Man Utd aiming to make more club history in Women's FA Cup semi-final
Manchester United had never progressed beyond the quarter-finals of the Women’s FA Cup before this season. Now, the WSL leaders are only one game away from playing at Wembley for the first time – in the way of them and the final...Brighton.
United’s best FA Cup run previously had come in their debut season in 2018/19, getting to the last eight as a second tier club. They beat Brighton along the way, as well as London Bees, but found top flight Reading too hot to handle in the quarters.
In the three years that followed, their FA Cup hopes ended in round five or sooner. Casey Stoney’s team lost a thrilling Manchester derby in the fourth round in early 2020, before being the victim of a ‘cupset’ in the 2020/21 campaign at the hands of Leicester – not yet a WSL club at that time.
United again fell foul of a harsh draw last season when they were paired with City for the second time in the space of three years. Marc Skinner’s side actually bossed the first 45 minutes against their local rivals but couldn’t build on a 1-0 lead and collapsed to eventually lose 4-1.
After something of a raw deal with difficult draws in previous seasons, there is no denying that the FA Cup gods have been much kinder to United in 2022/23.
To reach the semi-finals, they are yet to face a fellow WSL team. That being said, two lengthy away trips to the furthest corners of the country have still been taxing in a different way.
Met with long journeys and challenging playing surfaces, United didn’t cruise past Sunderland in the fourth round or Lewes in the quarter-finals like might have been expected on paper – instead it was 2-1 and 3-1 victories respectively. It was telling that, against Durham in the fifth round, United were at home and much more convincing in a 5-0 win.
When it came to the semi-final draw, United landed the most favourable tie that was available when Brighton came out of the bag. The WSL’s bottom club, now with another new manager, will make the trip to Leigh Sports Village to face the league leaders. United therefore avoided Chelsea, the only team they have never yet beaten, and a tricky Aston Villa.
It has given them the best possible chance of reaching the FA Cup final.
Skinner, who took Birmingham to the 2017 final but ended up on the losing side against Manchester City, is understandably diplomatic about the hurdle that still needs clearing to get there in 2023.
“We would love to get to a final, but we’ve got a very difficult task ahead of us,” he said.
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“The mentality from my players has to be that we go and hunt any opponent that stands in the way of our success…going into a semi-final, league form doesn’t really matter. But if we perform to the best of our ability, we can beat any team in this league.”
The change in Brighton manager in the short space of time since United won 4-0 in the WSL encounter between the clubs only a fortnight ago adds its own intrigue. Melissa Phillips, a third permanent boss of the season, has been in the job for a week with even less contact time.
She will bring her own flavour to the Seagulls team, which could be different to what United coaching staff observed only recently.
“You must know the opponent when you’re going into a fight, their skillset and how you can hurt them. We just have to have details prepared around shapes she has played [in previous jobs] and what [Brighton] have played,” Skinner said of that challenge.
But, ultimately, it’s on United to focus on what they themselves can do to get the job done.
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