Jordan Nobbs curled in a stunning 25-yard strike in the dying moments as Arsenal Women cruised into the semi-finals of the SSE Women’s FA Cup with a comfortable 5-0 victory over Charlton Athletic Women.
The Gunners were on a high after securing the Continental Cup title against Man City 11 days ago and Kim Little’s early strike was no more than they deserved after a dominant first-half display.
The Addicks struggled to replicate their form from the Women’s Premier South, in which they have notched an astonishing 61 goals in 15 league games.
Joe Montemurro’s side were frustrated by the third-tier outfit, before strikes from Heather O’Reilly, Vivianne Miedema, Danielle Carter and Nobbs added some gloss to the scoreline and booked a semi-final against Everton.Despite making five changes, the home side started in confident mood. Beth Mead was proving a thorn in Charlton’s side in the opening stages and after she was clipped just inside the box, Little coolly finished past Katie Startup from the spot.
The WSL 1 team were giving Riteesh Mishra’s side a real headache with their intelligent movement and incisive passing.
However, Charlton had remained reasonably solid until a four-minute spell after the interval put paid to their chances of progressing.
Little played the ball into O’Reilly’s path and although her initial effort was blocked, she slammed the follow-up past Startup.
O’Reilly then turned provider on the hour mark, whipping in for the newly-introduced Miedema to stab home.
The home faithful were treated to a vintage Arsenal performance, with Carter bundling in late on before Nobbs’ stunning effort rounded off a fantastic afternoon.
This season’s Final will be staged at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 5 May.
Tickets are already on sale, priced £15 for adults while kids go FREE!
