Women's FA Cup fifth round recap
Extra-time drama and emotional returns as the quarter-final places are confirmed
The fifth round of the FA Cup is complete, and we have our final eight teams advancing to the quarter-finals: Chelsea, Birmingham City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Charlton Athletic, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Spurs.
As expected, Chelsea and Manchester United produced the tie of the round in a tense encounter that went to extra time at Kingsmeadow. Sam Kerr marked her 150th appearance for the club by scoring within six minutes of coming off the bench late in the second half. United quickly responded through Simi Awujo, but it was Naomi Girma who settled it in the 99th minute for Chelsea.
All three goals came from set pieces, underlining the fine margins between the sides. Phallon Tullis-Joyce made multiple impressive saves to keep United alive, while Kadeisha Buchanan made her long-awaited return after her ACL injury in November 2024.
London City Lionesses and Spurs played off in the final match of the round on a Monday night in another extremely tight extra time and penalty shootout thriller. Spurs went into half time 1-0 up, but it was all about the super subs for London City as the changes in the 65th minute made the difference. Danielle van de Donk scored immediately after coming on and 90 seconds later, Jana Fernandez gave them the lead - both players scoring their first goals for the club.
In the final minute of normal time, Spurs were awarded a penalty for a handball against Teyah Goldie and Bethany England sent the tie into extra time and then a penalty shootout. It was ultimately 19-year-old Wassa Sangare’s shot that was saved by Lize Kop to give Spurs the 9-8 win on penalties.
Chatham Town’s remarkable FA Cup run ended in an 8-0 defeat to Birmingham City, a result that reflected the gulf between a fourth-tier side and full-time professional WSL 2 team. Manager Keith Boanas likened the challenge to “me coming up against Usain Bolt”. Still, Chatham bow out with £127,000 in prize money and a story of pride that will long outlive the scoreline and provide inspiration for next season.
Both the Merseyside derby and West Ham-Brighton ended 2–1 — with Liverpool and Brighton emerging victorious. Mia Enderby opened the scoring for Liverpool before being stretchered off following a collision with Courtney Brosnan. Gareth Taylor later reassured supporters that she “seems to be okay” despite concerns of a knee issue. Liverpool have now won four of their last six matches, a significant turnaround from their struggles in the first half of the season.
Brighton were inspired by Fran Kirby’s return from injury; she scored once and assisted Kiko Seike, who has now netted three in three games. Head coach Dario Vidosic was also back on the touchline after a personal leave of absence.
Another player, Olivia Smith, had to be stretchered off after a clash of heads as Arsenal convincingly beat Bristol City 3-0. She was rushed to the hospital but was later discharged after tests came back clear. Arsenal have extended their winning run to seven consecutive wins across all competitions. Goals from Kim Little, Victoria Pelova, and Frida Maanum reflect their growing consistency and squad depth which has been key to these matches.
Despite sitting comfortably at the top of the WSL 2 table, Charlton were pushed all the way by Oxford United in a tense contest that took a penalty from Lucy Fitzgerald to be the difference. Their win confirms that there have been no major shocks or upsets this year as all remaining teams sit within the top 14 teams of the pyramid.
The quarte-finals have been drawn, and they are due to take place the weekend of the 4 and 5 April.
Charlton v Liverpool
Chelsea v Spurs
Arsenal v Brighton
Birmingham City v Man City