Khadija Shaw’s early strike helped Manchester City set up a blockbuster FA Cup semi-final clash with Chelsea, as the Women’s Super League leaders defeated second-tier table-toppers Birmingham 1-0 on Monday evening. The Cityzens had never lost to lower-tier opposition in the competition and while their in-form hosts gave a good account of themselves, when Shaw broke the deadlock after just eight minutes, that record rarely looked in danger of changing.
That’s not to say Birmingham didn’t play well. Coming into the fixture with five wins in their last six outings, Blues pressed high and made their visitors look shaky at the back, albeit without creating any clear cut chances. Despite those positives, though, it was Man City who took the lead, as Shaw latched onto Iman Beney’s superb pass to net her 21st goal of the season, in her 27th game.
The WSL leaders had a flurry of chances to add to that lead but just couldn’t quite find the clinical touch Shaw had showcased so excellently to break the deadlock. Lauren Hemp fired a volley from close range just off target, Laura Coombs watched a header from a Hemp cross bounce wide and Aoba Fujino hit a tame effort straight at Lucy Thomas, all before Shaw came the closest to doubling the advantage when she hit the post with a deflected strike.
While it remained 1-0, there was always a feeling those missed opportunities could come back to bite the Manchester side, particularly as Birmingham remained positive, built up well in possession and continued to trouble their opponents’ back line with their pressing. But Blues just couldn’t convert that into any serious chances, ending the game with their heads held high, albeit without a shot on target.
City did make a late push for a second, aided by the impact from the bench, with Yui Hasegawa forcing Thomas into two great saves before Rebecca Knaak watched a header cannon back out off the crossbar. Yet, a greater lead wouldn’t be necessary. The WSL champions-elect were able to see the game out and eliminate the second-tier leaders, to set up a mouthwatering FA Cup semi-final clash with Chelsea, who beat Tottenham earlier in the day, next month.
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