Late drama as Dowie downs Arsenal

A 119th-minute goal from Natasha Dowie gave Everton their first taste of success in The FA Women’s Cup as her late strike saw the Toffees defeat ten-time victors Arsenal 3-2 at The City Ground.

With the game seemingly heading for the dreaded penalty shoot-out, substitute Brooke Chaplen fed Dowie inside the box and the forward showed remarkable calm to lift the ball over the on-rushing Emma Byrne in the Arsenal goal and give Mo Marley’s side their first piece of silverware since 2008, and in doing so, inflicting Arsenal’s first defeat at this stage of the competition.

It was no more than Everton deserved having stood toe-to-toe with the Gunners for the majority of the game and were the better side for large parts of the match, despite having to weather a concerted spell of Arsenal pressure midway through the second half.

Dowie had given Everton the lead after 16 minutes, but Kim Little equalised from the penalty spot after Rachel Unitt felled Gemma Davison inside the box. Before half-time Everton were again ahead when Arsenal captain Faye White inadvertently headed a Toni Duggan cross into her own net. Julie Fleeting grabbed a second equaliser early in the second half which ultimately forced the extra half-an-hour.

Extra-time was void of many clear-cut chances but Dowie’s dramatic late winner ensured The Cup would be heading out of London for the first time in 16 years.

A torrential downpour threatened to ruin the spectacle as early as the third minute but the severe conditions soon subsided allowing both teams to exhibit their familiar brand of attractive passing football, though the wind did pick up on occasion causing both sides a few hairy moments.

Unperturbed by Arsenal’s record ten successes in this competition, Everton had the better of the early play though it wasn’t until the 15th minute that the first real chance was created. It came after Jody Handley’s right-sided free-kick was only half cleared by Corinne Yorston but Fara Williams was unable to keep the rebound down. Williams need not have worried; just a minute later the Toffees were ahead and the midfielder had a big part to play in a deserved opener.

She collected another loose ball just outside the box and struck a firm shot goalwards which Byrne did well to parry. Handley put the ball back in the middle where Dowie was on hand to fire Everton ahead after White had bravely blocked the initial effort.

Fleeting missed a gilt-edged opportunity to level things on 19 minutes heading Davison’s accurate cross wide from just six yards out.

Midway through the half Rachel Yankey broke free on the right but could only watch her cross-cum shot thwarted by Rachel Brown. If it took Dowie’s goal to wake Arsenal up, they were soon attempting to make amends with Jennifer Beattie the latest Gunners player to seek parity, but her effort was easily held by Brown.

On the half-hour mark Handley held up a teasing cross from the right and the windy conditions prevented Byrne from claiming the high ball, allowing Williams to arrive at full-pelt but she somehow contrived to power her header over from close range. Duggan then saw her left-footed drive flash narrowly wide of the far post.

In an increasingly open contest, Arsenal had another chance to equalise following some good play from Yankey. Her low centre was collected by Fleeting, who laid the ball off to Davison, but the midfielder pulled her shot wide.

However, on 42 minutes a raiding run down the right by Davison caused Unitt a moment of panic, forcing the left-back to go to ground inside the penalty area, tripping the midfielder in the process. Referee Una Hong did not hesitate to point to the spot and Little stepped up to slot home her eighth goal in this season’s competition and her 42nd of the season in all competitions.

Though the equaliser was merited as Arsenal had begun to impose themselves on the game, an own goal from their skipper meant the sides were level for less than three minutes. A delicious cross from Duggan found its way into the box where, under pressure from Jill Scott, White inadvertently guided the ball into the corner of the net.

But, after a fairly uneventful start to the second half, in the 54th minute Fleeting levelled matters once more, sliding in to hit another cross from Yankey into the ground, over the dive of Brown and into the back of the net, which somewhat redeemed her earlier miss.

Fern Whelan came on for Unitt in the 63rd minute and she had barely ran into position before being called upon to thwart Davison inside the area with an well-timed sliding tackle.

After the equaliser, Arsenal began to enjoy more of the play inside Everton’s half, forcing Marley’s side to concede a number of free-kicks in and around the 18-yard box, though nothing came of any of them. Some neat hold-up play by Little allowed her team-mates the time to come and support her and after the ball was worked out wide to Yankey, Niamh Fahey could only push her header wide.

Everton did get some respite though when Dowie scuttled down the right and skipped her way past two challenges. Her dink forward found Michelle Hinnigan but the young midfielder couldn’t direct the ball goalwards, if indeed, she got a touch at all.

As the match entered its final ten minutes, with extra-time an increasingly likely possibility, the game became stretched with chances at both ends. First, a Williams free-kick caused a moment’s confusion in the Arsenal box, but Byrne caught a bouncing ball at her near post. Then Yankey burst up the other end, but her centre was just too high for the on-rushing Little and Brown claimed.

Yankey again attempted to provide a late winner for the holders, but Beattie’s header from the winger’s free-kick was straight at the grateful Everton stopper.

In the first of two added minutes at the end of the game Brown was called upon once more to deny Little, this time diving at the Scot’s feet, and it was to be the final action before extra-time.

There was less fluid football in extra-time, with both sets of players no doubt wary of making what could be one very costly error but Dowie should have restored Everton’s one-goal cushion just five minutes into the extra half-hour, but she shot rather tamely at goal. Little had Arsenal’s first clear extra-time effort but it was deflected behind for a corner.

On 109 minutes Gilly Flaherty should have won The Cup for Arsenal when Little’s cross made its way to the far post but veteran Becky Easton threw herself at the effort to keep Everton in the contest. And White had an opportunity to atone for her own goal but she directed Yankey’s bouncing shot wide.

Then came Dowie’s - and Everton’s - moment of glory as she raced on to Chaplen’s through ball and chipped it beyond Byrne and into the far corner to put Everton's name on The FA Women's Cup.

Arsenal
1 Emma Byrne, 2 Corinne Yorston, 5 Gilly Flaherty, 6 Faye White (C), 7 Ciara Grant, 10 Julie Fleeting (28 Danielle Carter, 70), 11 Rachel Yankey, 12 Gemma Davison, 14 Jennifer Beattie, 16 Kim Little, 19 Niamh Fahey
Substitutes not used 3 Yvonne Tracy, 13 Rebecca Spencer, 20 Helen Lander, 25 Lauren Bruton

Manager Laura Harvey

Everton
1 Rachel Brown, 2 Becky Easton, 3 Rachel Unitt (15 Fern Whelan,63), 4 Fara Williams, 5 Emily Westwood, 6 Lindsay Johnson, 7 Jody Handley (C), 8 Jill Scott, 9 Natasha Dowie, 10 Michelle Hinnigan (14 Brooke Chaplen, 77), 11 Toni Duggan (16 Michelle Evans, 111)
Substitutes not used 12 Alex Culvin, 13 Nicola Hobbs

Manager Mo Marley

Attendance 17,505