Having beaten neighbours Manchester United in the previous round, and arch-rivals Chelsea in the League Cup final earlier in the month, it was Everton who now stood in the way of Manchester City’s bid to complete a domestic cup double. The Merseyside team were looking to salvage something from a pretty disastrous season in which two managers have already come and gone – and they were also out for revenge for their extra-time Cup final defeat by City two seasons ago.
A Manchester City merchandise stall set up inside the Manchester City Academy Stadium (top), Manchester City fans, City mascots Moonbeam and Moonchester, fans queue for some pre-match sustenance, and visiting Everton fans.
Face painter Keeley Brown (top left) and a colleague at work. Injured club captain Steph Houghton makes her way to her seat before kick-off (above left). Houghton has been out of action since January after she aggravated the achilles injury that she sustained in September. Manchester City’s captain Ellen White (right) leads the pre-match handshake.
Eager to make home advantage count, City came flying out of the blocks with Lucy Bronze (below) going close on a number of occasions. The home side had the lion’s share of possession and opportunities in the first half which meant Everton’s captain Izzy Christiansen, seen clearing the ball below, was kept busy as the visitors struggled throughout to build any sort of momentum against an impressive City side.
Lauren Hemp (above, fourth right) celebrates with teammates in the 35th minute after sweeping the ball home from close range before adding a superb second with a magnificent backheel flick early in the second half (below). Hemp’s double meant that she had scored 14 goals in 29 appearances this season, and edged above Caroline Weir in the club’s scoring charts with 37 in total.
Manchester City’s Filippa Angeldahl (above left) races Everton’s Gabrielle George to win the ball. Just after the hour mark Caroline Weir (below) surged forward before firing home City’s third from 25 yards out for her sixth goal in as many games. It was her 12th in 26 appearances this season.
Manchester City’s captain Ellen White (above) sealed the rout as she tapped in a cross during injury-time. The 4-0 victory meant City reached the last four for the eighth consecutive season.
Filippa Angeldahl poses for a photo with a young fan after their victory and a City fan has their shirt signed by Georgia Stanway (below).
The draw gave Manchester City another away tie, their third in the four so far in this year’s competition, as they travel to Chigwell to take on West Ham in the semi-finals.
Click here to see the picture essays from previous rounds.
