Chelsea Women keep historic quadruple hopes alive with late FA Cup semi-final win vs Liverpool

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Chelsea have kept their hopes of a historic quadruple alive thanks to England international Aggie Beever-Jones’s stoppage-time winner against Liverpool in Saturday’s Women’s FA Cup semi-final.

Sonia Bampostor’s side, who are top of the Women’s Super League (WSL) and into the semi-finals of the Champions League, having already won the League Cup, will play the winners of Sunday’s other semi-final between Manchester City and competition holders Manchester United in next month’s showpiece after winning 2-1 at Kingsmeadow on Saturday.

Chelsea were strong favourites against Liverpool, currently sixth in the WSL, but had to come from behind after Olivia Smith gave the Merseyside team a 21st-minute lead.

Scotland international Erin Cuthbert equalised in first-half stoppage time before pressure from Chelsea, who had 23 shots at goal compared to Liverpool’s six, paid off in the fourth minute of added time at the end of the match through Beever-Jones.

Chelsea, who have won the competition five times, will now play in their eighth FA Cup final since 2012 on May 18.

Bompastor’s team lifted the League Cup last month with victory over Manchester City and are six points clear of Arsenal at the top of the WSL with four games to go.

Chelsea will travel to Barcelona for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on April 20 before the return leg in England seven days later.

Chelsea’s calm confidence continues

After the half-time whistle Liverpool interim manager Amber Whiteley ran down the tunnel at Kingsmeadow wanting to get in and speak to her team as soon as possible after they had just conceded in the second of five added minutes.

Chelsea manager Bompastor was a lot more relaxed after Cuthbert’s equaliser. She walked slowly across the grass in no real rush at all. Her team carried that same energy with them all game. It was a quiet and calm confidence. It is that which has pushed them all closer to securing what would be a majestic quadruple should it be achieved next month.

Chelsea went 1-0 down after being carved open by a supreme Marie Hobinger pass into Olivia Smith who got the better of Sandy Baltimore (a battle which kept everyone entertained until Smith went off in the 88th minute) by cutting in from the touchline and speeding away before placing a finish across Hannah Hampton.

There was no panic at any point. Even missing the likes of Lauren James who was ruled out of the game through injury and at points some clinical finishing, Chelsea hounded after a second goal. It felt inevitable they would get it because this season, where they have lost just one match against Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals, they almost always find a way to win. And again that is exactly what they did.

(Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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