Chelsea meet Manchester United at Wembley Stadium in a blockbuster 2022-23 Women’s FA Cup Final.
Emma Hayes’ Chelsea enter this Final chasing a fifth overall Women’s FA Cup crown, as well as defending their title for a third consecutive season – having previously reached the Final on six occasions of which they won four and lost two.
Marc Skinner’s Man Utd meanwhile are in their first-ever Women’s FA Cup Final, where they’re chasing their first title in this competition.
Team News
Sam Kerr is a doubt for Chelsea after she was named amongst unused substitutes in their midweek Women’s Super League (WSL) win against Leicester, due to a minor calf issue suffered during the Blues’ win over Everton last weekend.
Millie Bright and Fran Kirby both remain absent with knee injuries.
Man Utd have no fresh injury or suspension concerns to report with Katie Zelem set to return, having missed their WSL win against Tottenham due to an one-match ban.
Maria Thorisdottir (foot) and Grace Clinton (ineligible) are ruled out.
Route to Final
Chelsea
| Round | Opposition | Venue | Result |
| 4 | Liverpool | H | 3-2 |
| 5 | Arsenal | H | 2-0 |
| Quarter-Final | Reading | A | 1-3 |
| Semi-Final | Aston Villa | A | 0-1 |
Sam Kerr’s hat-trick saw Chelsea kick-start their title defence with a 3-2 home win over Liverpool at Kingsmeadow, before the Australian netted the second goal in a 2-0 Fifth Round win over Arsenal after Sophie Ingle had opened the scoring in the 21st minute.
Jess Carter, Maren Mjelde and Guro Reiten all netted in an eventual 3-1 Quarter-Final victory at Reading, despite Sanne Troelsgaard nicking a late consolatory goal for the Royals.
Emma Hayes’ Blues eventually overcame Aston Villa’s stubborn defence in a tightly-fought semi-final win to set up their seventh Women’s FA Cup Final appearance, courtesy of Kerr’s 59th minute header in a nervy contest in which Villa pushed Chelsea all the way.
Manchester United
| Round | Opposition | Venue | Result |
| 4 | Sunderland | A | 1-2 |
| 5 | Durham | H | 5-0 |
| Quarter-Final | Lewes | A | 1-3 |
| Semi-Final | Brighton | H | 3-2 |
Nikita Parris’ brace saw Utd defeat Sunderland 2-1 in the Fourth Round before she added her third goal of the campaign in a 5-0 home win over Durham, during which Vilde Bøe Risa, Leah Galton, Hannah Blundell and Alessia Russo also found the net.
Rhian Cleverly’s own-goal sent Skinner’s Red Devils on course for the semi-finals in an eventual 3-1 Quarter-Final win away at Lewes, with Bøe Risa and Parris completing their victory.
Rachel Williams’ last-gasp winner ultimately guided Utd past Brighton in a five-goal semi-final thriller, in which Galton and Russo fought back from 1-0 down at half-time to put the Red Devils ahead prior to Danielle Carter’s equaliser for the Seagulls.
When is Kick-Off?
2023 Women’s FA Cup Final kicks off at 2:30pm BST at Wembley Stadium, London, with the showpiece match broadcast live on BBC One in the UK.
Stat Attack
- This is Chelsea’s first ever Women’s FA Cup meeting against Man Utd.
- Man Utd are making their first-ever appearance in Women’s FA Cup Final.
- Emma Hayes’ Blues have won each of their two previous cup meetings against Man Utd (W2), which both came in semi-final stage of Women’s League Cup in 2019-20 and 21-22 seasons.
- Five of Chelsea’s nine goals in this season’s Women’s FA Cup have been scored by Sam Kerr.
- Nikita Parris has scored four goals in her three appearances for Utd in this season’s competition (W3).
Prediction
Currently separated by just one single point in the WSL of which Utd currently sit top albeit without a game in hand unlike Chelsea, this Final certainly has the hallmarks of a blockbuster encounter which could have wider implications for the remainder of this season.
Chelsea are unbeaten in six of their last seven matches across three competitions and are currently in a congested run of fixtures, yet their squad are full of title winners who know how to step up in crucial games and the majority have experienced Women’s FA Cup success before.
Hayes’ Blues also have scored 13 goals without conceding in their last two matches alone underlining their prowess in terms of depth and quality, although even they will know that this is a different opposition compared to Leicester and Everton.
Utd meanwhile are in their first Women’s FA Cup Final where they will likely view themselves as underdogs given their hoodoo against Chelsea, having failed to win any of nine previous meetings in all competitions despite sitting top of the WSL above the Blues currently.
One positive for Utd though is that they have won 3-2 in two of their last four matches so even if they fall behind, they should still believe that they can fight their way back into the game but there is no room for fault defensively against the likes of Kerr and their ex player – Lauren James.
As for the outcome of this contest in front of a sell-out Wembley, Chelsea have to be favourites but this is the FA Cup where cupsets often lurk in unexpected places especially when odds are stacked in one direction, which could suit Utd knowing that all eyes will be on Hayes’ Blues.
Anything can happen but I have a feeling that we could need extra-time to settle this game where experience will be key once the game wears on.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Manchester United
Result: Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United
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