Manchester United held on to beat Chelsea and Spurs saw off Leicester City after extra time to reach the Adobe Women’s FA Cup Final.
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 (aet) Leicester City
Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea
Lucia Garcia headed home a Leah Galton cross in the very first minute, United were two up midway through the half as Rachel Williams headed home a perfect cross by Ella Toone.
Erin Cuthbert saw her shot for Chelsea deflected wide, while Maya le Tissier risked conceding a penalty for a shove on Maya Ramirez who consequently headed off target.
Mary Earps pushed a Lauren James header out for a corner and deep into first-half stoppage-time, Niamh Charles cut the ball back for James to place into the United net.
As Chelsea kept up the pressure in the second half, Earps pulled off a fantastic save from another James header.
Catarina Macario’s curling corner hit the United crossbar, at the other end Garcia’s finish was ruled out for offside.
Hampton saved at the second attempt from Nikita Parris in added time, Melvine Malard went close from distance with the Chelsea keeper out of her goal.
Jutta Rantala rifled the Foxes in front from the edge of the box in the 12th minute. Leicester’s Sam Tierney nearly caught Becky Spencer of her line early on, Spurs’ Amanda Nilden was denied by the feet of goalkeeper Lize Kop and Celin Bizet fired over the bar, Spencer then getting a boot to the ball to keep out a close-range effort by Tierney.
Spurs shot over the top three times in the opening five minutes of the second half but eventually got level in the 83rd minute, Naz collecting a ball over the top to sidefoot it across the keeper and into the far corner of the net.
Shannon O’Brien left two Spurs defenders on the deck before forcing Spencer to turn her shot round the post, in stoppage time Kop tipped a Martha Thomas toe-poke onto the outside of the post.
Spencer tipped a Rantala free-kick onto the underside of the crossbar in extra-time and was caught by Lena Petermann when meeting a short back-pass.
With time running out, a firm Thomas header sent Spurs 2-1 and into the final after surviving a free-kick at the death.
