What Lauren Hemp thinks about the prospect of Manchester City facing Chelsea in League Cup semi-final | OneFootball

Manchester City v West Ham United – Barclays Women’s Super League

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 06: Lauren Hemp of Manchester City Women celebrates scoring her team’s first goal during the Barclays Women’s Super League match between Manchester City and West Ham United at Joie Stadium on October 06, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)

Lauren Hemp got the second goal as Manchester City beat West Ham United 5-1 to reach the semi-finals of the Subway Women’s League Cup.

They will now face Chelsea for a place in the final.

The two teams met in last season’s final – and Hemp is excited for the opportunity to get a touch of revenge.

“[The win over West Ham was] really positive, obviously we scored quite a few goals,” she said to the club’s official website.

“I thought we connected well, our passing was good at times and a bit sloppy in other cases which created chances for West Ham.

“In the end we got the deserved win, so I’m looking forward to the semi.

“It’s always exciting playing Chelsea and to be able to do that at home, hopefully we’ll get a good crowd.

“We’ll need to be at our best to beat them but we’re ready to take on anyone.”

Lauren Hemp: Competition helps us all improve

Last season’s cup final was the first of four meetings between the two teams in the space of a fortnight.

Chelsea edged the cup final 2-1 back in March – but City got the win 2-0 four days later as they faced each other again in the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final.

The Blues then won the WSL match 2-1 – and rounded off the block with a 3-0 Champions League win to ensure they won the tie on aggregate.

However, under Andree Jeglertz, City have only faced Chelsea once – at the start of this season, when Sonia Bompastor’s team edged it 2-1.

But Hemp hinted that City’s attacking threat has increased over the first four months of the season.

“I think we’ve got so many fantastic attacking players, but it also starts from the back as well.

“I thought we kept the ball really well [against West Ham] and we created a lot of chances and found the spaces.

“It’s been seen [against West Ham] and other games this season we have players who can come on who are ready to score as well. We’ve got lots of competition in the squad and helps us all improve.

“I really enjoyed it – I love getting on the ball and creating chances as much as I can. I was really pleased to do that [on Sunday] and contribute where I can.”