Manchester United Women reach FA Cup final again with victory over Manchester City (2025)

Manchester United will return to the Women’s FA Cup final for a third successive season as they continued their trophy defence with a 2-0 semi-final victory over Manchester City.

Early goals from Celin Bizet and Grace Clinton put Marc Skinner’s side in control as they booked their place in the Wembley showpiece on May 18.

United were purposeful and tenacious from the start and cruised to an early lead courtesy of a splendid solo goal from Bizet in the sixth minute. The Norway winger displaying a balance of grace and guile as she caressed Ella Toone’s pass in behind, swiveled her hips and picked out the top right corner.

United doubled their advantage 16 minutes later as Gabby George’s deep cross from a corner found Clinton at the back post for the England midfielder to head home easily.

City, already without Vivianne Miedema and top-scorer Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, found their injury woes exacerbated just a quarter of an hour into the match as forward Mary Fowler was forced off with a knee injury sustained off the ball.

Fowler’s absence meant City were without their top three goal scorers this season in the WSL (Shaw 12 goals, Miedema seven, Fowler six). And despite putting United’s defence under significant pressure throughout the match, the dearth of clinical edge was evident as City failed to make the most of their chances in the final third.

United could be indebted to heroics from goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, whose double-save in the second-half kept United firmly in control.

Victory for United sets up a rematch of the 2023 FA Cup final against Chelsea, in which United slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Emma Hayes’ side before eventually losing the Women’s Super League (WSL) title by two points.

United march through threadbare City to Wembley

Sunday represented the first of six season-defining litmus tests for United in the newest edition of the Skinner era and United can now emphatically check one off that list.

United started the match with purposeful and tenacious and duly got their rewards. That’s been the United way all season. 63.9 per cent of their WSL goals have arrived before half-time. They are yet to concede a goal in the first 15 minutes of a league game this term. Fast starts have been the not-so-secret ingredient to their success. City worked hard to reclaim lost ground in the second-half, but the hill (and three superb saves from Tullis-Joyce) to climb was ultimately too great.

Sunday’s match was also the first match since Skinner signed his new two-year contract (with an option for an additional 12 months). The new deal has split opinion, and Skinner said himself that he cannot please everyone.

And while United were aided by the fact City could only name a bench of six and were forced to delve into those threadbare reserves just 20 minutes into the match, a third successive trip to Wembley is an undeniable success regardless of the Skinner divide one sits. No silverware has been claimed.

And WSL matches against West Ham United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal will ultimately decide if United qualify automatically for the Champions League outright or must dig their way to Europe via the qualification route. But the momentum built on Sunday could be hugely influential.

(Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Megan Feringa is a Women’s Football Writer for The Athletic based in the UK. Prior to joining The Athletic, Megan served as a sports reporter for The Daily Mirror focused on women’s football and the Premier League. She is a graduate of Auburn University and Cardiff University. @megan_feringa Follow Megan on Twitter @megan_feringa