Manchester City will compete for a fourth Women’s FA Cup title after booking their place in Wembley’s final with victory over West Ham.
City, who last won the competition in 2020, were put under early pressure from the hosts at Victoria Road but took a 2-0 lead through Ellen White and Chloe Kelly.
Kelly’s goal – her first since returning from a serious knee injury – threatened to help City pull clear but Lisa Evans gave West Ham a lifeline minutes before half-time with a composed finish.
West Ham remained competitive but Lauren Hemp confirmed victory for City with two goals in the second half – spinning away from several players before firing it into the bottom corner for her first, then drilling in a second in stoppage time.
It was an entertaining semi-final in front of a raucous crowd in Dagenham, with plenty of chances for both teams.
City could have had several more with White having two headed goals ruled out – the first as Lucy Bronze failed to keep the ball in play, before White was offside when she was picked out by Keira Walsh.
The hosts came close through Tameka Yallop and Katerina Svitkova after the break but City hit the crossbar when Hemp teed up substitute Filippa Angeldahl.
City will face the winner of Sunday’s match between the Women’s Super League’s top two Arsenal and Chelsea – live on BBC Two from 12:15 BST – in the final at Wembley on 15 May.
Emotional goal for City’s Kelly
It was an emotional occasion for Kelly, who was starting her first game for City since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament knee injury.
Her goal was gifted to her by West Ham defender Gilly Flaherty but it did not take anything away from what it meant to Kelly, who immediately jumped into the air, clenching her fists before being hugged by her team-mates.
She was smiling as she jogged back to the halfway line and exchanged words with manager Gareth Taylor. At half-time, she gestured to family in the stands before heading down the tunnel.
The stage speaks for itself – an FA Cup semi-final with a place at Wembley up for grabs. But the timing is also notable given it is only three months until England’s opening game at the Euros.
If Kelly keeps scoring, playing regularly for City and can get near the level of form she showed before her injury, Lionesses’ manager Sarina Wiegman could become interested.
Line-ups
West Ham Women
Formation 3-5-2
- 1Arnold
- 7Evans
- 5Flaherty
- 22Fisk
- 13YallopSubstituted forSnerleat 73’minutes
- 15Parker
- 32Brynjarsdóttir
- 14HasegawaSubstituted forWalkerat 78’minutes
- 12Longhurst
- 10Svitková
- 19Leon
Substitutes
- 2Wyne
- 4Stringer
- 8Snerle
- 9Walker
- 17Filis
- 20Joel
- 23Cissoko
- 26Moore
- 33Houssein
Man City Women
Formation 4-3-3
- 26Roebuck
- 20Bronze
- 5Greenwood
- 33Kennedy
- 3Stokes
- 19WeirSubstituted forStanwayat 72’minutes
- 7CoombsSubstituted forAngeldahlat 80’minutes
- 24Walsh
- 9KellyBooked at 53minsSubstituted forRasoat 62’minutes
- 18WhiteSubstituted forShawat 72’minutes
- 15Hemp
Substitutes
- 10Stanway
- 12Angeldahl
- 13Raso
- 21Shaw
- 30Mace
- 34Benameur
- 35Keating
- Referee:
- Abigail Byrne
Live Text
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Match ends, West Ham United Women 1, Manchester City Women 4.
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Second Half ends, West Ham United Women 1, Manchester City Women 4.
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Attempt missed. Grace Fisk (West Ham United Women) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right.
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Corner, West Ham United Women. Conceded by Alex Greenwood.
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Goal! West Ham United Women 1, Manchester City Women 4. Lauren Hemp (Manchester City Women) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Georgia Stanway.
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Corner, Manchester City Women. Conceded by Mackenzie Arnold.
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Attempt saved. Georgia Stanway (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
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Attempt saved. Alex Greenwood (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
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Corner, Manchester City Women. Conceded by Mackenzie Arnold.
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Attempt saved. Filippa Angeldahl (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
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Corner, West Ham United Women. Conceded by Alex Greenwood.
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Substitution, Manchester City Women. Filippa Angeldahl replaces Laura Coombs.
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Substitution, West Ham United Women. Claudia Walker replaces Yui Hasegawa.
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Attempt saved. Katerina Svitková (West Ham United Women) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the top centre of the goal.
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Adriana Leon (West Ham United Women) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Keira Walsh (Manchester City Women).
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Substitution, West Ham United Women. Emma Snerle replaces Tameka Yallop.
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Substitution, Manchester City Women. Khadija Shaw replaces Ellen White.
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Substitution, Manchester City Women. Georgia Stanway replaces Caroline Weir.
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Corner, Manchester City Women. Conceded by Gilly Flaherty.