Everton 1, Manchester City Women 3 (AET, Women’s FA Cup Final 2020)
Georgia Stanway and Janine Beckie hit goals in extra time to win Manchester City the Women’s FA Cup for a third time in four seasons.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was a first trophy for new Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor after City needed 120 minutes of battling before they retained the Women’s FA Cup.
It was all that City had deserved after Everton’s Valerie Gauvin’s unorthodox second half header had cancelled out Sam Mewis’ first half header.
And it spoke volumes of City’s play during the game that Everton goalkeeper Sandy MacIver was named Player of the Match – the first goalkeeper to win the accolade in an FA Cup final since Carly Telford for Leeds United in 2008.
USA international Mewis gave City the lead in the 40th minute of a tactical contest when her towering header from Alex Greenwood’s corner went past Sandy MacIver in the 40th minute.
Chloe Kelly had already tested MacIver earlier but City struggled to convert their dominance into goals.
Sandy MacIver kept Everton in the game until Manchester City won the Women’s FA Cup with extra time goals
City could have doubled their lead after the break when Caroline Weir’s shot from an acute angle on the left hit the post and Kelly saw her follow-up tipped over the bar by MacIver.
Valerie Gauvin had looked set to be taken off after looking injured following an earlier clash with City captain Steph Houghton but she was to play a pivotal role in the second half.
Both keepers saw action and Ellie Roebuck saved acrobatically from Damaris Egurrola’s header as the Toffees threatened.
Gauvin levelled the score by converting Izzy Christiansen’s subsequent corner with a header on the hour mark as she turned away from Demi Stokes expecting a challenge.
Ellen White made way for Georgia Stanway after 63 minutes and made the wrong choice in threading an early ball through to an offside Rose Lavelle when Chloe Kelly on onside to her right.
Lavelle was next to be substituted, replaced by the talented Jess Park with 20 minutes to go.
But Everton were nearly in front for the first time when Gauvin’s diving header under pressure from Alex Greenwood was narrowly wide after a great cross by Nicoline Sorensen.
Stanway curled one wide of the back post while Weir and Kelly both wasted good chances to win the game with Everton tiring and forced into a series of injury related changes which included taking off Gauvin and Egurrola.
Weir also rapped the crossbar after exchanging passes with Mewis but there was to be extra time with the sides at deadlock.
City kept up the pressure in extra time and Meg Finnigan had to make a last ditch tacle to deny Stanway a winner after it looked like she had gone clear of MacIver.
MacIver came to Everton’s rescue moments later, tipping away Houghton’s header onto onto the post from Greenwood’s corner just before half time in extra time.
But City’s pressure finally told and Taylor’s substitutes paid off starting with an incisive move in the 111th minute.
Park slipped a superbly weighted pass into the heart of the Everton defence where Stanway seized her chance, shooting past the heroic MacIver to restore City’s lead.
Everton threw everything at City but late substitute Janine Beckie put the finishing touches to City’s performance by slotting home her first goal since October 2019 in injury time right at the end to make certain of the win after Stanway unselfishly released her.
MATCH STATS – Everton 1, Manchester City Women 3 (AET, Women’s FA Cup Final 2020)
Everton Women: MacIver, Wold, Finnigan, Sevecke (Pattinson 90), Turner, Egurrola (Stringer 99), Christiansen, Sorensen, Graham (Pike 90+2), Raso (Boye-Hlorkah 76), Gauvin (Magill 90)
Everton Women Subs not used: Korpela, Clemaron, Clinton
Booked: Raso
Goal: Gauvin 60
Man City Women: Roebuck, Bronze, Houghton, Greenwood, Stokes, Mewis, Walsh, Kelly (Beckie 119), Weir, Lavelle (Park 70), White (Stanway 63)
Man City Women Subs not used: Bardsley, Benameur, Bonner, Coombs, Scott
Booked: Bronze, Stanway
Goals: Mewis 40; Stanway 111; Beckie 120+2
Referee: Rebecca Welch