Where Chelsea v Manchester City in FA Cup semi-finals will be won and lost: War down the flanks and trying to stop the best strikers in the world

React to this story

Newly-crowned WSL champions Manchester City will meet League Cup winners Chelsea in the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday, in what should be a fascinating clash.

Highlights: Late Buurman strike boosts Blues into semi-final

Video credit: TNT Sports

City, as demonstrated by their title victory, have been the best team in England this season, breaking Chelsea's hold on the WSL after six titles in a row.

But The Blues have been improved recently, as manager Sonia Bompastor has finally found some solidity with some of her big names back with injury.

They are a very different team from the one that City demolished 5-1 in February.

Adobe Women's FA Cup

‘A crazy few weeks’ – Shaw on ‘difficult’ Man City contract talks before FA Cup triumph

31/05/2026 at 22:19

This is a clash between two of the best sides in the world, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max. Let's explore where it could be won and lost.

War down the flanks

Here are the four wingers who are likely to start this game: Lauren James, Alyssa Thompson, Lauren Hemp and Aoba Fujino.

And here are the four full-backs who will most likely start behind them: Niamh Charles, Ellie Carpenter, Alex Greenwood and Kerstin Casparij.

Hoo-boy, that is a lot of talent, particularly attacking talent. Casparij leads the WSL with seven assists this season, whilst Hemp is hot on her heels with six. Greenwood and Fujino have weighed in with six combined for good measure.

Thompson and James have 18 goal involvements between them this season, particularly notable given the latter's injury struggles, whilst Carpenter has added a brace of goals and assists as well.

Hemp hoping for 'dream' domestic double as Man City march into FA Cup semi-final

Video credit: TNT Sports

Only Charles (just one assist and no goals in the league) hasn't filled her boots as the more defensive option in Chelsea's set-up.

We will talk about the players this group is providing assists for later on, but clearly how these battles unfold is going to be key.

It does make you wonder whether Bompastor or opposite number Andree Jeglertz will consider playing more defensive full-backs to try and counter that threat. Of course, that comes with the trade-off of blunting yourself when you go forward.

James is the X-factor here. The England star scored two stunning goals at the weekend against Leicester City and now has four goals and two assists across her last five Chelsea games.

When James in on her game, she is one of the best in the world - a truly unstoppable force - and it seems like she is approaching something near to that level.

Whereas Fujino and Hemp will often stay a bit wider to give room to Brazilian superstar Kerolin, James is the one who has the freedom to come inside and operate in the middle.

With City only operating a two-woman midfield, if they lose track of James, that could be their downfall.

James hailed as 'most talented player in the women's game' after signing Chelsea extension

Video credit: TNT Sports

How do you stop the best strikers in the world?

This clash will see two of the best strikers in the world face off, in Sam Kerr and Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw.

What adds particular intrigue here is the reporting that Shaw is going to leave City, with Chelsea considered one of the favourites to sign her.

That has a knock-on effect in seeming to confirm Kerr's long-rumoured departure from Chelsea, likely back to the NWSL.

Shaw is the top-scorer in the WSL with 19 goals in 21 games whilst Kerr holds the same title for the FA Cup, with four goals in her three games in the competition.

For Kerr in particular, she comes into the game in good form after a difficult first part of the season following her return from a long lay-off.

Kerr scored five goals in her first 19 games across all competitions, but the Asian Cup has proven to be the tonic her season needed. Including her campaign with Australia at the tournament, Kerr has now scored eight goals across her last 10 matches.

'Fantastic' Shaw finish hands Man City early lead in FA Cup quarter-final

Video credit: TNT Sports

So how do you go about stopping her and Shaw? The obvious place is the centre-backs.

Chelsea will be hopeful that Naomi Girma will be able to play, albeit her absence from even the bench in the win over Leicester seemingly makes that unlikely.

Can a combination of Lucy Bronze, Veerle Buurman and Kadeisha Buchanan (herself still not fully fit) hold up against a player of Shaw's level? That's a big ask.

Jade Rose and Rebecca Knaack have been solid for City, but it's notable that both teams have conceded more goals than Arsenal in the WSL this term.

Furthermore, both these teams have excellent wingers. Not only are they goal-threats in their own right, which means teams can't focus too much on the striker, but they are adept at creating chances, either with crosses from the byline or clever passes after cutting inside.

For City, Kerolin will be a similar threat with her ability to both score and create. Keira Walsh will surely be tasked with trying to lock the attacking midfielder up.

For Chelsea, the supplemental attacking third option will most likely come from captain Erin Cuthbert and Germany's Sjoeke Nusken, but neither pose the threat of City's Brazilian superstar. Could that tip things in City's favour?

Kerr haunts Man Utd again as Chelsea take late lead in FA Cup clash

Video credit: TNT Sports

Who wins the midfield battle?

As we've alluded to already, City will utilise a 4-2-3-1 with Yui Hasegawa and Sam Coffey playing behind Kerolin.

Chelsea started the season playing a similar system (albeit Bompastor chopped and changed far more) but they now settled into more of a 4-1-4-1, with Walsh anchoring the midfield, and Cuthbert and Nusken given a little more freedom.

The Walsh v Kerolin battle feels vital to how this plays out. If it tilts one way or another, it could impact not only how the midfield battle plays out, but also the entire game and who has control.

An underrated aspect here could be James coming inside. If she is joined in the central attacking third area by either Nusken or Cuthbert - and Charles can occupy Casperij - suddenly Chelsea can create an overload.

That might force one of the central defenders to step up and help. In turn, it could leave Kerr in a 1v1 situation.

For City, they might be less interested in "winning the battle" and more ensuring that they don't lose, hoping that Casperij can capitalise on James coming inside to create overloads of their own out wide.

Is depth an underrated key?

It seems highly unlikely that there is more than a goal separating the two teams as we enter the final stages. Luckily for both managers, they do have obvious options.

With the way she has re-shaped her team, Bompastor can now call upon the likes of Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Wieke Kaptein and Sandy Baltimore, as well as rising young midfield star Lexi Potter.

Jeglertz has options in Mary Fowler, Grace Clinton and Laura Coombs, not to mention Swiss teenager Iman Beney as the replacement for Casperij.

How, and perhaps even more importantly when, the substitutes are introduced into the action will be critical.

Make sure to not miss a minute of this clash of the giants, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

---

Add TNT Sports as a preferred source here to enjoy more content like this.

Stream the Premier League, men’s and women’s FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

Adobe Women's FA Cup