It was almost pedestrian from Skinner’s team, who were well organised, efficient and clinical when it mattered, but they were also reliant at times on the goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce to maintain their two‑goal advantage, the American saving well from Kerolin before the break and the pulling off a stunning double stop just before the hour, keeping out Yui Hasegawa’s free-kick and Lily Murphy’s close‑range follow-up.

That City did not collapse after the break, with Skinner turning to his bench and inserting fresh legs to up the pressure, was a testament to the resilience of the players on the pitch, players who have been let down by a club that has underinvested in the squad to the extent needed for a club of its stature and expectations.

An overhaul and a truckload of cash is needed to turn around City’s fortunes next season. They need to build a squad capable of competing in four competitions and weathering injury storms, whether they manage to book a place in next year’s Champions League or not.

Their struggle should act as a cautionary tale to the United board, who need to back Skinner in the summer as they probably head into the Champions League and have to attempt to maintain this consistency across four competitions.

Header image: [Photograph: Molly Darlington/The FA/Getty Images]