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Sam Kerr scores as Chelsea beats Aston Villa to reach Women's FA Cup final against Manchester United

Sam Kerr scored her 24th goal in 30 games for Chelsea across all competitions. (Getty Images: Gareth Copley)

Sam Kerr has delivered for Chelsea once again, sending them into the FA Cup final with a late header against Aston Villa.

Chelsea will be aiming for their third-straight Women's FA Cup title when they take on Manchester United in four weeks' time at Wembley, after the Red Devils took down Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 thanks to Rachel Williams's 89th-minute tie-breaker.

Kerr booked Chelsea's ticket to another final when she leapt over Villa's Kirsty Hanson to nod Guro Reiten's cross past goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.

It was Kerr's best chance of the match to that point, although both sides peppered each others' goals.

There were 34 shots fired in on the day, with Jelena Čanković's strike just after half-time the best of the missed chances, hitting the woodwork after controlling a cross on the far post.

Kerr had another chance in the 79th minute, but she sprayed her shot wide as a cross bounced in from the right wing.

Villa had their own chances, with four shots on target, but Chelsea's defence was solid in closing down the goalmouth, so their best efforts were long-range blasts.

Lucy Staniforth unleashed a brutal curling shot from the outside of her boot on 42 minutes that Swedish goalkeeper Zećira Mušović dove brilliantly to her left to save.

And in the 50th minute, Sarah Mayling hit a first-time ball from well outside the 18-yard box at an acute angle that threatened to sneak over Mušović's head and into the goal, but ultimately floated just over the crossbar.

If Kerr's Chelsea side can win the final against United, it will be the Blues' fifth FA Cup victory since 2015.

Kerr scored a double in each of their past two finals.

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