The showpiece event at **Wembley** was contested between two fine **Women’s Super League** sides in **Brighton & Hove Albion** and **Manchester City.**
The nominated “home” side came into the fixture looking to make a mark on their first ever major final and first appearance in an **Adobe Women’s FA Cup final.**
**Andree Jeglertz’s** side, meanwhile, were hoping to secure a cup double, and named **Lioness** star **Lauren Hemp** in their starting lineup after she returned from injury – **Vivianne Miedema**, however, could only make the bench.
For much of the opening period, it was all Brighton, but a clinical **City** took the lead courtesy of **Khadija Shaw**.
**Man City** soon doubled their lead heading into the break, following a superb free-kick effort from **Alex Greenwood**.
With the _Seagulls_ battling to get back into the game, it gave City even more opportunities, with **Aoba Fujino** and **Miedema** adding goals of their own to seal the trophy.
Story of the Match
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The _Citizens_ entered **Wembley** in an **FA Cup final** for the first time since 2022, where they finished runners-up to **Chelsea**, but they were aiming for a win to earn their fourth **FA Cup** title.
Despite City storming into the fixture seeking a domestic double for the first time, it was the _Seagulls_ who got off to flyer.
**Kiko Seike** received the ball and ran into the right side of the penalty area, before cutting the ball back to **Fran Kirby**, whose effort was blocked and cleared.
Although they were competing in a major final for the first time, **Albion** certainly didn’t take long to settle.
Their second big chance came 12 minutes in when **Madison Haley** and **Ayaka Yamashita** challenged for the ball, resulting in the City keeper coming off much worse.
With the goalkeeper down, the ball fell to captain **Maisie Symonds** who shot towards an partially open goal, but the goal line heroics of opposing leader **Alex Greenwood** kept the scores level.
As the midway point of the half approached, City continued to struggle to get a way into the match.
**Kerolin** was caught out in possession in the midfield which allowed the _Seagulls_ to have another quick break where a rather ambitious shot by **Symonds** went flying wide of the post.
**Brighton** soon had another chance, this time through a combination **Kirby** and **Seike**, which blew another massive opening **Albion** were freely granted.
35 minutes went by before City finally started breaking into the game.
**Bunny Shaw** was at the heart of it as ever, first playing a neat through ball before having a shot herself shortly after, both of which were saved by **Chiamaka Nnadozie**.
Just moments later it was the _Citizens_ who broke the deadlock, with **Greenwood** firing in an inch-perfect cross to **Shaw**, who rose high and above **Nnadozie** in net to loop in a header for the opener.
[Embed from Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2278395597)
Moments before the interval, **Shaw** was brought down just outside the penalty area, giving City the perfect opportunity to double their lead. **Greenwood** stepped in excellent fashion to perfectly finesse her left-footed free-kick effort into the bottom right corner, which was was only ever going away from **Brighton’s Nnadozie**.
Moving into the second half, City continued the momentum they built late on in the first, **Kerolin’s** cross initially cleared away before **Hemp** intervened to win the ball back in the box, but her shot flew into the side netting.
The first substitutions were made by Jeglertz on the hour mark, with **Grace Clinton** and **Kerolin** the first to make way for **Miedema** and **Aoba Fujino** as City looked to protect their lead.
**Brighton** found their best chance of the half moments later with **Seike** charging down the right flank and towards **Greenwood** before firing an effort saved by **Yamashita**.
**Fujino** made her mark almost immediately. **Shaw** ran into the box from the left side as City countered a _Seagulls_ side desperate to find a way back into the tie, before laying it off to **Fujino**, who smartly placed the ball to **Nnadozie’s** right to all but seal the trophy.
**City** continued to dominate and were cruising towards a historic cup double. **Bunny Shaw** was up for it, continuing to cause chaos, and found a shot which won a corner with 10 minutes remaining.
**Greenwood** whipped in an inviting delivery which again found Shaw, but this time **Nnadozie** was on hand to clear it temporarily, before the ball fell kindly to **Fujino**, whose shot was just about squeezed out off the post by **Brighton’s** number one.
Soon it was four for **England’s** most dominant team this season, as **Kerstin Casparij** delivered another dangerous into the six yard box, where an oncoming **Miedema** found herself one of the easiest headed goals she will ever score to put the game far beyond on the reach of the south coast outfit.
[Embed from Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2279066337)
**Player of the Match – Alex Greenwood**
**Greenwood** gave her travelling supporters and brilliant teammates exactly what they need by a captain.
Despite a tricky start to the game, **Greenwood** made sure to capitalise when she had the chance, assisting the opener before scoring to put her side two goals up at half-time despite the dominance shown early on by **Brighton**.
She kept up her performance throughout, consistently delivering brilliant crosses and was a very large threat overall as she led her side to become cup double winners for the first time in the club’s history.