The result sees City safely through to the quarter-finals of the competition for the seventh-consecutive year - and it’s now two wins from two for interim boss Alan Mahon.
What happened
City made a fast start and had the first real sight of goal when Pauline Bremer hit the bar with a looping header from inside the box.
It was a sign of things to come. Our one- and two-touch football was beginning to click and our dominance was soon reflected in the scoreline.
Laura Coombs’ brilliant scooped finish put City ahead inside 20 minutes, and it should have been two seconds later when Jess Park’s first-time shot from point-blank range was saved by Nikita Runnacles in the Ipswich goal.
Bremer doubled our lead after 25 minutes when she controlled Hemp’s ball to the back post, before cutting inside and firing home, and Park’s powerful strike from the edge of the area made it 3-0 five minutes later.
The second-half began in much the same vein, Bremer grabbing her second moments after the restart, before Georgia Stanway tapped home from Janine Beckie‘s cross to make it 5-0.
Bremer completed her hat-trick with a fine finish after a neat one-two on the edge of the area, and Stanway added another seconds later.
And Park then scored two to complete her hat-trick - the last of which was a powerful long-range effort - before Stanway followed suit with rocket from distance.
It was a brave performance from Ipswich, who tried to get the ball down and play. Their run to this stage of the competition suggests there’ll be more of these kinds of occasions for them in the future and their vocal supporters, who travelled en masse, will go home proud of their team’s efforts.
But City had too much quality and pace for the fourth-tier side to handle and we deserve our place in the last eight.
TICKETS:City v Chelsea Women | Sun 23 Feb
Player of the Match: Jess Park
A superb hat-trick and wonderful all-round performance.
Park never stopped running and held the ball up superbly, forming a brilliant understanding with Bremer.
And in the box, she was lethal. A day she’ll never forget.
What it means
City are through to the last eight of the Women’s FA Cup.
It’s a competition we’ve won twice in the last three seasons, with our most recent success coming back in May thanks to a 3-0 win over West Ham in the final.
It also represents a fine start to Alan Mahon’s time as interim boss. Nick Cushing’s departure to New York City has seen Mahon step up and he has won his first two games in charge without conceding a goal.
Tougher tests lie in wait than Bristol City and Ipswich Town – but Mahon will be delighted with the start he’s made.
Team news
It was a much-changed lineup for City.
Karima Benamur, Laura Coombs, Tyler Toland and Jess Park were given rare opportunities to show what they can do from the start, augmented by senior stars such as Steph Houghton, Keira Walsh, Demi Stokes and Georgia Stanway.
City lined up with three at the back – Stokes, Houghton and Stanway – with Walsh sat just in front playing as a deep-lying playmaker. Toland, Coombs, Janine Beckie and Lauren Hemp played ahead of Walsh, with Pauline Bremer leading the line alongside Park.
Next up
City return to Women’s Super League action next Sunday as we entertain Chelsea in a vital top-of-the-table clash.
We are currently on an 11-game winning run in the competition and sit top of the table, one point ahead of Chelsea who have a game in hand.
There’s no question about it: it’s the biggest game of our season to date and it’ll have a significant bearing on where the WSL trophy ends up come what May.
The draw for the next round will take place on Monday 17 February at 8.45pm. We’ll bring you details of that as soon as we have them right here on ManCity.com.
Tickets for all home games are available online or at the Etihad Stadium Ticket Office.
