Winning the FA Cup with Manchester United would be “everything” for England No.1 Mary Earps after a “mentally brutal” season.
United made history as they defeated reigning champions Chelsea 2-1 at Leigh Sports Village on Sunday afternoon to book a second successive spot in the FA Cup final. The victory marked the first time in United's history that they managed to emerge on the right side of the margins against the Blues and a win over fellow finalists Tottenham Hotspur would see the club claim their first-ever piece of silverware.
United relished a dream start as Lucia Garcia fired the hosts into the lead with 41 seconds gone. And 20 minutes later, veteran striker Rachel Williams doubled United's advantage. And - despite Lauren James clawing a goal back shortly before half-time - United's early lead, strengthened by a solid defensive performance from the hosts, proved insurmountable.
The triumph owed plenty to the exploits of Earps, who produced a series of outstanding saves throughout the contest to deny Chelsea their equaliser.
And the 31 year old believes the semi-final triumph means all the more against the backdrop of an underwhelming and frustrating season for the club, which sees Mark Skinner's side sitting limply in fourth place in the league table with their first-ever European adventure dashed in the qualifying stages.
Premier League odds and betting tips
"This season has been so hard, mentally brutal but I’m so glad with the win," Earps told BBC after the match.
On the quick start to the match, Earps said: "We’ve been lacking aggression in our game this season and I think the girls knew we needed to give it a good go, not that we don’t think that every week but it’s heavy when things don't go your way this year, it’s been difficult. [The match] was ugly, it was horrible, but I don’t care because we won."
Lucia Garcia celebrates putting Manchester United up in the opening minute against Chelsea (Photo by Alex Livesey - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)Earps future remains uncertain with the shot-stopper's contract expiring in the summer. A world-record bid was put in for the goalkeeper last season and performances such as that against Chelsea are testament to why Earps' stock remains so high among women's football's top sides.
On what winning the FA Cup would mean, Earps said: "It would be, after a pretty not great season, it would be everything. To win a trophy with this club I’ve been at for five seasons it’d be everything, but we've got to stay focussed. Tottenham won't make it easy."
United face Spurs in the Women's Super League in a tantalising prelude to their Wembley face-off next month. United have struggled for consistency this season but Earps hailed the display against Chelsea as one of the team's best of the season and hopes to replicate it in the coming weeks.
"It was the most gritty, the one with the most heart and I think everyone who came into the game knew what we were trying to achieve. We were holding a block against one-way traffic but it meant so much."
and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
