Manchester City reach Women’s League Cup final after Mary Fowler scores 95th-minute winner to beat Arsenal 2-1 at Meadow Park; Fowler opens scoring before Mariona Caldentey equalises with penalty; Fowler has second-half spot kick saved but nets late winner; City face Chelsea in final
Mary Fowler secured a dramatic 95th-minute winner, propelling Manchester City into the Women’s League Cup final with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Arsenal.
Just five days after suffering a narrow 4-3 defeat to Arsenal in the Women’s Super League, City turned the tables and took their revenge, setting up a highly anticipated final clash against Chelsea at Derby’s Pride Park Stadium on Saturday, March 15.
City faced a significant setback ahead of the match, as star striker Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw was absent from the squad after withdrawing due to racist and misogynistic abuse she received on Sunday. In her absence, Mary Fowler stepped up, making her presence felt early in the game. The Australian forward broke the deadlock in the 26th minute, slotting a composed finish past Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar. However, City’s lead was short-lived, as Mariona Caldentey equalized from the penalty spot just moments later.
Fowler had another golden opportunity to restore City’s advantage in the second half when she stepped up for a penalty, but her effort was denied by Van Domselaar. Undeterred, Fowler kept pushing and ultimately redeemed herself in the dying moments of stoppage time, drilling a precise shot into the bottom right corner to seal City’s place in the final.
“It’s something to be really proud of,” Fowler said after the match. “Arsenal always put up a great fight, and they played well tonight. I’m super proud of the team and just really happy we got the win. I felt mostly relief when I scored, but I was also really happy. I’ve been wanting to win something with the girls for so long, and now we’re one step closer.”
‘Fowler didn’t let penalty miss affect her’
Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor praised the resilience of his players, particularly Fowler, for bouncing back from the missed penalty.
“I think the players really deserved that win after their performance. Sometimes you don’t always get the result you want, but I felt if we had gone into extra time, we would have found a way because we were knocking on the door all night,” Taylor said.
“We missed a penalty, but Mary had already scored a brilliant goal before that, and it could have put us in an even stronger position. We gave Arsenal some spells of possession, but the character this team showed—especially Mary—was outstanding.
“She didn’t let the penalty miss affect her, and that’s the sign of a top player. She had that hunger, that determination, and she gave so much to the team tonight. Everyone worked incredibly hard to get us over the line.”
Chelsea reach first final under Bompastor
Meanwhile, Chelsea booked their place in the Women’s League Cup final for the sixth consecutive time with a commanding 2-0 victory over West Ham—marking their first major final under new head coach Sonia Bompastor.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a well-taken finish, and Sjoeke Nüsken doubled Chelsea’s lead just nine minutes later with a clinical strike.
West Ham nearly pulled one back in first-half stoppage time when Vivianne Asseyi’s free-kick struck the post, but that was as close as they came to troubling the Blues. Chelsea controlled the second half, limiting West Ham’s chances and comfortably seeing out the win to continue their domestic dominance.
With City and Chelsea now set for a showdown in the final, anticipation is building for a thrilling battle between two of England’s top sides.
