Erin Cuthbert wore the captain’s armband and played her 300th match for Chelsea as Sonia Bompastor named a reshuffled side for the Women’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, May 10, 2026, kick-off 15.30 BST (10:30am EDT).
Bompastor made four changes to the team that beat Leicester City 3-1 the previous weekend: Hannah Hampton returned in goal after Livia Peng started at the King Power, Veerle Buurman came into the side in place of Lucy Bronze following her last-gasp quarter-final winner against Tottenham Hotspur, Alyssa Thompson was selected at the top of the pitch in place of Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, and Keira Walsh started and was later switched for Lexi Potter in midfield.
The starting XI read Hampton, Carpenter, Buurman, Buchanan, Charles, Walsh, Nusken, Cuthbert, James, Thompson and Kerr, with Peng, Spencer, Baltimore, Kaptein, Rytting Kaneryd, Bronze, Potter, Beever-Jones and Sarwie named among the substitutes. Manchester City opened with Keating, Rose, Greenwood, Ouahabi, Casparij, Hasegawa, Blindkilde Brown, Hemp, Clinton, Kerolin and Shaw, with Cumings, Coombs, Fowler, Wienroither, Fujino, Lohmann, Beney, Prior and Murphy available from the bench.
The fixture carried more than selection interest: Chelsea entered the tie as holders and this fourth and final meeting between the sides this season would decide who faced Brighton in the Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley on 31 May. The tone of the half was competitive and eventful live updates described a thrilling first 45 — and Sky- or radio-style commentary underlined fine margins. Rachel Brown-Finnis summed up the narrowness of the contest: "Chelsea lead by one. If we had VAR it could easily have been two."
Chelsea’s attacking play featured familiar names. Sam Kerr was involved throughout the first half and later volleyed a looping ball over the bar; Lauren James hammered a shot from distance that was blocked behind for a corner. Bunny Shaw briefly went off with treatment and then returned to the field. Observers noted finishing and chance-taking were a theme in the build-up and during the game — Brown-Finnis also pointed to conversion issues, saying: "Goal conversion rate of around 17% for Shaw. Hope Chelsea look elsewhere for a striker." The commentary underlined that one-goal margins can be deceptive when chances go begging.
The tactical switches carried clear risk. Bringing Buurman in for Bronze rewarded cup form but removed an experienced wide outlet from the bench; replacing Walsh with Potter in midfield altered Chelsea’s control at the centre of the park and left the manager to weigh ball retention against energy and forward momentum. Ashifts like Thompson for Rytting Kaneryd showed Bompastor prioritising pace and directness at the top of the pitch for this semi-final test.
For Cuthbert, the match was both a personal milestone and a pressure point: captaining her 300th Chelsea appearance in a knockout tie that stands between the holders and a place at Wembley. The winner of this semi-final was due to face Brighton in the club’s first FA Cup final on 31 May, a date that focuses consequence on every tactical call and every missed chance in mid-May.
Chelsea must sharpen a finishing touch if they are to convert the control they showed into the one-goal margins that win cup ties; Bompastor’s changes gave them energy and different profiles across the pitch, but the game’s first half made clear the single most consequential question for the run-in — can Cuthbert’s side turn possession and pressure into the clinical edge required to reach Wembley on 31 May?
