Women’s FA Cup: talking points from the weekend’s fourth-round action | OneFootball

Miedema marks return in style

It has been a turbulent two years for Vivianne Miedema since rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament. Knee issues have plagued her return to full fitness, the latest of which had ruled her out since October. Her 30-minute cameo in Manchester City’s 3-0 victory over Ipswich saw her back among the goals, a timely return with the continued absence of Khadija Shaw and Lauren Hemp. It was a solid victory for Gareth Taylor’s side against a resilient Ipswich who are unbeaten in the FAWNL Southern Division. A rare outing for Laura Coombs saw her get on the scoresheet too while Jill Roord opened her account for 2025. SD

Villa embark on a goalspree

Aston Villa romped into the fifth round courtesy of a nine-goal rout of the FAWNL Division One South West side Bristol Rovers. The forward Gabi Nunes scored a first hat-trick for the home team and Rachel Daly added two as Villa had six different names on the scoresheet, going three goals up inside eight minutes. The Dutch midfielder Jill Baijings put the cherry on top, scoring Villa’s ninth on her debut after a lengthy spell out through injury after joining from Bayern Munich on loan. SW

Wolves end Cheltenham’s historic run

Wolves eventually broke down a stubborn Cheltenham side in an all-FAWNL Premier Division encounter to ensure they will at least equal last season’s achievement of reaching the fifth round. The experience of Dan McNamara’s side eventually shone through thanks to goals from the in-form Amber Hughes and Beth Merrick. It was a result that ended Cheltenham’s historic cup run in front of more than 500 fans at Kayte Lane. This was the first time Tom Davies and his team had reached the fourth round, another sign of the progress the Gloucestershire side have made in recent seasons. SD

Supersub Williams makes sure for United

Rachel Williams scored a hat-trick after coming on just before the hour mark as Manchester United demolished West Brom 7-0. Melvine Malard scored the only goal of the first half as United piled the pressure on the team two divisions below them but the dam broke in the second, Williams’s treble the highlight, while Ella Toone scored on her return from injury and Celin Bizet grabbed two to complete the rout. SW

Moncaster shines for Rugby

There was little surprise as Rugby Borough cruised past London Bees. Lee Burch’s side are unbeaten since October in the FAWNL Premier Division while the Bees sit mid-table in the division below. It was a special day in particular for the 23-year-old Mai Moncaster who was the star of the show, playing a role in four of Rugby’s six goals. She added her name to the scoresheet with a cushioned header while also providing assists for Nicky Potts’s opener, Angelina Nixon’s first goal and finally Rhianne Rush’s effort. SD

James returns to action in Chelsea win

Despite dominating the opening half, it took until the 40th minute for Chelsea, the WSL leaders, to break down the Championship side Charlton at Kingsmeadow. Mayra Ramírez’s header kicked things off the for the five-time FA Cup winners before a Guro Reiten penalty and goals from Aggie Beever-Jones and Niamh Charles completed the victory. Meanwhile, Lauren James made her return to action, having not played since mid-October due to a calf injury. “It’s great to be back, to be honest,” she said. “I’m really glad we got the win and glad that I came off the pitch healthy. I’m easing back into it. I felt good out there – I’ve missed the feeling of being out on the pitch.” SW

Dale and Jones take centre stage

Four goals from Eleanor Dale and a treble from Ellen Jones ensured the Championship side Sunderland cruised past the National League South side Exeter, winning 7-1. Despite the huge scoreline, Exeter provided the only goal by a losing side in the fourth round when Sarah Stacey converted from the spot to make the score 3-1. However Jones’s 40th-minute goal put the game further beyond the home side and after the break the visiting team turned the screw. SW

Newcastle find way through Forest

Newcastle booked their place in the fifth round proper with the narrowest margin of victory across the weekend, Jasmine McQuade’s long-range strike the difference. It took until the 76th minute for the forward to make the breakthrough for the Championship side against the National League North leaders, Nottingham Forest. SW

Boye-Hlorkah hits quickfire treble

Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah kicked off her 2025 in style with an eight-minute hat-trick for London City that broke down Fulham’s early resistance. City dominated proceedings in front of just over 2,000 supporters at Craven Cottage and two more goals in the second half ended the hosts’ hopes of causing a big upset. It was a significant day for Fulham who currently sit 35 places below their opponents. The tier-five side, who play in the London and South East Regional League, were the lowest-ranked team left in the competition. A proud Steve Jaye, Fulham’s head coach, emphasised that it was all about the lessons his side could take both on and off this pitch as they try to push up the football pyramid. SD

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