Women's FA Cup: Recap & Preview

Photo: Tiff Barber for Constancy Football

With the introduction of Women's Super League (WSL) and Championship clubs in this round of the Adobe Women's FA Cup, let's recap the weekend's action and look ahead to what's to come.

Success and Sorrow: 

Nine out of the seven scheduled games went ahead, with several matches postponed due to frosty conditions.

Postponed Fixtures:

■       Tuesday January 14th: Crystal Palace v Sheffield United

■       Wednesday January 15th: Blackburn Rovers v Portsmouth, Leicester City v Stoke City 

■       Wednesday January 29th: Everton v Tottenham, Brighton v Durham, Arsenal v Bristol City, West Ham v Liverpool

Goals galore:

The nine matches witnessed a goal spree, with a total of 45 scored across the weekend. But all matches were heavily contested by every team involved.

○       4th Round Results:

■       Manchester United 7-0 West Bromwich Albion

■       Fulham 0-5 London City Lionesses

■       Exeter City 1-7 Sunderland

■       Newcastle United 1-0 Nottingham Forest 

■       Manchester City 3-0 Ipswich Town 

■       London Bees 6-0 Rugby Borough

■       Cheltenham Town 0-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 

■       Chelsea 4-0 Charlton Athletic

■       Aston Villa 9-0 Bristol Rovers

Looking Ahead: 5th Round

The fifth round will be played across February 7th, 8th, and 9th, featuring some intriguing match ups:

●       Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United 

●       Chelsea v Everton or Tottenham Hotspur

●       Blackburn Rovers or Portsmouth v Sunderland

●       Manchester City v Leicester City or Stoke City 

●       Crystal Palace or Sheffield United v Newcastle United 

●       Aston Villa v Brighton & Hove Albion or Durham

●       Rugby Borough v West Ham United or Liverpool 

●       Arsenal or Bristol City v London City Lionesses 

London Derbies:

The possibility of two London derbies in the fifth round – Chelsea vs. Tottenham and Arsenal vs. London City Lionesses – adds a layer of rivalry and excitement.

Close Calls:

The Blackburn Rovers or Portsmouth vs. Sunderland tie is likely to be a tightly fought match. All three clubs compete in the Championship, ensuring a deep understanding of each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Underdogs:

Rugby Borough, as one of the lowest-ranked teams in the fifth round, may face less pressure. However, the magic of the FA Cup often sees lower-ranked teams upset top clubs, showing anything is possible.