Bunny and Park strikes help seal FA Cup semi-final spot

Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Jess Park’s strikes after the interval were enough to seal our place in the last-four of this year’s competition.

In what developed into a battling first half at the Joie Stadium, the opener both teams craved evaded them before the Jamaican coolly dispatched her 19^th of the season in all competitions after the break.

England international, Park, then rubber-stamped the success with just less than 20 minutes remaining with a powerful effort.

It means we’ve reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2022, the season in which we were runners up.

WHAT HAPPENED

In what was our third match in a week, Taylor made three changes to the side who drew with West Ham in the WSL four days before the meeting with the Villans at the Joie Stadium.

This saw Shaw return to the starting lineup, meaning Mary Fowler operated on the left wing and the pair combined twice in the opening stages with the Australian viciously crossing towards the Jamaican.

Bunny then returned the favour moments later when shrugging off her marker on the edge of the area before teeing up February’s Etihad Player of the Month, who struck into the hands of Sabrina D’Angelo.

City were producing a masterclass in effective, aesthetically pleasing football in the opening exchanges with neat passing and fluidity across the thirds, and it almost paid dividends when the ball was fired into Bunny’s feet, who turned and drilled just wide of the post.

A beautifully observed minute’s applause then followed at the Joie Stadium from all four sides of the ground in memory of Poppy Atkinson, a 10-year-old girl who passed away earlier this week, with both sets of players also wearing black armbands.

During the last meeting between the sides, Vivianne Miedema scored a phenomenal dipping effort from the edge of the area, and she almost repeated the trick midway through the first half.

She found space around 25 yards out from goal, but saw her venomous effort fly just past the outside of the post this time, rather than the top corner.

Although Villa had won just one of their previous six matches before the cup clash, the lack of a City goal seemed to inject confidence into the visitors who began playing the ball round nicely and approaching the City box with crosses which we defended well.

City continued to probe and Jill Roord and Miedema combined, with the latter sliding the former into the box with a sublime backheel, before the 27-year-old’s shot was held by D’Angelo.

Almost immediately, though, the visitors should have broken the deadlock when Ebony Salmon drove into the area before her fizzed effort was magnificently tipped over the bar by Ayaka Yamashita.

As the first half progressed, the contest turned into a battling, old-fashioned cup tie with it all to play for after the interval.

After a somewhat stop-start beginning to the second half with pauses for treatment to Villa players, Shaw lit the blue touch paper following a slick City attacking move.

Miedema played the ball into Fowler who then slid a perfectly-weighted pass behind the visitors’ defence which the Jamaican latched onto before composing herself and coolly slotting into the net.

That undoubtedly gave the hosts a lift and we continued to stamp our authority on proceedings before almost doubling our advantage, somewhat fortuitously, when a cross from the left was nudged inches past her own net by Anna Patten’s knee.

City then put one foot into the semi-finals just shy of 20 minutes from time when Miedema’s tireless pressing allowed her to regain the ball off Miri Taylor.

She switched it out to an unmarked Park, who slammed back across goal and into the net.

That proved to be the afternoon’s last strike as we booked our place into the semi-finals of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: MARY FOWLER 

The Australian’s sensational form since the turn of the year continued at the Joie Stadium with another masterful display from the left. 

Constantly looking to drive at the Villa defence, Fowler grabbed a superb assist for Bunny’s opener with a perfect pass.

She then continued to threaten when moved centrally and reflected her precious versatility for the Blues.

HOW WE LINED UP

Gareth Taylor made three changes from the team who started our 1-1 draw with West Ham last time out.

That meant Ayaka Yamashita was protected by a back four of Kerstin Casparij, Gracie Prior, Laia Aleixandri (C) and Leila Ouahabi.

Yui Hasegawa anchored our midfield with the engine room also containing Vivianne Miedema and Jill Roord.

Our front free was then spearheaded by Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw with Mary Fowler starting on the left and Jess Park on the right.

City XI: Yamashita, Casparij (Wienroither 89’), Prior (Layzell, 84’), Aleixandri (C), Ouahabi, Hasegawa, Miedema (Blindkilde Brown 84’), Roord, Park, Fowler, Shaw (Kerolin Nicoli 79’).

Unused substitutes: Keating, Oyama, Murphy.

Aston Villa XI: D’Angelo, Mayling (Maritz 73’), Tomas, Patten, Robinson (Daly 62’), Parker, Salmon, Baijings (Kearns 81’), Grant, Taylor (Nobbs 82’), Nunes (Hanson 73’).

Unused substitutes: Talbert, Turner.

WHAT IT MEANS

The win over Aston Villa means we have advanced into the FA Cup last-four with the draw taking place later this afternoon.

WHAT’S NEXT

Next up for City is the tantalising Subway Women’s League Cup final with Chelsea.

Kick-off at Pride Park is set for 12:15 (UK) on Saturday 15 March and tickets can be purchased here.

Next Fixture

All fixtures

Sun 09 Mar

Women's FA Cup

Man City

12:30

GMT

A Villa