Chelsea beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at Kingsmeadow on Sunday, through Lauren James’ goal, to qualify for the semi-finals of the Women’s FA Cup.
The Blues were the better side throughout the match and eventually managed to get the win, keeping their quadruple hopes alive.
They had missed a lot of opportunities in a goalless first half, with the best of them coming in the 20th minute when Palace goalkeeper Shae Yanez saved a header by Aggie Beever-Jones using her feet.
Sonia Bompastor’s team kept attacking but struggled to score against the team they beat 7-0 in September.
“I think there is definitely room for improvement playing in the final third and our finishing,” Chelsea player Catarina Macario said to The River after the match. “We have to work on that and be more ruthless in front of goal,” she added.
Chelsea broke the deadlock in the 64th minute after Palace failed to clear a corner and Lauren James scored the game’s only goal from 12 yards.
“Really good to have James when she is able to make to make that impact into the game, this is why she is so special,” Bompastor said to The River about James’ performance.
Before kickoff, a minute of silence was held in the memory of 10-year-old Poppy Atkinson, who was fatally hit by a car earlier this week while playing football.
The Blues will face Liverpool for a spot in the Women’s FA Cup final while the other half of the draw will be decided between Manchester City and Manchester United.
Chelsea now look forward to playing Manchester City in the Women’s League Cup final on 15 March for the first silverware of the season, which will be played at Derby County’s Pride Park Stadium.
The fixture comes during a run where the two teams face one another four times in 12 days in three different competitions.
Crystal Palace play their next match at home against Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League on 16 March.
Rym Naimi
Alex Bennett