Manchester City thumped Brighton to win their first FA Cup final in six years and clinch a domestic double.
Goals from Bunny Shaw, Alex Greenwood, Aoba Fujino and substitute Vivianne Miedema sealed a resounding victory for the WSL champions, who only a few weeks ago secured their first league title in a decade.
Brighton were by far the better side in the opening half-hour, with the remnants of City’s title celebrations – including the relief of super-striker Shaw sensationally announcing she would be staying for the next four years – still lingering.
Yet it was Shaw’s intervention in the 30th minute, rising highest to get City up and running, that shifted the momentum and set them on course for their first FA Cup triumph in six years.
The 29-year-old Jamaican was subsequently involved in City’s next two goals either side of half-time.
As for Brighton, although they arrived as heavy underdogs, they played with intensity and courage and were worthy finalists.
This was their first appearance in the showpiece – having knocked out Arsenal and Liverpool to get here – but the immensity of the occasion appeared to tell as they struggled to convert their early chances.
They were ultimately punished, particularly in the second half, as City’s squad depth proved decisive against a team who had stunned them in the WSL only last month and caused their title celebrations to temporarily hit pause.
The Seagulls made the brighter start. Matildas defender Charlize Rule threaded a fine pass through the lines towards Kiko Seike in the opening few minutes, who delivered into the box; after a ricochet off a City player, the ball fell to Fran Kirby.
City’s squad depth proved decisive against a Brighton side who had beaten them in the WSL only last month
Shaw sensationally announced earlier this week that she would be staying for another four years – after a new contract was signed at the 11th hour
Kirby could not generate enough power to trouble the goal, and City scrambled clear.
Moments later, Madison Haley capitalised on slack defending from a tepid back pass but was brought down by a scrambling Ayaka Yamashita.
Had the incident occurred a moment later, VAR would almost certainly have intervened; as it was, play continued. Yamashita, however, took several minutes to recover from the heavy collision.
Brighton continued to threaten, catching out City’s high line as four players surged towards goal, but captain Maisie Symonds opted to shoot from 25 yards, and the chance went begging.
The Seagulls came again. The ball dropped to Kirby once more, her effort was parried away, and Seike blazed the rebound over the bar.
By the half-hour mark, Brighton had spurned six opportunities, with only one on target and City were stunned.
A few minutes later, Shaw slipped the ball through to Clinton, who could only muster a tame effort. Shaw then tried her luck herself moments later.
On the touchline, Andree Jeglertz had at last seen signs of life from his side. City had finally stirred.
Seconds later, Greenwood delivered a cross and Shaw rose above the defence, heading through Chiamaka Nnadozie’s hands and into the net.
On the edge of half time, Shaw was adjudged to have been brought down on the edge of the penalty area. The tackle was soft but the referee pointed down at the ground inside the D.
Greenwood, City’s captain and deadball technician, stepped up. Based on where the referee ordered her to place the ball, she might have felt the angle was too central to generate sufficient whip.
But it made no difference. The two-time European champion dispatched a low, bending effort into the bottom right-hand corner, and the net bulged.
She sprinted half the length of the pitch to embrace goalkeeping coach and set-piece coach Diego Restrepo.
After the break, City cranked up the gears.
Once again, Shaw surged down the wing and this time squared across the face of goal. Fujino found the pass and cut inside onto her left foot; although the chance appeared to have gone, she found a gap and squeezed the ball past Nnadozie.
Late in the second half, Nnadozie tipped another Shaw effort over the bar – the striker’s final intervention before coming off Laura Coombs to rapturous applause.
With three minutes of normal time remaining, substitute Miedema then capped off the perfect afternoon, heading home for the league champions’ fourth.
It was a fairytale end to a perfect season for City and manager Jeglertz’s first in charge.
