Lucia Garcia’s brace helped Manchester United thrash Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 to win the 2023-24 Women’s FA Cup Final.
Ella Toone fired Utd ahead in the third minute of first-half injury-time with a stunning strike from just outside of the box.
Rachel Williams nodded in Utd’s second from a 54th minute free-kick before Lucia Garcia netted a second-half brace to secure Utd’s maiden Women’s FA Cup title.
“Obviously we’re not where we want to be in the league, right? But we are history-makers for Manchester United,” commented manager – Marc Skinner post-match to BBC but he iterated that this title is key for their mentality going into next season after a tough campaign.
“We want to be challenging for titles, of course we do, but you all know, adding that first piece of silverware is really important for the psyche, and so we’ve got nothing but growth to happen.”
Tottenham consequently finished runner-up in their first Women’s FA Cup Final appearance – which marked their best-ever run in this competition.
With a first major cup title at stake for both teams, maiden finalists – Tottenham almost drew first blood barely a minute in as Matilda Vinberg rifled over the bar.
Man Utd quickly responded seconds later as Toone and Williams broke forward and exchanged passes, but Williams’ eventual shot was blocked by Rebecca Spencer and Lisa Naalsund headed wide from the subsequent corner.
Martha Thomas nodded Vinberg’s 10th minute cross wide as the game began to open up into a cagey end-to-end contest, in which Vinberg headed wide from Ashleigh Neville’s cross four minutes later.
Utd went closest in the 19th minute to the opening goal as Millie Turner knocked down a header towards Lucia Garcia, but Spurs’ Eveliina Summanen was alert to crucially block on the line.
The remainder of the first half saw both Utd and Tottenham struggle to find that penetrating end product, during which Toone curled wide from a deflected block of Hannah Blundell’s shot into the box.
With half-time fast approaching in the third minute of injury-time, Toone picked up Naalsund’s pass and calmly raced forward to cut into space, and calmly smashed her shot into the roof of the net to put Utd ahead at the break.
Toone’s goal motivated Utd upon the start of the second half as the Red Devils came out with more intensity,.
That improvement was rewarded in the 54th minute as a free-kick was headed into the bottom-right corner by Williams on the bounce to double their lead.
Utd’s maiden Women’s FA Cup title a year on from heartbreak against Chelsea in last season’s final was confirmed three minutes later, as Spencer’s sloppy goal-kick from the back was intercepted and rolled into an empty net by Garcia for the Red Devils’ third goal.
Bethany England almost nicked a goal back for Tottenham in the 66th minute but the two-time winner headed Celin Bizet’s cross onto the crossbar.
That wasted chance was punished eight minutes later as substitute, Melvine Malard whipped in a cross, which Turner laid off for Garcia to smash into the roof of the net to claim her second goal of this match and Utd’s fourth goal overall.
Utd ultimately saw the match out to become the first team other than Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester City to win Women’s FA Cup since Birmingham City in 2012.
What’s Next?
Man Utd now turn their attention to next weekend’s WSL season finale as they host title-chasing Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday 18 May at 3pm BST.
Tottenham meanwhile host London rivals, West Ham in a final-day dead rubber match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with that match scheduled to take place at the same time as all six matches on the last day of the season take place simultaneously.
Teams
Manchester United: Mary Earps, Hannah Blundell, Jayde Riviere (Mannion 78′), Lisa Naalsund, Maya Le Tissier, Millie Turner, Lucia Garcia (Geyse 77′), Katie Zelem, Rachel Williams (Parris 58′), Ella Toone (Miyazawa 78′), Leah Galton (Malard 50′)
Substitutes: Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Gemma Evans, Aoife Mannion, Irene Guerrero, Hayley Ladd, Hinata Miyazawa, Geyse, Melvine Malard, Nikita Parris
Tottenham: Rebecca Spencer, Ashleigh Neville, Amanda Nilden (Grant 68′), Eveliina Summanen (Graham 68′), Luana Buhler, Amy James-Turner, Jessica Naz (Bizet 54′), Drew Spence, Bethany England, Martha Thomas (Ayane 68′), Matilda Vinberg (Wang 54′)
Substitutes: Barbora Votikova, Charlotte Grant, Molly Bartrip, Ramona Petzelberger, Celin Bizet, Kit Graham, Olga Ahtinen, Rosella Ayane, Wang Shuang
Referee: Abigail Byrne
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