MANCHESTER City claimed their first ever domestic double, winning 4-0 over Brighton to mark their fourth FA Cup victory, reports Olivia Clark from Wembley.
City striker Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw maintained her habit of scoring when it mattered most, following up goals in the quarter-final and semi-final with yet another goal at the Mecca of football.
Both teams came from 2-0 behind in their semi-final games, both winning 3-2 to secure their place at Wembley – the first time ever for The Seagulls. Brighton can count themselves unfortunate to have gone into the break two goals down after producing an impressive first half display.
Reggae Girl Khadija Shaw is a City slicker
The Seagulls started brightly, pressing high and forcing City onto the back foot from the opening whistle. Their confidence was clear following their 3-2 league victory over the Citizens earlier this season, and they looked the more dangerous side throughout much of the opening period.
Kiko Seike tested City’s defence early on, firing over from a tight angle, while Ayaka Yamashita was called into action on multiple occasions to keep Brighton at bay. The City goalkeeper produced several important saves, including denying Marisa Olislagers and Manuela Vanegas as Albion continued to threaten.
Despite Brighton’s dominance, City remained dangerous through Shaw. The Jamaican striker showed her strength and composure under pressure, holding up play effectively as Brighton’s defenders worked tirelessly to contain her.
Shaw gradually grew into the contest and came close on two occasions before eventually breaking the deadlock in the 37th minute, continuing her habit of delivering in the biggest moments after scoring in both the quarter-final and semi-final.
The goal came against the run of play and was a harsh blow for Dario Vidošić’s side, who had controlled large spells of the match. Matters worsened just before half time when a controversial free-kick decision in Shaw’s favour gave Manchester City another opportunity. And Alex Greenwood made Brighton pay, drilling her effort beyond Chiamaka Nnadozie to double City’s lead.
At 2-0, the scoreline scarcely reflected the balance of play, with Brighton left wondering how they found themselves trailing after such a commanding first-half performance.
Brighton emerged for the second half determined to find a way back into the contest, having already shown throughout their FA Cup run that they were capable of mounting comebacks when under pressure.
The Seagulls continued to press forward, although much of the play took place in their own half as Manchester City began to exert greater control. Kerolin posed a threat whenever she took possession, but Albion’s defence worked tirelessly to disrupt her rhythm and prevent the Brazilian from creating clear opportunities.
City’s growing influence eventually began to tell. Grace Clinton forced a routine save from Nnadozie before the Citizens earned their first corner of the match, although the resulting header drifted narrowly wide of the post.
The decisive blow arrived in the 67th minute when substitute Aoba Fujino made an immediate impact. Her deflected strike wrong-footed Nnadozie and extended City’s lead to 3-0.
Yet The Seagulls refused to back down. Manuela Vanegas came close with a header that sailed just over the crossbar, while Brighton felt aggrieved after Haley went to ground under a strong challenge inside the penalty area, only for appeals to be waved away.
As the game entered its closing stages, City demonstrated their experience in seeing out the contest. Vivianne Miedema completed the scoring in the 87th minute, capitalising after the Brighton goalkeeper was unable to get a strong hand to the substitute’s header.
Skipper Alex Greenwood, with a goal and an assist, was named Player of the Match as City secured the FA Cup for the first time in six years in front of nearly 45,000 supporters at Wembley.
Speaking after the final whistle, Shaw reflected on City’s triumph and her long-term commitment to the club.
“I’ve always said that Manchester is home,” she said. “It took a while, but we finally got it done.”
Laura Blindkilde Brown admitted Brighton’s strong start had caused City problems but praised her side’s response after the break.
She said: “They pressed us really well and then we struggled to get out. But in the second half we were able to dominate.”
For Brighton, Čanković admitted the result was difficult to process but highlighted the significance of the club reaching its first major final.
“It’s hard to put it into words when you lose the game 4-0,” she said. “We’re proud that we played the first final for the club, but it comes with this really hard loss. We need to focus on the next thing so we can move forward into next season.”
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