Lauren Hemp has won some big matches at Wembley, but Sunday's final represents the chance to do something special.
Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City
The Adobe Women's FA Cup Final
3pm BST, Sunday 31 May 2026
Wembley Stadium connected by EE
What would it mean to you to win a domestic double?
It would mean a lot; I’ve been at this club for so long, and I've been waiting for the league title. To be able to win the FA Cup in the same season would just be massive for us, and I feel like because we've had such a good season, it would only be right for us to end on such a high by winning the cup, but obviously we know it's not going to be easy.
You've been with the club since 2018 and won the FA Cup before, in 2019 and 2020, what were your overriding memories of what it felt like to win on those occasions?
I’ve had really good memories at Wembley, especially in the FA Cup. Unfortunately, I lost my last one, but came close against Chelsea. I scored in my first one when I came off the bench, and that was probably the first moment for me at City when I was still like 18/19 years old, where I was like WOW, this is what it could be like for the rest of my career. I've had some fantastic memories there and playing at Wembley is such a special occasion with so many fans there to support, and hopefully there'll be many Manchester City fans there to cheer us on because it's going to be what we need to get us through. What a great day it’s going to be.
Explain how that feels, to score in an FA Cup final?
It’s very special. I think it must have been about 2-0 at the time, and I came off the bench and a few minutes later, I scored. I couldn't believe it, it was one of those pinch-me moments because I couldn't believe it went in and that was the first time I'd ever been to Wembley and to score there as well, it's definitely one of the biggest highlights of my City career for sure. It's games like that that give you the hunger to want to keep doing it more and keep winning more and hopefully lift more trophies.
Tell us a bit about what Andrée Jeglertz has brought to the club this season?
Yeah, he's a fantastic manager. He man-manages the group really well, and he brings a lot of tactical insights, but the main thing I'd say is he lets us have the freedom as players on the pitch to make our own mistakes, to learn from them and to do things better. And I feel like that's been something maybe different this season that's helped us to win the way that we have done. I think he's given us that confidence to be able to have that freedom, especially in positions like mine. I enjoy having that freedom and opportunities to take people on and create as many chances as possible.
Going back to the start of the FA Cup run, you scored at Bournemouth and you scored another two against Sheffield United… what’s been your favourite goal of the cup run so far?
They were all pretty much tap-ins, to be honest! I really enjoy scoring just as much as I enjoy assisting to be honest. But yeah, I mean, the Sheffield goals together, to get a brace so early in the game as well, was a highlight for me. It's always nice to contribute where I can. I think it's been a tough run for sure, especially the last game against Chelsea, coming so close, but again, I think that just builds for us that experience and that winning mentality to get back and to keep pushing.
The Birmingham City game was a tight affair - what do you remember of that one?
Yeah, it was a pretty tough game. They were a very physical team and also played some really good football. Obviously, it being 1-0 we should have put a few chances to bed that we necessarily didn't on the day, and then we obviously made it a lot closer at the end than we should have done but credit to Birmingham. They're a great team, and I know they're going to be a really tough team to play against when they come up next season. So I'm sure they'll do really well in the BWSL and credit to their manager and what she's built in that club. I'm excited to see what they bring to the BWSL.
The semi-final featured an incredible turnaround…
We've come back from games where we've been losing at other points in the season, and I think even at 85 minutes before we scored that goal, there was no one with their head down; you saw the desire and everyone's eyes to want to go on and win the game. Once we scored one, we knew we could push on, and once we got two, we knew we had the momentum going into extra time. That helped us a lot. And that's probably one of the proudest moments I've had in the group and how we managed that game and got through it.
Brighton are in amazing form now just like you, what did you learn from the defeat and what sort of challenge do you expect from them?
They're a top team. They've got so many individual players who can make a difference. We've played them twice, and they've both been very tough games, but we also know what they're going to bring and their strengths and areas where we can utilise them and hopefully be better than them. Obviously it's a one-off game; anything can happen, but we're going to make sure we're the best-prepared team going into that game, and we've got so much respect for Brighton and for what they've done this season. Where they are in the league, it's a credit to them.
You can read the full interview in the official Adobe Women's FA Cup Final match programme.
