City 1-0 Chelsea, 2014
The game Jill Scott describes as her all-time favourite… a Continental Cup semi-final victory in our maiden campaign as a professional Club.
Underdogs City hosted the Londoners in our first major cup semi-final, entertaining Emma Hayes’ much-fancied outfit at Hyde’s Ewen Fields.
Having struggled to negotiate the top flight in the season’s early stages, Nick Cushing’s side had kick-started our campaign in the League Cup, registering our first win in the competition at the Etihad Stadium with a last-gasp 1-0 triumph over Everton, which sparked a much-improved run of form.
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Impressively, the league newcomers finished top of the Group 2 standings with four wins from five to advance to the knock-out rounds.
A tricky assignment against double-chasing Chelsea loomed but City stood up to the challenge, edging a close contest by a solitary goal, as Toni Duggan capitalised on a defensive error to send Cushing’s side through to our first ever Cup Final.
Giants Arsenal awaited but once again, the spirited underdogs triumphed to lift our first piece of major silverware.
City 2-1 Chelsea, 2014
After emerging victorious in that Conti Cup semi-final, City locked horns with Chelsea again a matter of weeks later in the FA Women’s Super League season finale.
Cushing’s side were set to complete a more than respectable first season in the WSL with a fifth-place finish and with a place in our maiden cup final secured – and the home side were handed the chance to play a decisive role in how the title race panned out.
A win or draw for Chelsea would secure them the league crown, with Birmingham and Liverpool set to pounce on any slip-up – and City were in no mood to tolerate any opposition celebrations on our home turf.
England star Jill Scott put the cat amongst the pigeons, opening the scoring with a well-struck long-range effort, before Duggan doubled the lead with a goal of the highest quality, chesting Scott’s delivery down before volleying superbly past substitute goalkeeper Claire Farrow. The goal would see the striker become the first woman to win the Club’s Nissan Goal of the Season award the following summer!
Gilly Flaherty pulled a goal back for the visitors late on but City held firm to preserve the win with teenage goalkeeper Alex Brooks (deputising for the injured Karen Bardsley) producing an excellent display.
Chelsea 0-2 City, 2016
Missing out on the 2015 league title two points shy of Chelsea had fuelled City’s hunger for the 2016 campaign - and the first pair’s first league meeting of the season issued a real statement of intent.
Staines had not proven a happy hunting ground for Cushing’s side with three agonisingly late defeats in our four visits.
However, the final whistle on this day in May 2016 would instead spark scenes of celebration for those in sky blue, as we claimed a crucial 2-0 win, signalling our desire to dethrone the home side.
The opener arrived on the brink of half-time via the most unlikely source, as left-back Demi Stokes collected Kosse Asllani’s through-ball and drilled expertly into the bottom corner.
Three minutes after the break, the lead was extended as Jennifer Beattie rose highest to head home, courtesy of a deflection.
Despite a late flurry of Chelsea pressure, City held on for a priceless win, maintaining our 100% start to the league season...
City 2-0 Chelsea, 2016
Our first title triumph...
After clinching a crucial 1-0 victory at Arsenal, City welcomed reigning Champions Chelsea to the Academy Stadium in the knowledge a win or draw would secure our very first WSL title.
With plenty at stake and a firm rivalry emerging, a record crowd turned out to cheer the home side on, on a day in which City were simply a class above their counterparts.
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Scott broke the deadlock in the first half with a deflected header from Duggan’s corner, and the provider turned goalscorer in the second half, as Duggan despatched a penalty after Lucy Bronze had been hacked down by Flaherty.
The spot-kick marked Duggan’s ninth goal in nine games against Hayes’ side but more importantly, sealed the three points needed to lift the WSL trophy for the first time.
A 1-1 draw against Birmingham the following week would complete an unbeaten league campaign, capping a superb season in which City also lifted the Conti Cup for the second time with a 1-0 extra-time victory over the Solihull side.
Chelsea 0-2 City, 2019
Having met seven times in cup competition (and six times in semi-finals), City and Chelsea were familiar foe on the big stage and once again, they were pitted against each other in the last four stage of the 2018/19 Continental Cup.
A superb second half display booked our place in the Final, as Nikita Parris bagged a brace at Kingsmeadow to inspire a 2-0 win.
Bardsley had produced a pivotally impenetrable performance in the opening 45 and aided by Cushing’s half-time tactical switch, City came out fighting in the second half, netting the opener inside five minutes.
Upended by Deanna Cooper, all-time FA WSL top scorer Parris stepped up to convert confidently from the penalty spot, before doubling her personal tally with a cool finish one-on-one to seal the tie.
The triumph set up our third (and second successive) Conti Cup Final clash with Arsenal, and ensured both our men’s and women’s teams would compete in League Cup Finals on the same weekend.
Joyfully, both would go on to lift the trophies with penalty shoot-out wins!
