Khadija Shaw scored twice as Manchester City overturned a 2-0 deficit to beat Chelsea in the Women's FA Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, May 10, 2026, completing a dramatic comeback that sent City to the final at Wembley.
Chelsea had led 2-0 through goals from Erin Cuthbert and Sam Kerr before Mary Fowler began City’s recovery with a strike in the 86th minute. Shaw drew City level with a stoppage-time equaliser in the 92nd minute and then netted the winner in the 13th minute of extra time to complete a stunning turnaround.
The match, played at 15.30 BST (10:30am EDT), was the fourth and last meeting between the clubs this season and closed a week in which City celebrated winning their first league title in a decade on Wednesday. With the FA Cup final now in sight, Manchester City remain on course to complete a first domestic double in 10 years.
Shaw began the game for City and was joined in the starting XI by goalkeeper Khiara Keating; Chelsea started with Hannah Hampton in goal and Sam Kerr in the lineup. The game swung late, with Fowler’s 86th-minute goal cutting Chelsea’s advantage and Shaw turning the tie in City’s favour across stoppage time and extra time.
Chelsea supporters responded to Shaw’s impact with a chant — "Bunny Shaw, we'll see you next season" — a moment that underlined the strange mix of admiration and frustration among the home crowd as their team’s two-goal lead evaporated in the closing stages.
The result means Manchester City will face Brighton in the Women's FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, 31 May. Brighton reached the final earlier on Sunday after beating Liverpool 3-2, setting up a final between the league champions and the side that overcame Liverpool in a tight semi-final.
This loss denied Chelsea a place in what would have been their fourth FA Cup final in five seasons. For Manchester City, the victory preserves the possibility of claiming the club’s first domestic double in a decade: the league crown they secured midweek and now the FA Cup, with one game left to decide both honours.
There is an added narrative undercurrent to the result. Reports have linked Khadija Shaw with a move to Chelsea in the summer, and her decisive contributions at Stamford Bridge — starting the game and finishing it — only sharpen questions about the coming transfer window and how both clubs will respond. The confrontation between Sha w’s immediate loyalty to City and the speculation surrounding her future added a layer of tension that outlasted the 90 minutes.
Sunday’s semi-final was the fourth and final meeting between Chelsea and Manchester City this season, and it closed with City celebrating an improbable progression. The winners now have two weeks to prepare for a Wembley date against Brighton on 31 May, while Chelsea must regroup after surrendering a two-goal advantage in the final stages.
The single most consequential question after this match is whether Manchester City can convert this late-season momentum into a domestic double at Wembley on 31 May — a triumph that would complete a remarkable week for a team that only days earlier had reclaimed the league title after ten years.
