Brighton & Hove Albion pulled off the shock result of the Women’s FA Cup quarter-final round on Sunday, beating Arsenal 2-0 at Meadow Park to book their place in the semi-finals for the fourth time in their history.
Brighton Enjoyed a Famous Women’s FA Cup Victory
It was a famous win for Dario Vidosic’s side – and a challenging afternoon for a Gunners team that last lifted the trophy a full decade ago, in 2016.
The deadlock was broken three minutes after half-time when American striker Madison Haley latched onto a perfectly weighted Fran Kirby cross and slotted the ball superbly into the top corner.
But Brighton couldn’t afford to rest on their laurels and continued to push to double their lead. They went 2-0 up on 63 minutes, when another excellent Kirby delivery found Caitlin Hayes, who sent a looping header beyond goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar.
Arsenal threw on the big guns in Alessia Russo, Olivia Smith, and Frida Maanum from the bench but couldn’t find a way through a disciplined Brighton defence.
What Can We Expect from the Women’s FA Cup Semi-Finals?
Brighton’s reward is a tie against Liverpool at Prenton Park on Sunday, 10 May.
In the other semi-final, Chelsea take on Manchester City at Kingsmeadow on the same day. Chelsea are chasing a place in their sixth final in seven years, while City will be looking to claim a fourth FA Cup title.
