Chelsea’s hopes of retaining two of their three titles remain alive after Veerle Buurman’s wonderful drive and strike earned the Blues a 2-1 win in an end-to-end battle with Tottenham, securing a place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Sonia Bompastor’s side needed a result after a frustrating week, having crashed out of the Champions League despite a battling 1-0 win against Arsenal in the second leg of their quarter-final tie. They were good against the Gunners, and unlucky to have had a Buurman goal incorrectly ruled out in the first leg, but they were lacking in the final third.
With the Women’s Super League title all but sewn up by Manchester City, an FA Cup win that would mean a domestic cup double – after their League Cup final win against Manchester United – is the only silverware left to play for. That will not be enough for a team that have dominated in almost every competition for a decade and has huge ambitions, but the opportunity to finish the season on a high at Wembley with a second trophy will be hugely motivating.
For Tottenham there was a need to make a statement after back-to-back 5-2 defeats to Manchester City and Arsenal in the league. A trip to Kingsmeadow to face a bruised and injury-hit Chelsea perhaps offered the opportunity to claw something from a tough run of games, with Manchester United up next. The defeat was not the result they wanted, but they showed their character and grit, undone by a wonder strike few could prevent.
