Chelsea dig deep to beat Manchester United in FA Cup, but bigger tests await

Key Highlights

• Naomi Girma prodded home after a scramble from a corner to send Chelsea through to the quarter-finals. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnything else would have been a surprise.
• Chelsea have not exited this competition in the fifth round since 2013, and have won four of the last five editions, including a 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Wembley in May.
• But this was at risk of being a season Chelsea fans remembered for its unpleasant surprises: a first home defeat to Arsenal since 2018, their first consecutive Women’s Super League losses since 2015, the exit of head of women’s football Paul Green, and relinquishing their six-year stranglehold on the league title. For those reasons, this result was a profound relief, keeping them in the running for silverware and reaffirming they are still one of the toughest tests any English side can face.
• It also provided a valuable reminder of how much they still have left to fight for, and how well-equipped they are for those tests. In Chelsea’s defeats to Arsenal and Manchester City, their characteristic relentlessness was missing.
• They have built a dynasty on the ability to grind out wins even when they are wasting chances or are up against stubborn defences.