Arsenal 0-1 Man City: Aleixandri goal puts City into FA Cup quarter-finals

Manchester City booked their place in the Women’s FA Cup quarter-finals at the expense of league rivals Arsenal in a damaging week for the Gunners.

City remain one of the favourites to win a fourth FA Cup crown thanks to Laia Aleixandri’s winner at Meadow Park.

Arsenal slipped six points behind leaders Chelsea in the Women’s Super League title race with defeat by West Ham last Sunday and had already failed to progress in Europe.

This latest defeat will be a devastating blow for Jonas Eidevall’s side, who have won just one trophy in the past five years.

Aleixandri pounced on a loose ball in the box from a City free-kick to poke in from close range, after striker Khadija Shaw had come very close with two headers earlier in the second half.

City proved more ruthless in the end despite a late flurry of chances from Arsenal – including a touch from Kim Little on a corner which they believed had crossed the line but was not given as a goal.

Gareth Taylor’s side will find out their quarter-final opponents when the draw is made on Monday, 12 February, live on BBC One’s The One Show.

Controversy, drama and feistiness

The last time these two sides met at Meadow Park, City dominated but Arsenal pulled through to win 2-1 in a hotly contested WSL affair.

The managers had a war of words afterwards with City boss Taylor accusing Eidevall of “bullying” the officials. The Arsenal manager said that was “borderline slander”.

But the feistiness was left to those on the pitch this time as Katie McCabe and Lauren Hemp did battle on City’s right wing, while Lotte Wubben-Moy was fortunate to escape punishment for an elbow into the face of Shaw.

The intensity and intelligence of both teams cancelled the other out in the first half but chances soon started to flow after the break, with Shaw having the best of them from set-pieces.

Goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo was called into action to deny a first header, before England captain Leah Williamson’s excellent goalline block stopped a second effort from Shaw.

The Jamaica international, City’s top-scorer this season, went off shortly afterwards presumably with injury, but Aleixandri delivered the goods for the visitors nonetheless.

City were clinging on at the end as young goalkeeper Khiara Keating produced several excellent saves to deny Kim Little, Victoria Pelova and Stina Blackstenius after she had taken plenty of stick from home supporters throughout the match.

Arsenal thought the ball had crossed the line from a scramble at a late corner before Keating clawed it away but the goal was controversially not given and City were able to hold on.

Line-upsArsenal Women

Formation 4-2-3-1

14D’Angelo

2Fox6Williamson3Wubben-Moy15McCabe

21Pelova32Cooney-Cross

9Mead12Maanum19Foord

23Russo

Substitutes

Man City Women

Formation 4-2-3-1

35Keating

18Casparij4Aleixandri5Greenwood15Ouahabi

25Hasegawa7Coombs

9Kelly16Park11Hemp

21Shaw

Substitutes

Referee:Stacey Pearson

Attendance:3,496

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