Manchester City Women 8, Aston Villa Women 0 (Womens FA Cup 4th Round)
FA Cup holders Manchester City despatched Aston Villa Women with an eight goal thrashing in their 4th Round tie including a hat trick for wing wizard Chloe Kelly.
Embed from Getty ImagesKelly, who started her City career on the biggest stage in the last season’s delayed FA Cup final, was delighted to grab her first City hat trick, adding: “We want to win the FA Cup again and we’ll push in every round to get better – our eyes are set on Wembley.”
It was one better than the seven goal victory margin that City beat Villa by in their WSL game at the City Football Academy in January.
City raced into a 3-0 lead at the break with Ellen White scoring either side of a Kelly brace.
The Blues quickly added two more goals after 4 out of 5 subs scored – Janine Beckie and Georgia Stanway made it 5-0 by the hour mark.
Rose Lavelle made it six by the 72nd minute before Villa’s Nadine Hansen rattled the City crossbar but Kelly and Mewis had the final word – the winger grabbed her hat trick 6 minutes from time and Mewis thumped City’s eighth in off the post right at the end.
City boss Gareth Taylor was happy with the amount of minutes on the pitch which were shared around with his senior players ahead of a crucial show-down with Chelsea on Wednesday after assessing players on their return from international duty this week.
He said: “We really respect this competition, sometimes you have to manage priorities but for us would not have rested players today.
“It was the perfect training practice for us – a good effort from the players today.
“I thought it was a very professional performance, we controlled the game really well, some of our play was really exceptional.
“We looked hungry even in the last ten minutes and showed good concentration by Ellie to make the saves at the end
“And the subs didn’t affect our performance; four out of our five subs scored.”
Villa interim boss Marcus Bignot admitted that he had sacrificed the tie because his team had a crucial game at West Ham on Tuesday and needed to try and get his team off the foot of the Women’s Super League table.
He said: “We have to sacrifice today in terms of our survival moving forward. We left a lot of starters at home.
“Because of our team selection today everyone could see we made mass changes throughout – it was an opportunity for finishers to start in this tight turnaround of games.
“It was important to get minutes into legs after the mini tournament we have coming up.”
And although 8-0 was a bit harsh on the Villa second string, there was a chance that some of these players might have played themselves into the team for Tuesday.
Bignot added: “There were some pleasing performances there considering these players are not used to playing together.
“We drew Man City in the FA Cup – people will see this from afar and think 8-0 Villa are [going] down – let’s hope they have this mindset when they come and play us.”
There was a minute of silence to mark the day of the funeral of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh followed by both teams taking the knee in solidarity with the anti-racism message which has become mainstream.
Manchester City get off to a great start against Aston Villa in FA Cup with Chloe Kelly double and Ellen White goal
Laura Coombes was the only change for City after the international break with Sam Mewis rested after her international exploits as City named a very strong line-up to defend the FA Cup.
Villa left several first team players at home and only brought six subs but were down to five before kick off after a late replacement had to be made before kick off with Ella Franklin-Fraiture replaced by Asmita Ale after being withdrawn in the warm-up.
Caroline Weir’s tame shot was saved by Sian Rogers after she was picked out by Chloe Kelly in the fourth minute as City started strongly.
And Kelly’s cross from the right was deflected onto the roof of the net via a couple of awkward bounces which almost caught Rogers about a couple of minutes later.
Weir’s pot shot from the edge of the area went over the bar and also sent a shot wide of the post with City applying the pressure.
Kelly won the ball down the right flank and cut it back for Ellen White whose shot was blocked.
But then City scored a fully deserved pearler of a goal after 15 minutes, when Lauren Hemp’s corner was only cleared as far as Kelly who improvised an overhead standing hook to loop the ball back over Sian Rogers and into the Villa net for her 11th strike of the season.
Kelly caused Rogers to save several times more as she tried to top her first goal with help from Lucy Bronze on her flank.
She almost turned provider for a chance was trickled wide before Dahlkemper sent in another ball which White touched wide before City scored their second.
Hemp wasn’t hard to miss – still wearing a bandage after her cut sustained on international duty – and Weir found her on the left before the inevitable cross came in and was turned in by White at the near post after 33 minutes.
White was foiled by the outstretched leg of Rogers as she thought she had City’s third minutes later.
Kelly had deserved a second goal after her work to win the ball high against Natalie Haigh before going past her and smashing it past Rogers.
Kelly went past Asmita Ale just before the break as she sought out her hat trick but another Villa defender cleared the ball before Kelly could shoot.
With a comfortable lead in the bag, City made a double change with one eye on the crucial WSL fixture against Chelsea in midweek.
Lucy Bronze, who was still short of full match fitness after an injury layoff, was replace by Georgia Stanway while Hemp was replaced by Janine Beckie.
Shania Hayles was offside in the early moments after the restart but City managed to find another goal in the 50th minute the Beckie’s looping effort from wide on the left beat Rogers and went in from 25 yards out.
Beckie was denied by Rogers’ outstretched hand after racing in on goal following an Alex Greenwood free kick shortly afterwards.
And after 58 minutes it was 5-0 as Stanway found space and lashed home from 8 yards through a forest of legs following a Weir free kick.
City were cruising at this point and Esme Morgan replaced Demi Stokes who was herself on the road to recovery after her own injury layoff while Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis also came on for White and Weir.
Kelly’s looping header was saved by Rogers who also saved before Lavelle couldn’t steer the ball past the Villa keeper after Beckie picker her out with a pass.
Beckie provided again from the left with a cutback for Rose Lavelle to hit the 6th from 12 yards out after she arrived unmarked in the area – her 4th goal of the season.
Mewis and Coombs went close before Villa had their best chance of the game with 8 minutes to go – Nadine Hansen rattled the crossbar with a chip.
But City had the last word after Beckie’s ball into the area deflected off a defender and evaded everyone before coming off Kelly for her hat trick.
Ellie Roebuck finally had her hands on the ball from a couple of late Villa attacks but the tie was long since over – a fact underlined by a fine finish by Mewis to send a ball past Rogers and in off the post by the American who became City’s top goalscorer on 14 goals for the season as City chalked up 96 goals in all competitions this season.
GOALS – Manchester City Women 8, Aston Villa Women 0 (Womens FA Cup 4th Round)
Man City Women 1, Aston Villa Women 0: 15. Chloe Kelly came up with an improvised overhead hook to send the ball past Sian Rogers in the Villa goal after Lauren Hemp’s in-swinging corner was headed clear only as far as the City winger.
Man City Women 2, Aston Villa Women 0: 33. Ellen White was on the spot to double City’s lead after Lauren Hemp served up the ball on a plate from the left flank after Caroline Weir had put her through.
Man City Women 3, Aston Villa Women 0: 41. Chloe Kelly won the ball in a challenge with Natalie Haigh before going past her to fire, left footed, past Sian Rogers to earn City’s third goal.
Man City Women 4, Aston Villa Women 0: 50. Janine Beckie chanced her arm on a high lob which Sian Rogers lost in the noon sun and went inside at the back post.
Man City Women 5, Aston Villa Women 0: 58. Georgia Stanway found space for herself near the penalty spot and turned Caroline Weir’s wide right free kick through a first of legs and past Rogers.
Man City Women 6, Aston Vila Women 0: 72. Rose Lavelle arrived unmarked in the area and slotted home from 12 yards as she met Janine Beckie’s well timed cutback.
Man City Women 7, Aston Villa Women 0: 84. Janine Beckie’s cross was deflected into the six yard box where Chloe Kelly winger reacted first to poke home her hat trick goal.
Man City Women 8, Aston Villa Women 0: 90. Sam Mewis got in on the goalscoring act right at the end when she got on the end of a ball over the top and lashed it in off the left post beyond the reach of Sian Rogers.
MATCH STATS – Manchester City Women 8, Aston Villa Women 0 (Womens FA Cup 4th Round)
Man City Women: Roebuck, Bronze (Stanway 46), Dahlkemper, Greenwood, Stokes (Morgan 59), Walsh, Coombs, Weir (Mewis 59), Kelly, Hemp (Beckie 46), White (C) (Lavelle 59)
Man City Women subs not used: Benameur Taieb, Mannion, Davies, Park
Goals: Kelly 15, 41, 84; White 33; Beckie 50; Stanway 58; Lavelle 72; Mewis 90
Aston Villa Women: Rogers, Ale, N’Dow (Hutton 60), West, Haigh, Seems, Silva, McLoughlin (Hanssen 60), Syme, Gregory (Larsen 60), Hayles
Aston Villa Women subs not used: Weis, Iwabuchi