Emma Hayes has insisted Chelsea’s motivation to reach another Women’s FA Cup final is not driven by her imminent exit.
It was revealed last November that the Blues boss will end her trophy-laden 12 years club at the conclusion of this campaign to take over as United States manager.
Hayes has entered the home straight of her time at Chelsea and missed out on silverware two weeks ago when Arsenal beat them 1-0 in the Women’s League Cup final.
The highly decorated Hayes courted controversy afterwards when she appeared to shove Arsenal counterpart Jonas Eidevall, but ahead of Sunday’s trip to Manchester United, the 47-year-old played down the impact of her summer departure.
She told a press conference: “I’m absolutely committed to doing everything I possibly can to help the team achieve these goals and I’m looking forward to the games.
“The team want to win for themselves. They want to win for the football club. They want to win for the families. They want to win because they’re winners.
“They’re sick to death of what they need to do for me and that’s fair, it’s not about me.
“It’s about them and us as a collective making sure we maximise the situations we are in.
“There are three pieces of silverware up for grabs and I’m very grateful to be in the position to be competing for them.”
While Chelsea eye Women’s Super League, FA Cup and Champions League success this season, United’s focus is purely on the domestic cup after an inconsistent campaign.
Marc Skinner led United to last season’s final where they lost 1-0 to Chelsea at Wembley and he knows the size of the task at Leigh Sports Village.
“I think their success over the past seasons and beyond is something that everybody wants to replicate,” Skinner acknowledged.
“It’s a tough, tough ask. Everybody goes, ‘you’ve got to beat Chelsea’… well not many teams do.
“I think, from our perspective, we have to give everything in this game and I believe on our day and when we have our qualities and we work hard, we can beat anybody.
“If we do that, then I believe we’ll be in a position to progress into the final of the FA Cup.”
The winner of Sunday’s other semi-final between Tottenham and Leicester will reach a maiden FA Cup final.
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Spurs switched the fixture to their men’s 62,850-seater stadium and boss Robert Vilahamn is desperate to reach Wembley in his first season in charge.
Vilahamn said: “We started our meeting with the journey we are on and that it ends at Wembley hopefully, but then everything else goes back to normal.
“I think if we have a good performance we have a good chance to win and go to Wembley.
“I just hope we can bring so many fans to stadium and make sure we do this together.
“We play for them, we don’t play for ourselves. We want to make sure we have a lot of fans at the stadium and make them proud.
“If we’re going to reach the final, we need them because they give us that extra energy.”
Meanwhile, ninth-placed Leicester will be boosted by the return of goalkeeper Janina Leitzig, who has not played since February due to a shoulder injury.
The Foxes have endured a difficult season with Willie Kirk suspended in March and subsequently dismissed weeks later, which has resulted in Jennifer Foster stepping up on an interim basis.
Foster revealed: “Janina is back at 100 per cent.
“Lize (Kop) has been playing well but it’s good to have both senior goalkeepers back in contention again to push each other.”
Leicester have sacked women’s first-team boss Willie Kirk after the club determined the Scot had “breached the team’s code of conduct to a degree that makes his position untenable”.
The 45-year-old last took charge of the Foxes when they lost 4-0 in the Women’s Super League to Chelsea on March 3, before the club subsequently announced that Kirk was “assisting the club with an internal process” and would not be on the touchline for their March 9 FA Cup quarter-final.
Kirk’s then-assistant Jennifer Foster, supported by first team coach Stephen Kirby, oversaw that 2-0 victory and have remained at the helm since.
They will remain in charge until Kirk’s permanent successor is named.
A Leicester statement read: “Leicester City Football Club can confirm that Willie Kirk has been dismissed from his position as LCFC Women Manager.
“Following an extensive internal disciplinary process and respecting the Club’s obligations to individual privacy, Willie was determined to have breached the team’s code of conduct to a degree that makes his position untenable.
“Established and implemented ahead of the start of the current season, the code forms part of the Club’s ongoing commitment to professionalising the women’s game since the takeover of LCFC Women in 2020, promoting a performance-led culture among players, coaches and technical staff.
“First Team responsibilities for LCFC Women will continue to be led by Jennifer Foster, supported by Stephen Kirby, while the Club begins the process of appointing a new permanent manager.”
Holders Chelsea have been drawn to play at Manchester United in the Women’s FA Cup semi-finals and Tottenham will face Leicester at home.
Emma Hayes’ side take on United in a repeat of last season’s final, which the Blues won 1-0 to lift the trophy for a third consecutive year.
Spurs, who beat Manchester City on penalties in Sunday’s quarter-final, and Leicester, 2-0 winners at Liverpool in their last-eight clash on Saturday, have both reached the last four for the first time.
The semi-finals will take place over the weekend April 13-14, with the final to be held at Wembley on May 12.
This season’s semi-final winners will each receive £160,000, with the losers collecting £40,000.
Leicester manager Willie Kirk is “assisting the club with an internal process” and will not be on the touchline for Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final at Liverpool, the Women’s Super League side have said.
The 45-year-old Scot has been with the Foxes since the summer of 2022, initially as a director of football before succeeding Lydia Bedford as boss in November that year.
A Leicester spokesperson said on Friday: “Willie Kirk is assisting the club with an internal process, the outcomes of which will be determined in due course.
“Assistant manager Jennifer Foster and first-team coach Stephen Kirby will take charge of the team for Saturday’s FA Women’s Cup tie at Liverpool.”
Kirk’s career in women’s football has seen him manage Hibernian and Bristol City, spend time on Manchester United’s coaching staff and then take charge of Everton in December 2018.
He spent just under three years with the Toffees, which including finishing as runners-up in the 2019-20 FA Cup.
Last season he guided Leicester from the bottom of the WSL to safety, and they are currently seventh in the table.
Leicester came from behind to heap more misery on Women’s Super League bottom side Bristol City with a 5-2 win at the King Power Stadium.
Ffion Morgan put the Robins in front in the 20th minute with a long-range effort after she capitalised on a mistake from Foxes goalkeeper Lize Kop.
Leicester were level through Japan international Nicole Momiki in the 33rd minute and then Saori Takarada bundled in a second during first-half stoppage time.
Bristol City equalised four minutes after the restart through Denmark forward Amalie Thestrup, her eighth WSL goal of the season.
Janice Cayman, though, had the hosts back in front after 55 minutes before Jutta Rantala drove in a fourth and 16-year-old Denny Draper, on as a substitute, stabbed home a fifth in stoppage time for her first senior goal.
Bristol City remain five points adrift at the bottom, while Leicester sit seventh.
Liverpool captain Ceri Holland scored and was later sent off as her side closed out a 1-0 win over strugglers Brighton at Broadfield Stadium.
Holland made the breakthrough eight minutes after the interval when she capitalised on a sloppy clearance by Brighton goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley.
The Reds skipper, though, was dismissed deep into stoppage time for a second yellow card after a poor foul on Julia Zigiotti, but Liverpool closed out a first win of 2024.
Liverpool remain fifth in the table, now within two points of Manchester United, while interim Brighton head coach Mikey Harris is still searching for his first WSL win.
Everton eased their own relegation worries after beating West Ham 2-0 for a first home win of the season.
Italy forward Martina Piemonte, on as a substitute, broke the deadlock when she glanced in a free-kick in the 83rd minute.
Aurora Galli wrapped up the points with a second for the Toffees just three minutes later with an angled effort into the top corner.
Jordan Nobbs’ fine second-half goal helped Aston Villa beat Tottenham 2-1 at Brisbane Road.
Adriana Leon, filling in for the suspended Rachel Daly, put the visitors in front after 23 minutes, but Spurs defender Amy James-Turner headed in an equaliser just before the break.
Nobbs, though, settled matters when she drilled the ball into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area following a corner.
The 2022-23 Women’s Super League season reaches its conclusion on Saturday with matters still to be decided at both ends of the table.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the main talking points heading into the finale.
Chelsea in pole position
Holding a two-point lead at the top, five-time champions Chelsea will secure the title for a fourth successive year – to complete a league and FA Cup double – if they beat Reading at the Select Car Leasing Stadium. While Emma Hayes’ side, currently on a six-match winning streak in which they have scored 24 goals and conceded one, are certainly well-fancied to do so, they are facing opponents battling for their WSL lives. Kelly Chambers’ rock-bottom Royals need a victory to have any chance of survival, with them two points adrift of 11th-placed Leicester. Reading pulled off a shock 1-0 win at home against Chelsea last season, before losing 5-0 and 3-2 in subsequent meetings at Kingsmeadow, and go into this contest on a five-match losing run, having conceded 16 times across their last four games.
United poised
Marc Skinner’s second-placed Manchester United, who kept the title race alive with a dramatic 2-1 win over Manchester City on Sunday, will be looking to take advantage of any Chelsea slip when they play Liverpool away. If the Blues were to draw, United would likely need to win their game by six goals to end up on top. Although it could be a trophyless season for the Red Devils – beaten by Chelsea in the FA Cup final – they have already achieved a record WSL points tally and their first Champions League qualification.
Arsenal Europe-bound
Arsenal are three points clear of Manchester City in the third and final Champions League berth and their goal difference superiority means European football is all but sealed for Jonas Eidevall’s League Cup winners, who host Aston Villa. City are set to miss out on the Champions League places for the first time since 2014, their inaugural WSL season. Gareth Taylor’s team, who need to overturn an 11-goal deficit to the Gunners, conclude their campaign by playing Everton at the Academy Stadium.
Leicester look to finish the job
Leicester boss Willie Kirk will look to complete his the rescue mission at the club when they play Brighton away. The Foxes were without a point at the foot of the table when Kirk succeeded Lydia Bedford in November – they have secured 13 since, winning four times. While they have a two-point advantage over Reading, their goal difference is inferior by three. Brighton and Tottenham, 10th and ninth respectively, had their safety confirmed last weekend when Spurs thumped Reading 4-1.
Golden Boot for Daly?
Fifth-placed Villa have had an impressive season, with the form of Rachel Daly key. And the 31-year-old is on course for the Golden Boot with 21 WSL goals netted so far this season, three more than her closest rival, Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw. It looks a good sign for England’s World Cup campaign, as does the exploits of United goalkeeper Mary Earps, who has registered 13 clean sheets in the league this season to claim the Golden Glove award.
Reggae Girlz striker Khadija “Bunny” Shaw scored her 10th goal of the Women’s Super League season to help Manchester City Women secure a 2-0 win over Leicester City Women at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
Shaw opened the scoring for City with a brilliantly placed header in the 61st minute before Chloe Kelly sealed the win in the 74th minute with her first goal of the season.
Manchester City Women are now third in the WSL table with 26 points from 12 games with a goal difference of 14. Manchester United Women and Chelsea Women are ahead of them with 28 points from 11 games, respectively.
Shaw’s 10th goal in 12 games puts her one goal ahead of Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly and four ahead of Chelsea’s Sam Kerr in the race for the golden boot.
Reggae Girlz captain Kadijah ‘Bunny’ Shaw scored a brace as Manchester City Women defeated Leicester City Women 4-0 at the Manchester City Academy Stadium on Sunday.
Shaw scored in the 24th and 79th minutes to lead City to their first win of the season.
Shaw opened the scoring for City who took a 1-0 into the interval.
Lauren Hemp made it 2-0 in the 72nd minute before Shaw put the game to bed.
Yui Hasegawa added a fourth two minutes from the end of regulation to give Manchester City Women their first three points of the season and up to eighth in the league.
Manchester City Women were dominant throughout the game taking 23 shots with eight on target.
Shaw now has three goals this season.
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