Women's FA Cup final 2018-19: Manchester City Women 3-0 West Ham United Women - BBC Sport
Manchester City beat West Ham to win the Women's FA Cup for the second time in three years at Wembley.
Last updated on .From the section Women's Football

Manchester City completed a domestic cup double as they eventually overpowered West Ham at Wembley to lift the Women's FA Cup for a second time in three years.

England midfielder Keira Walsh's bouncing strike from outside the area put City ahead in the second period, after major final debutants West Ham had initially defied their underdog status with an impressive first-half display.

Late goals from City youngsters Georgia Stanway and Lauren Hemp completed the win, securing the club's sixth major trophy.

Victory also saw Nick Cushing's side move within one match of completing an entire domestic season unbeaten, as they added to February's League Cup success.

The Hammers, who reached the final in their first season as a professional side - less than a year after leaping up from the third division with a successful top-tier licence application last summer - had threatened to pull off a shock win, creating the best chance of the first half.

But City - who had not conceded a goal in the FA Cup this season - showed their class and experience after the break and could have added to their tally in the final moments.

The crowd of 43,264 at England's national stadium fell just short of last season's competition record of 45,423, but was nevertheless still one of the largest for a club-level women's game in Europe in the modern era.

All of City's six major trophies have come since 2014 under the management of Nick Cushing and they will finish the season without losing a single domestic game if they can avoid defeat away at Women's Super League winners Arsenal next Saturday.

England and City goalkeeper Karen Bardsley had produced a superb save to keep out Scotland striker Jane Ross' bouncing header from Erin Simon's right-wing cross, in the best moment of the first half, after a cagey start.

The Hammers then wanted a penalty when midfielder Alisha Lehmann went down in the box under Jill Scott's challenge, but the officials felt the City midfielder had not made contact with Lehmann.

But City - who won the cup for the first time in 2017 - were more energetic after the break and Scotland's Caroline Weir blazed over from inside the area shortly before Walsh opened the scoring with only her second goal of the season.

The holding midfielder's swerving effort bounced just in front of goal and caught out West Ham keeper Anna Moorhouse, who later saved well from Tessa Wullaert and Nikita Parris.

The Hammers' best chance of the second half came on the counter attack, but Switzerland's Lehmann fired straight at Bardsley, as City began to dominate, and 20-year-old Stanway doubled the lead with a low, deflected strike.

Substitute Hemp - who turned 18 in August - then showed a calmness in front of goal that defied her youthfulness as she supplied a cool finish, and she almost added City's fourth but she struck the post late on.

Despite the result, West Ham - who beat Reading on penalties in their semi-final - have impressed many during their maiden WSL campaign and appear to be building a growing fanbase, with their fans appearing to significantly outnumber City supporters at Wembley.

The East London club had asked the Premier League to move the kick-off time of their men's team's league match at home to Southampton earlier on Saturday, but the plea was denied, much to the Hammers' disappointment.

On the pitch, they initially surpassed the bookmakers' pre-match expectations, frustrating City early on, at odds with their 10-2 aggregate loss from this season's two league meetings, but Ross' first-half header was the best chance.

Ultimately, City's clean sheet saw Cushing's side - lead by talismanic England captain Steph Houghton at the back - finish their five-game cup run without conceding a goal.

"West Ham were excellent, but I expected them to be good, play on the counter-attack and cause us problems.

"I thought we were just a little bit emotional [in the first half]. The occasion affected our offensive play.

"We asked the players to just settle down, play logically and be controlled. In the second half they looked comfortable.

"I'm so proud of the players. I hope they will go now and spend so much time with their family. They've put in so much effort to make this team successful again, they deserve everything they get."

"It was a game of two halves, wasn't it? We created the better chances in the first half.

"The first goal changes the game. When you go behind against Manchester City, they're a very good team, and Man City deserved to win it on their second-half performance.

"But when we walked around at the end, with the fans, and you look at what we've created in such a short space of time as a club, this team is only going to get better and our fanbase is only going to grow. It's been really tough but, to be here, speaks volumes for what we're trying to do.

"We have a lot of young players who will learn from this and become better players because of it."
• None Attempt saved. Stephanie Houghton (Manchester City Women) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Claire Emslie with a cross.
• None Attempt missed. Claire Emslie (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Lauren Hemp.
• None Attempt missed. Adriana Leon (West Ham United Women FC) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Cho So-Hyun.
• None Attempt missed. Lauren Hemp (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the right.
• None Lauren Hemp (Manchester City Women) hits the right post with a left footed shot from the left side of the box. Assisted by Claire Emslie.
• None Attempt missed. Brianna Visalli (West Ham United Women FC) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Rosie Kmita with a cross.
• None Goal! Manchester City Women 3, West Ham United Women FC 0. Lauren Hemp (Manchester City Women) left footed shot from long range on the left to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Jennifer Beattie.
• None Attempt missed. Gilly Flaherty (West Ham United Women FC) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Adriana Leon with a cross.
• None Attempt missed. Lauren Hemp (Manchester City Women) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Abbie McManus following a corner.
• None Attempt saved. Georgia Stanway (Manchester City Women) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Keira Walsh with a through ball.
• None Goal! Manchester City Women 2, West Ham United Women FC 0. Georgia Stanway (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Caroline Weir. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page