Keating Masterclass & Aleixandri Winner as Unbeaten Man City enter QFs of FA Cup

Sunday 11 February 2024

Adobe Women's FA Cup Round of 16

Arsenal Vs Manchester City

Boreham Wood Football Club, Meadow Park, Broughinge Rd, Borehamwood WD6 5AL

Keating masterclass & Aleixandri winner as Unbeaten Man City enter QFs of FA Cup

Laia Aleixandri's winner on 74 minutes helped Manchester City book a spot in the last 8.

MATCH PREVIEW:

An all-WSL clash as the first game of Sunday's RO16 Adobe Women's FA Cup ties, as Manchester City and Arsenal meet again at Meadow Park, Boreham Wood. Arsenal have won their last 3 homes games against their guests at this stadium in all competitions. But with Leah Williamson back to the team from an ACL injury, it hasn't been the best return for the 26-year-old skipper, whose side suffered a shock 2-1 loss away to West Ham United in the WSL at the Chigwell Construction Stadium. On the other hand, Manchester City have won 9 straight games in all competitions, even booking a place in the Continential Cup semi-finals after their narrow win over Tottenham Hotspur at Brisbane Road, 4 days ago. Which one of these teams will be the third team to book their place in the last 8 of the Adobe Women's Fa Cup? Will it be Jonas Eidevall's Gunners or Gareth Taylor's high-flying Manchester City?

TEAM NEWS:

There are 4 changes for the hosts from their 2-1 loss away at West Ham United, with Sabrina D'Angelo, Katie McCabe, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Frida Maanum replacing Manuela Zinsberger, Steph Catley, Lia Wälti and Vivienne Miedema, who is out with a minor knee injury. Leah Williamson starts in back-to-back games, after her recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Only one change from Gareth Taylor's high-flying Manchester City, as Laura Coombs starts in place of Filippa Angeldahl who drops to the bench. Jess Park continues to deputise at CAM in place of the injured Jill Roord.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Khadija "Bunny" Shaw: The 27-year-old Jamaican has had an outstanding season so far. 2 hat-tricks in this years WSL, and is the top-goal scorer in this year's WSL. She may have had some quiet games and has been nursing a calf issue, but can she once again score against Arsenal?

KICK-OFF: FIRST HALF

Manchester City kick-off the first half as the first game of the Sunday FA Cup ties, gets underway. And we can immediately see that the visitors are keen to set the tone and create chances and score. They haven't won at Boreham Wood since Ellen White scored in a 3-0 win in February 2021. The game's first chance on 6 minutes, as Lauren Hemp couldn't steer her header from Chloe Kelly's corner from a tight angle into the back of the net. But aside from that chance, Foord's effort on 15 minutes, was too easy for 19-year-old Khiara Keating. Other than these two efforts, there was nothing that entertained the crowd of both teams, and at the end of the first half, it remains goalless.

Jess Park and Lotte Wubben-Moy in action as they try to win possession.

KICK-OFF: SECOND HALF

Arsenal kick-off the second half, in a bid to try and make the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, at the expense of Manchester City. The hosts mounted the pressure for 20 minutes by winning corners and free kicks, attempting to score, but all of those are well-defended by the solid City defence of Laia Aleixandri, Alex Greenwood and Khiara Keating. With a lack of firepower up top, Eidevall was left with no option as he blinks first with a double substitution. Katie McCabe and Alessia Russo off, Steph Catley and Stina Blackstenius on for the final 25 minutes. At the other end, Bunny Shaw had to be subbed off, due to an ongoing calf issue on her leg, as Mary Fowler is on for the last few minutes of the game. And a big moment came on 74 minutes. Caitlin Foord fouls Chloe Kelly on the right wing and wins a free kick for Manchester City. 

In from Kelly, a bit of a scramble in the box, but there's ALEIXANDRI!!! FINALLY A GOAL AT LAST!! LAIA ALEIXANDRI FIRES MANCHESTER CITY IN FRONT, WITH ONLY A QUARTER OF AN HOUR TO PLAY, SURELY NOW THIS GOAL SEALS A PLACE IN THE ADOBE WOMEN'S FA CUP QUARTER-FINALS!!! It's only her second ever goal for the club and what a big one this is!!

Laia Aleixandri celebrates her goal with Alex Greenwood and Laura Coombs on 74 minutes.

Arsenal are stunned at this, but do they have a way of forcing extra-time? An enraged Eidevall brings on two substitutes in a bid to turn the game around in their favour, Laia Codina & Lia Wälti are on for Leah Williamson & Kyra Cooney-Cross. Whatever the hosts try and do, it isn't working at all, everything is going the way of the visitors. But there was stoppage time drama with a minimum of 6 minutes added on. And Arsenal's chance came on the first minute of added time. Mead, with a beautiful pass to Emily Fox, as she crosses it in and PELOVA!! AND WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLE SAVE BY KHIARA KEATING!! STRETCHES HER HAND AND PALMS IT AWAY FROM THE TOP LEFT CORNER! INCREDIBLE GOALKEEPING! AND IT'S AN ARSENAL CORNER! Cleared away by Manchester City and back to Sabrina D'Angelo, who floats over a wonderful pass to Blackstenius and she tees up Kim Little, AND ONCE AGAIN, WHAT AN OUTSTANDING SAVE BY KHIARA KEATING!! TIPS IT OVER THE BAR AND ONCE AGAIN ANOTHER ARSENAL CORNER WITH TIME RUNNING OUT!! MY WORD IS SHE HAVING A TERRIFIC TIME AT BOREHAM WOOD TODAY, is the 19-year-old academy product.

Mead crosses it into the box and Little flicks it in, and WHAT HAVE WE JUST SEEN?! IS IT A GOAL FOR ARSENAL? I REALLY DON'T KNOW!! BECAUSE ONCE AGAIN IS IT
KHIARA KEATING MAKING WHAT IS A GAME-CHANGING SAVE? ALL THE ARSENAL PLAYERS THINK IT'S INTO THE NET, SO DID EIDEVALL AND THE FANS!! But referee Stacy Pearson said no! Absolute fury for the Arsenal fans!! BUT MORE JOY FOR MANCHESTER CITY AND KHIARA KEATING!! SHE HAS COMPLETED HER REDEMPTION!! Her mistake led to Blackstenius scoring the winner on November 5th 2023, NOW ON 11TH FEBRUARY 2024, KHIARA KEATING HAS SAVED MANCHESTER CITY BY THE BAREST OF ALL MARGINS!! BY THE BAREST!!!

Khiara Keating just about keeps the ball out of the net and has won the game for Man City.

MY WORD!! WHAT DRAMA WE HAVE WITNESSED HERE IN LONDON!! CORNER SWUNG IN BY ARSENAL AND IT DOESN'T FIND A PLAYER IN RED, BOOTED AWAY BY FOWLER AND THAT'S IT!!! THE FULL-TIME WHISTLE HAS SOUNDED AND MANCHESTER CITY HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THE QUARTER-FINALS OF THE ADOBE WOMEN'S FA CUP, AT THE EXPENSE OF ARSENAL, who have now suffered back-to-back losses in all competitions.