Khadija Shaw and Alex Greenwood starred as new Women's Super League champions Manchester City did the double on Sunday, thanks to a 4-0 win over Brighton in the FA Cup final. It took Andree Jeglertz's side some time to get going in the capital but once they did, they wasted little time, with two goals in the latter stages of the first half putting City into a commanding position that they never let slip.
It was actually Brighton who started the better of the two, despite being much more inexperienced on this sort of stage than their opponents, with this their first FA Cup final. Confident afterbeating City 3-2 just last month to put their title party on hold, the Seagulls dominated possession for the first 30 minutes and had half-chances, with Fran Kirby and Maisie Symonds both having shots blocked while Madison Haley had to be thwarted by goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita, who stood in for the injured Khiara Keating.
Once City started to get into things, though, they showed their class. Tame efforts from Grace Clinton and Shaw were the warning signs Brighton didn't heed, with Lauren Hemp starting to become influential down the left. It was from a Greenwood cross that the opening goal then came, with Shaw rising highest to out-jump Brighton shot-stopper Chiamaka Nnadozie and nod home. Within minutes, it was 2-0, as Shaw was adjudged to have been fouled on the edge of the box and Greenwood took advantage of the opportunity, sweeping a free-kick into the bottom corner of Nnadozie's goal just before half time.
Having started questionably, it became comfortable in the end for City. Aoba Fujino made it 3-0 just past the hour, scoring within minutes of entering the game after great work by Shaw down the right. There were chances for more, too, with Rebecca Knaak heading wide, Shaw having an effort tipped over and Fujino seeing one pushed onto the post, all before Vivianne Miedema got in on the act.Absent for two months as she spent time at home with her mother, who is dealing with illness, the Dutchwoman made a goal-scoring return here, sweeping a lovely ball out wide to Kerstin Casparij and then racing into the box to get on the end of the cross, heading home for 4-0.
Brighton will be left wondering what could have been, having started so well but failed to make it count with a goal. It completes a truly fantastic season for City, meanwhile, who have now ended a six-year wait for another FA Cup title,on top of that 10-year wait for a second WSL crown.
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