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Halftime Chelsea 0-0 Manchester United
Chelsea have been the better side in the first half without making the visitors pay. They’ve dominated possession while Tullis-Joyce saved shots from James and Cuthbert. Manchester United have had a couple of half chances, namely through Jess Park, but they’ll be keen to launch more counterattacks in the second half to cause Chelsea problems.
45 min: There will be one additional minute.
44 min: Walsh plays the ball through to James and the England forward is away. She’s racing towards the keeper and shoots the ball across goal. Tullis-Joyce gets down well and Chelsea win a corner.
42 min: Chelsea string a number of intricate passes together. Keira Walsh sets Carpenter free but the Australian full back is adjudged to have strayed offside.
40 min: Chelsea are starting to look dangerous. Lauren James is picking up the ball and trying to play her teammates through on goal.
35 min: Chelsea work it well without providing the finishing touch. James flicks on a header before Chelsea play it out to Veerle Buurman. The Dutch full back sells the opposition defender with a dummy but her shot is blocked.
32 min: Chelsea almost score from the resulting corner. Cuthbert whip the ball in as the Chelsea players crowd the keeper. The ball bounces around and Dominique Janssen clears it off the line.
31 min: So close! Carpenter does well to set Kaneryd away on the right. She chops back and lays off to Erin Cuthbert. The Chelsea midfielder drills it towards the bottom corner but Tullis-Joyce is equal to it.
28 min: Ellie Carpenter goes on a lung-busting run on the right and floats the ball into the box. The cross is close to Tullis-Joyce, forcing the Manchester United keeper to make an acrobatic save.
25 min: Manchester United remain a threat on the counter. Malard breaks away on the left and delivers a ball into a dangerous area. No one can get their head on it and it travels all the way to Park on the other side of the box. She sets herself before blazing the ball over the bar.
24 min: Chelsea have started the game slightly better than Manchester United. Tullis-Joyce almost gives the ball straight to James under pressure.
19 min: The game is settling into a rhythm. Chelsea control the tempo while Manchester United wait for their moment to strike.
14 min: In form Jess Park receives the ball in the box and shifts it on to her right foot. She bends it towards the far post and Hampton parries the ball away.
12 min: Excellent defending from Lauren James. Manchester United try to break from a corner but James tracks Malard’s run to prevent any danger.
8 min: James and Thompson enjoy another lovely exchange. A quick one-two sets Thompson away. The forward strikes with her left foot and Phallon Tullis-Joyce tips the ball round the post.
7 min: Manchester have a half chance of their own. Maya Le Tissier crosses a deep ball into the box. Melvine Malard meets it with her head but it’s right at Hannah Hampton.
5 min: Lauren James progresses with the ball before slipping in Thompson. Thompson plays it on to Johanna Rytting Kaneryd but she can’t get a shot away.
4 min: Chelsea are dominating possession in the opening stages.
1 min: Alyssa Thompson has started brightly on the left. The American winger wins a corner for the home side.
Kick off
Manchester United get us under way, kicking from right to left.
Meanwhile, Sonia Bompastor spoke about Manchester United’s unbeaten run.
We know we are facing a really good team. They are in really good form and there have been a lot of wins in the games for them recently. So we are prepared for that and, as usual, the training this week has been good.
Manchester United manager Marc Skinner spoke about the timing of the fixture in his prematch press conference.
On Sunday we’re playing one of the best teams in English history, and it’s an early-round draw – but that’s football. That’s the beauty of the cup. There’s an element of luck in competitions. Drawing Chelsea might feel like rough luck, but that’s part of it. It’s what makes the cup special.
In most year’s today’s game would be a cup final. At least one of the two teams has made it to the FA Cup Final in the last five years, including the 2022-23 and 2024-25 seasons when they faced each other.
Yesterday’s only FA Cup fixture saw second-tier Birmingham City thrash fourth-tier Chatham Town 8-0. You can read Tom Garry’s match report here.
Team news
Chelsea: Hampton, Carpenter, Buurman, Girma, Bronze, Nüsken, Walsh, Cuthbert, Kaneryd, Thompson, James
Subs: Peng, Reiten, Baltimore, Kaptein, Kerr, Buchanan, Potter, Sarwie, Beever-Jones
Manchester United: Tullis-Joyce, Le Tissier, Lundkvist, Park, Malard, Naalsund, Janssen, Zigiotti, Wangerheim, Hinata, Turner
Subs: Middleton-Patel, Rendell, George, Anderson, Awujo, Drury, Schüller, Terland
Preamble
Hello and welcome to minute-by-minute coverage of Chelsea v Manchester United in the Women’s FA Cup fifth round.
Today’s game is a repeat of last season’s final in which Chelsea won 3-0 to complete a domestic treble. While Chelsea are still fighting on four fronts, the prospect of Sonia Bompastor’s side winning another treble is no longer on the cards after back to back defeats against Arsenal and Manchester City in the league. But they bounced back with wins against Spurs and Liverpool to put them within a point of Manchester United in the WSL.
Meanwhile, Manchester United are buoyant. They haven’t lost a game since November and Marc Skinner registered his 100th win with the club when they beat Atletico Madrid 2-0 to complete a 5-0 aggregate victory over them in the Champions League on Wednesday. Today’s game will be preparation for when both clubs meet again next month in the League Cup Final.
Kick off is at 1:30pm. Join me for updates.
