Aston Villa Women vs Chelsea Women. The Women's FA Cup Semi-Final.
Poundland Bescot Stadium.
Match report as Chelsea beat Aston Villa to reach the Women's FA Cup final; Sam Kerr's 24th goal of the season proved the difference for Emma Hayes' side in Walsall; Chelsea will face Manchester United in final at Wembley on May 14
Monday 17 April 2023 10:03, UK
Chelsea set up a Women's FA Cup final showdown with Manchester United as Sam Kerr's second-half header gave them a 1-0 win over Aston Villa.
Kerr's 24th goal of the season in all competitions 14 minutes after the break was enough to see off a valiant Villa side at the Poundland Bescot Stadium and keep Chelsea on course to win this competition for a third consecutive year.
Villa were aiming to reach the final for the first time in their history but can take pride in pushing the holders all the way in Walsall and, had Sarah Mayling's effort seven minutes before full-time been the right side of the post, it could have been a different story.
Chelsea, though, found a way to see out the victory and will face WSL leaders Manchester United, who beat Brighton 3-2 in the other semi-final on Saturday, at Wembley on May 14.
The result also kept alive Chelsea's hopes of a treble this season. Emma Hayes' side are a point behind United in the WSL with a game in hand and also in the Champions League semi-finals, where they face Barcelona next weekend.
Villa came into this semi-final having lost just once in nine games in all competitions, although that defeat came against Chelsea in their last fixture before the international break.
But that 3-0 loss did not seem to affect Carla Ward's team and in front of a crowd of more than 5,000, they nearly took the lead when Rachel Daly's strike from a few yards out was blocked brilliantly by Magdalena Eriksson in the first half.
Seconds before the break, it was Chelsea who should have gone ahead, but Eve Perisset's effort at the back post flew harmlessly over the bar.
Moments after the restart, Jelena Cankovic's thunderous effort hit the post as Chelsea started to assert their dominance and Villa were eventually made to pay when Kerr rose above her marker in the box to head home Guro Reiten's cross in the 59th minute.
Kerr's goal came seconds after Villa's Alisha Lehmann had fired inches wide at the other end and despite responding well to going behind, they ultimately lacked quality in the final third.
Lehmann went close again in the 77th minute and Mayling struck the post late on as Villa rallied, but they could not find an equaliser.
Kerr missed a chance to seal it for Chelsea in the final seconds of stoppage time when she was played through on goal, but it did not matter as the visitors held on to make it through to next month's final at Wembley.
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes told BBC Sport: "It was what I expected, a difficult pitch, ugly game. We took the goal when we were on top but then we dropped off and Villa made it a brilliant cup tie.
"It's their cup final, they had everything to play for, a packed crowd and a record attendance, with nothing to lose. They gave as best as they possibly could.
"We kept a clean sheet, you have to expect an onslaught when you're away from home, the pitch made it really challenging and there's not a lot of grass in that penalty area. Nonetheless, we took the goal at the right moment.
"They get to play in an FA Cup final at Wembley, what more motivation do they need? I'm delighted we've got the opportunity to defend our title."
Chelsea striker Sam Kerr told BBC Sport: "It was a tough game. It feels really good to get the win and get back to Wembley.
"I play in an amazing team, and as the nine I'm just lucky to be getting that kind of service every week.
"It's hard to come back from the international break, but we fought hard.
"It took 11 players, it was a gutsy performance and not as clean as we would've liked, the fans here made it tough but we got it done."
Aston Villa manager Carla Ward told BBC Sport: "I'm heartbroken for the players tonight. I thought we were outstanding, the better team over the 90 minutes. If the best team won, then the best team won, but I don't think that was the case. You see some of the girls in tears, it's been some journey.
"Credit to Chelsea, they've got matchwinners. Sam Kerr has done exactly what she does week in and week out. We wish them all the very best, an unbelievable side, we're just gutted.
On the side's FA Cup run and season so far, Ward added: "If we are talking about closing the gap [ to the top sides], we have shown again that we can compete. The fact that they had to revert to five at the back in the last 10 minutes tells its own story.
"We are starting to cause these sides problems. There is a long way to go. To do it over the course of a season is a bigger ask. It's important that we continue to grow. But I'm not going to lie that one [result] tonight, it hurts."
