Manchester United Women vs Brighton and Hove Albion Women. The Women's FA Cup Semi-Final.
Leigh Sports Village.
Match report as Rachel Williams' 89th-minute goal sends Manchester United Women into their first FA Cup final with a 3-2 win over Brighton; Mary Earps OG had given visitors early lead before Leah Galton and Alessia Russo scored for United, only for Danielle Carter to equalise again
Sunday 16 April 2023 07:09, UK
Rachel Williams' last-minute winner saw Man Utd Women reach their first FA Cup final as they finally edged out resurgent Brighton 3-2 at Leigh Sports Village.
In her first match as Seagulls manager, Melissa Phillips watched her new side take a shock lead in the first half when Mary Earps fumbled Veatriki Sarri's cross into her own net for an embarrassing own goal.
Brighton's half-time lead was extinguished within a minute of the restart, as Leah Galton finished from close range to bring the hosts level, and soon Marc Skinner's interval team talk was looking a masterstroke when Alessia Russo fired them ahead with 20 minutes remaining.
But Brighton showed again they may be made of sterner stuff following Phillips' appointment and refused to roll over, equalising through Danielle Carter after she had harried Millie Turner into an underhit back pass which she coolly slotted home.
There would still be heartbreak for the visiting Seagulls eventually though, still dreaming of a first FA Cup final themselves, when Williams was threaded through by Katie Zelem and slotted in an all-important winner a minute from time to send United to Wembley.
Following a 4-0 victory over Brighton in the Women's Super League earlier this month, table-topping United were heavy favourites going into the tie, but it was Albion who went in front after 36 minutes.
Sarri raced down the left and sent in a cross which was palmed into her own goal by England goalkeeper Earps.
Galton equalised two minutes after the restart with a close-range finish and Russo completed the turnaround in the 71st minute, running on to a well-weighted pass from Zelem before rifling a shot into the top corner.
But Brighton refused to lie down and Carter's persistence forced a mistake from Millie Turner which the forward capitalised on.
United piled on late pressure and it paid off when Zelem grabbed her second assist of the game to send Williams through one-on-one with the keeper and her cool finish settled the contest.
Man Utd manager Marc Skinner told BBC Sport: "It was the good, the bad and the ugly. Brighton were excellent. We were off it in the first half. We made an uncharacteristic mistake for one of our goals. In the end, the result matters and we're at Wembley.
"It means a lot. I'm here to win. We've got to improve on that performance. It's good to be there [at Wembley], but I want to be there and make sure we give these fans what they want."
Brighton head coach Melissa Phillips told BBC Sport: "We came here to make a good account of ourselves. This is day one effectively. The performances have always been there, it was the fight, the attitude. They were brilliant. It was just needing a bit of identity and belief. The girls executed it brilliantly.
"The resilience they showed was brilliant. There will be a few key places where we can manage the game better but it's about the attitude today."
