Brighton stun Arsenal as Liverpool reach Women’s FA Cup semi-finals
Brighton pulled off a shock 2-0 victory over Arsenal at Meadow Park to reach the Women’s FA Cup semi-finals, while Liverpool required extra time to eliminate Charlton.
The 14-time winners suffered a frustrating cup exit after head coach Renee Slegers made six changes to her starting lineup.
The North London side had beaten rivals Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday but failed to carry that momentum into this domestic quarter-final.
Kirby inspires historic Seagulls win
The visitors struck three minutes into the second half when Madison Haley latched onto a precise pass from Fran Kirby.
Haley fired her effort past goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, mere moments after Stina Blackstenius had a goal disallowed for the hosts.
Kirby turned provider once again in the 63rd minute.
The veteran midfielder delivered a dangerous corner that was emphatically headed home by Caitlin Hayes.
Victory ensures the South Coast club reach the semi-finals for only the fourth time in their history as they chase a maiden major trophy.
“We knew we could come here and get a result, but to do it against a team like Arsenal, who have quality all over, is really special,” Kirby told TNT Sports.
Shaw returns to rescue Liverpool
In Sunday’s other quarter-final, Liverpool were made to work hard by Championship promotion hopefuls Charlton at The Valley.
The hosts produced a resilient defensive display to frustrate the Merseyside outfit for almost two hours.
However, Zara Shaw marked her return from a year-long injury absence with a decisive late intervention.
With just five minutes of extra time remaining, Shaw converted following a frantic goalmouth scramble where Jenna Clark had struck the woodwork twice.
The 1-0 triumph ensures Liverpool progress to the semi-finals for the second successive season.
Semi-final draw details
The draw for the last four takes place on Monday afternoon.
Chelsea face Tottenham and Birmingham City host Manchester City in the remaining quarter-final ties to complete the semi-final lineup.
