The Red Devils will now have a chance to go one better at Wembley and lift a first major women's honour, having lost to the Blues in last year's final

Two weeks ago, a quadruple was still on the cards for Emma Hayes in her final season in charge of Chelsea. Now, only two trophies remain on the table, the Blues defeated in last month's Continental Cup final before being beaten 2-1 on Sunday in the FA Cup semi-finals by Manchester United, who have a real chance of a first major honour as they prepare to face Tottenham at Wembley next month.

The Red Devils were the underdogs against the holders and reigning English champions, but they got off to a flying start when Lucia Garcia broke the deadlock inside the first minute. It was terrific work by Leah Galton down the left, who capitalised on Eve Perisset's error and put in a perfect cross for her team-mate to shock the Blues. Before Chelsea could create a real chance to equalise, it was two, Ella Toone getting the better of Melanie Leupolz before catching the opposition out with another fantastic delivery, this one converted by surprise starter Rachel Williams.

From there, Chelsea started to put United under real pressure. Erin Cuthbert saw a shot deflect just wide, Mary Earps made a flying save to thwart Lauren James and then the net rippled, James powerfully converting Niamh Charles' cut-back in first-half stoppage-time. That momentum continued after the break, James again bringing the best out of England team-mate Earps before Chelsea were left feeling aggrieved by a couple of penalty shouts that went ignored, first for a Katie Zelem handball and then a foul by Williams on Charles.

However, just as we looked poised for a grand finale, the chances seemed to dry up. Hayes threw on all of her attacking assets – Catarina Macario, Fran Kirby and Aggie Beever-Jones were among the five names introduced – yet it was almost too much, the XI on the pitch almost getting in each other's way in a gung-ho, going-for-it formation.

And so United, who could've even added a third, saw it out and will be returning to Wembley next month, a year on from their narrow 1-0 loss to Chelsea in last season's final. Hayes' Blues, meanwhile, need to pick themselves up and target glory in the Women's Super League and Champions League, after another trophy went begging.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Leigh Sports Village…

Getty ImagesLOSER: Emma Hayes

Hayes' time in charge of Chelsea has been truly remarkable. She's transformed this club from one that had never won a major trophy to the most dominant in English women's football, winning six WSL titles, five FA Cups and two League Cups. For her final season with the Blues to end without another flurry of trophies would be cruel, then. And yet, it could well end without any.

Sunday's defeat means only the WSL and the Champions League remain. Chelsea have never won the latter and will have to beat defending champions Barcelona to stand a chance of ending that wait – the Catalans arguably having the best team in women's football.

Even retaining the WSL looks extremely tricky. The Blues have been champions of England for four successive seasons, but are locked into a fierce battle with Manchester City to uphold that status, the Cityzens three points clear, having played a game more, with Chelsea having five matches remaining. It's going to be anything but easy to pick up one trophy then, never mind two, after United ensured their chances of a treble suffered the same fate as those quadruple hopes.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWINNER: Marc Skinner

In a week which has seen United fans express their frustration at reports of head coach Marc Skinner being offered a new deal, the 41-year-old ensured the Red Devils will return to Wembley for a second successive season and with a massive chance of lifting a trophy.

Eyebrows were raised when his team was revealed, with Williams offered a rare start in a massive game, but it paid off as United thrived in picking up the flick-ons she contributed, while her headed goal for United's second was classic, brilliant centre-forward play.

Sometimes it has felt like United have gone into these big games without playing to their strengths, instead trying to go toe-to-toe with the established 'big three' and coming up short. On Sunday, they accepted they wouldn't have a lot of the ball, made the most of it when they did, and were clinical in a fantastic first half.

They rode their luck, but Skinner's game plan produced a monumental result, a first win over Chelsea and an FA Cup final which brightens up a season that, to this point, had been very disappointing. And he deserves credit for that.

LOSER: Eve Perisset

Perisset has been one of Chelsea's most impressive performers this season. She has probably flown under the radar a little bit, but she shouldn't have. She's been a rock at full-back, offered a lot going forward and is a reliable performer on set pieces.

Football is a brutal sport though and it was the France star who was at fault for United's opening goal on Sunday, failing to get enough on her pass as Galton pounced and delivered a cross for Garcia to break the deadlock.

"Eve Perisset has been outstanding for us," Hayes noted afterwards, "and the game can turn quite quickly." It shouldn't be forgotten what an excellent player she has been this season, but Sunday was tough for her, up against a real nuisance in Galton.

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Getty ImagesWINNER: Rachel Williams

Williams might not have the star profile of some of United's players, but she was the match-winner on Sunday thanks to an excellent first-half header. Her aerial ability, tireless running and clever movement caused Chelsea plenty of problems in the opening stages, with her flick-on inside the first minute leading to the goal that broke the deadlock.

"If you were Chelsea and you were predicting our starting line-up, you wouldn't have put Rachel in from the start, right?" Skinner said. "We knew that would give us an edge from the off. Of course, it's an incredible moment to score so early and it settles the game, I get that. But what we wanted to do is give their back-four three real threats, and that's not just with the ball, it's without the ball. It's Rachel's flick, it's Leah being aggressive, and then Lucia crashing in the back zone."

Williams has been used very well as a super-sub during her time with the club, and here she was showing that she can play a role from the start in these huge matches too, the type of which she would rarely be in the XI for. She knows exactly what she is good at and she plays to maximise her abilities in an intelligent and effective way. It worked a treat in this game.

Robert Lewandowski has answered questions about his future at Barcelona and the possibility of heading to the United States or Saudi Arabia.

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• Lewandowski quizzed over Barcelona future

• Contract with Catalans until 2026

• MLS & Saudi Pro League speculation

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Lewandowski appears committed to the remaining two years on his contract at Barcelona, despite heading toward his 36th birthday. The striker is also on course to record his lowest goal tally since 2010-11 – his first year after leaving Poland. In his "heart and head" it doesn't make sense leaving for the likes of Major League Soccer or the Saudi Pro League.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  A goal return of just 13 goals in 29 La Liga appearances (20 in all competitions) is a sudden drop-off for Lewandowski and has come as a surprise for a player whose goalscoring instinct seems to have got better since his 30th birthday – mirroring the careers of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Karim Benzema. He has been linked with a sunset move to less competitive leagues as a result.

• WHAT LEWANDOWSKI SAID

  Lewandowski told : "Saying goodbye [to Barcelona] is definitely out of the question for me [this summer]. I feel physically good again now. I had physical problems in the first half of the season. Things got better in 2024. As long as I continue to feel as good as I do now and notice in training that no one is outrunning me, I want to keep playing. As of today, I say: This will continue for at least two more years. Only when I notice that I am no longer physically at top level and am in pain would I start to think. That's not the case.

  "I haven't bothered with [Saudi Arabia] for a second so far. Neither Saudi Arabia nor to the USA. That doesn't make sense at the moment. At some point it's about what my heart and my head say. When I'm 38 years old and the pain comes, I have to ask myself: Do I even want to continue? But I don't want to plan that far yet. Currently I say: I can definitely play at this highest level by 2026."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LEWANDOWSKI & BARCELONA?

  With Real Madrid away and clear at the top of La Liga, but Champions League qualification also all but mathematically assured, there isn't much more than pride to play for. Barcelona will hope to finish the season well and go into the summer with optimism for 2024-25, now that Xavi is staying on. After Monday's clash with Valencia, only fixtures against Girona, Real Sociedad, Almeria, Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla remain.

She as been ruled out of the T20I series starting Friday against Sri Lanka after the re-occurrence of a groin injury

Liam Brickhill31-Jan-2019Allrounder Chloe Tryon has been ruled out of the T20I series starting Friday against Sri Lanka after the re-occurrence of a groin injury. It is hoped that Tryon, who is the vice-captain, will recover in time to return for the ODI series starting on 11 February in Potchefstroom.Tryon’s absence has given Suné Luus a lifeline who has been recalled to the team after she was dropped from the original squad. She rejoins a squad that is playing the three-match series as a televised double-header alongside the men’s games against Pakistan starting this Friday at Newlands.Tryon, 25, has played 52 T20Is for South Africa, in which she has struck the ball at 137.86. Captain Dane van Niekerk said that her team would miss Tryon’s big-hitting ability, but she hoped the youngsters being trialled in South Africa’s top order would step in to fill the gap.”It’s a massive blow,” van Niekerk said. “We know how explosive she’s been, and she can hit the ball as far as anyone in the world at the moment. It is a massive blow, but it’s also an opportunity for us, for people within the side to stick up their hands and put some pressure on Chloe as well – to say ‘hey, I can do this job’. We’ve got some powerful hitters – that’s one thing we pride ourselves on, that we’ve got some big hitters, some of the biggest in the world.”Faye Tunnicliffe, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk and Lara Goodall were drafted into the set-up for the three T20Is against Sri Lanka. Saarah Smith also makes a return after recovering from a fractured finger suffered during the World T20.”[Tryon’s absence] doesn’t change things a lot, because we have a lot of batting power within the side, and with the youngsters coming in I’m really excited to see what they do,” van Niekerk said.

Victoria held on to beat South Australia by six runs in their ING Cup match at the MCG

AAP25-Feb-2019
ScorecardVictoria held on to beat South Australia by six runs in their ING Cup match at the MCG. Chasing Victoria’s 8 for 260, the Redbacks needed 15 runs from Ian Hewett’s final over but could manage just eight and finished on 8 for 254.Hewett finished the day on a high note after spilling two catches in the field by having South Australia’s captain Darren Lehmann LBW for 44 off the third-last ball of the match. Hewett had earlier dropped both Greg Blewett and Mark Cosgrove – mistakes that looked to have cost his side dearly. But he followed Lehmann’s dismissal by removing Mark Cleary (0) first ball and finished with 3 for 41.South Australia looked to be headed for victory with Blewett’s return to form in the one-dayers with 98, including a 122-run stand with Cosgrove (55). But the Bushrangers hit back when Andrew McDonald had Blewett out LBW in the 43rd over and his dismissal was the first of a fall of 5 for 41. With Blewett and Cosgrove out of the way, it was left to captain Lehmann to get SA home but his exit effectively ended his side’s hopes.Hewett gave Cosgrove a let-off at mid-off when the left-hander was on 29 and then spilled a chance off Blewett (then 89) at deep cover, and to add insult, the ball trickled to the boundary. Blewett had made just 96 runs in six limited overs innings before today.Earlier, Victoria made a bright start with the bat then slumped to 5 for 168 with a third of the innings remaining, as the adventurous batting it used with devastating effect to beat New South Wales last week looked to become its downfall.Jonathan Moss (59) and David Hussey (32) fell to catches just as they hit full stride. But Graeme Rummans (51) made the most of a rare start for Victoria – just his second in both competitions this season – and shared in a sixth wicket stand of 65 stand with McDonald (28).From there, Hewett (15 not out) and wicketkeeper Peter Roach (7) played tip and run and in their search for quick runs towards the close, even ran into each other mid-pitch. Roach was out LBW to Shaun Tait off the last ball of the innings.

After the Krishnagiri Stadium in Wayanad received scathing feedback for producing spicy pitches for Kerala’s Ranji Trophy knockout matches, it rolled out a more benign surface for the opening day of the first unofficial Test. By stumps, England Lions held the advantage, getting to 303 for 5 thanks to well-paced fifties from Ben Duckett and Sam Hain, and handy contributions from the middle order.Fear of extra moisture under the surface delayed the start by half an hour, and with both sides unsure as to how the pitch would behave, India A captain Ankit Bawne sent England Lions in.The new ball, however, didn’t do any tricks for either Shardul Thakur or Navdeep Saini, and Duckett and Max Holden got off to a brisk start, the two left-handers putting on 82 for the first wicket in 23.3 overs. Holden, the less aggressive of the two, hit four fours in getting to 26 before Saini got him to edge one to the keeper.Duckett felt India A’s fast bowlers may have been unclear in their approach. “They tried too many things,” he said at the end of the day’s play. “Maybe they searched a little bit more with the new ball. The three of them bowled fairly good pace. The wicket was slow, maybe it quickened up towards the end. I felt comfortable against all of them.”Today, they bowled quite wide to me. Maybe they could have bowled a bit straighter.”Duckett feasted on the width, cover-driving Thakur for successive fours in the 33rd over. He raised his fifty by caressing one to the point boundary, and England got to lunch at 92 for 1.With the pitch offering minimal help, India’s quicks tried different approaches. While Avesh Khan went at full throttle relentlessly, Thakur and Saini mixed up their pace and waited for errors in judgment.Thakur finally reaped the reward, getting Duckett to drag one on at 80. Avesh then got Ollie Pope with one that sped through him and crashed into his off stump.Then on, Hain kept the momentum going, making India’s bowlers, especially spinners Jalaj Saxena and Shahbaz Nadeem, toil hard. Even as the Lions lost Pope and captain Sam Billings after the second drinks break, Hain carried on, grinding his way to his fifty in the afternoon heat, allowing himself only a few moments of flamboyance. His dismissal came off a poor shot, though, as he top-edged a pull off Saxena to the keeper.That was the last wicket India would take on the day, as Steven Mullaney and Will Jacks put on an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 65. Jacks ended the day on 40 and the composed Mullaney on 39, leaving the Lions looking poised for a big total.

The ten participating teams will play two warm-ups each

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2019India will take on New Zealand and Bangladesh in warm-up fixtures preceding the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales.The games will be played at The Oval and Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens respectively on May 25 and May 28, while the remaining fixtures, squeezed between May 24 and May 28, will be spread across Bristol and Southampton in addition to the two venues.Each of the ten teams will play two warm-up matches and have the luxury of fielding their entire 15-member squads, as these fixtures won’t carry ODI status.Pakistan will take on Afghanistan in the first warm-up in Bristol on May 24, and hosts England, who kickstart the main event against South Africa at The Oval on May 30, will meet Australia on May 25 for their first warm-up in Southampton.”It is always a huge milestone announcing an exciting warm-up schedule for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup as it really highlights just how close we are to the action getting underway this summer,” World Cup managing director Steve Elworthy said.”These games provide another fantastic opportunity for fans to see world-class players at their local venue and allows the tournament to engage local schools and communities with another chance to get involved with the Cricket World Cup.”

Luis Luis Enrique hits out at his critics after guiding Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League semi-finals.

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Luis Enrique out at criticsPSG can win four titles this seasonWill face Lyon on Sunday in Ligue 1WHAT HAPPENED?

Luis Enrique's PSG overturned a one-goal deficit from the first leg to beat Barcelona 6-4 on aggregate to qualify for the Champions League semi-finals in midweek. As the French giants now gear up to take on rivals Lyon in a Ligue 1 clash on Sunday, the Spanish coach has hit out at his critics for attacking him on multiple ocassions in the past.

AdvertisementWHAT LUIS ENRIQUE SAID

Ahead of facing Lyon, Luis Enrique addressed the media in a pre-match press conference where he said, "It’s not that I read little (the press), it’s zero. I've been a coach for over 10 years, I've been attacked, vilified, ignored or criticized. It's not a problem, I like it."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Les Parisiens have already won the French Super Cup title beating Toulouse in the final. They are currently leading the Ligue 1 title race by 10 points with only six games to go in the season. Luis Enrique's side have also reached the final of the Coupe de France where they will take on Lyon on May 25. In the Champions League last-four stage, the club will face Borussia Dortmund.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR PSG?

If the reigning champions manage to beat Lyon on Sunday, they will need one more victory against Lorient on April 24 to seal yet another league title.

Scotland’s openers Coetzer and Cross finished the game with 280 balls to spare

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2019

Oman slumped to the fourth-lowest List-A score in cricket history, after they were bowled out by Scotland for only 24 runs in Al Amerat.Playing the first of three one-dayers, the hosts were all out inside 18 overs as Scotland’s Adrian Neill and Ruaidhri Smith shared four wickets each.In response, Scotland chased the target down in the fourth over, winning with 280 balls to spare. In all, only 20.3 overs were bowled in the match.Six Oman batsmen were out for ducks, while No. 3 Khawar Ali top-scored with 15. His boundary off Neill in the 12th over was the only four of Oman’s innings.It was Smith who did the early damage, taking three of Oman’s first six wickets to reduce them to 17 for 6. Thereafter, Neill took over, taking the last three wickets, without Oman adding a run as they slid from 24 for 7 to 24 all out. Oman’s eight-run partnership between Ajay Lalcheta (2) and Khawar – for the fifth wicket – was their highest.Kyle Coetzer and Matthew Cross hit four boundaries in Scotland’s innings – including a four to finish the match – which lasted only 20 deliveries. The teams face off again on Wednesday for the second one-dayer, while the final match is scheduled for Friday at the same venue.

Joe Root has warned his batsman that they must take personal responsibility for their failures in the Caribbean, after England collapsed in ignominious fashion once again in Antigua to hand West Indies a ten-wicket victory, and an unassailable 2-0 series lead, with two days to spare in the second Test.Root himself cannot be excused from such self-reflection, having made just 40 runs in four innings to date – albeit with some notable moments of misfortune, in particular the good-length snorter with which Alzarri Joseph dismissed him on the first day in Antigua.But, speaking at the end of a chastening day, he admitted that his team might be forced to “go about things slightly differently in the future”, after the policy of positive intent in adversity that had proved so successful in Sri Lanka before Christmas came unstuck in spectacular fashion against a committed, varied and aggressive four-man pace attack.”It’s very disappointing,” Root said. “We came here to win and to find ourselves out of it with a game to go is hard to take. We have been outplayed, outperformed and we have to take that on the chin.”England’s downfall was all the more damning given the manner in which West Indies grafted in their first – and only significant – innings. With Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo epitomising their determination – Bravo’s 215-ball half century was the slowest ever made by a West Indian in Test history – they ground out a priceless lead of 119 on a pitch that proved tricky for players on both sides, but on which England’s expansive strokeplayers had no answer.”We have to learn some lessons,” said Root. “The way they went about stuff in certain areas has been very skilled, especially how they batted yesterday against some very high skilled bowling. That was frustrating. We felt unlucky. It’s not an excuse, they managed to find a way to a good score on that surface.Asked if any players in England’s line-up would be capable of emulating Bravo’s sheet-anchor application, Root said: “I think a number of guys can, I’d like to think I can. I felt unfortunate not to make a big contribution and when experienced players aren’t making scores over fifty, it makes it very difficult for the rest of the guys around them.”With the match finishing two days early, it seems highly likely that England will be sent back to the nets in the coming days, with the influence of the head coach Trevor Bayliss and batting coach Mark Ramprakash sure to come under further scrutiny ahead of Saturday’s third Test in St Lucia. Having harboured ambitions of using this tour to enhance their claims to the Test No.1 status, England will enter that match facing the very real possibility of a 3-0 series defeat that would have echoes of the famous “Blackwash” series of the mid-1980s.”I think we have got to be better at what we do, or maybe do things slightly differently,” said Root. “The choice comes down to the individual. I can’t bat for 11 guys, neither can Trevor or Ramps. The responsibility is down to the individual. But we will stick together and work on it as a group and try and come back with a really strong response in St Lucia.”After being rolled aside for 77 in the first innings of the series in Barbados, England’s batting was arguably even more feeble on the third afternoon in Antigua, as they lost all ten wickets for 97 runs in the space of 30 overs – four bowled and three lbw, as West Indies’ quicks concentrated on line and length and waited for the errors to come.”There were a couple of disappointing dismissals that guys will have to look at individually,” said Root. “But on a surface like that you have to commit to whatever decision you make. As a side they tried to absorb pressure but, when they went to hit boundaries, they gave it everything. Having that balance is important.”I think they played better than us, exploited the surfaces and we haven’t scored enough runs. It’s very easy to sum us up and say we’re a bad side after two games, having played so well for a period. We have to make sure we respond quickly and finish this tour on a high.”

The controversial slogan associated with white supremacist groups was briefly unfurled on one of the stands

Tristan Lavalette25-Jan-2019Three men who unfurled an ‘It’s ok to be white’ banner during last night’s Big Bash match at Perth Stadium will receive a “first and final warning” from Cricket Australia.The banner was displayed for about five minutes over the railing on the top tier near the Justin Langer Stand during Perth Scorchers’ innings against Sydney Thunder. The men took down the banner shortly after reportedly being spotted by security and were issued move-on notices by police.Perth Stadium’s conditions of entry prohibits oversized banners and flags deemed to cause public nuisance.The slogan is affiliated with white supremacist groups and gained prominence in Australia last October when controversial senator Pauline Hanson put forward a motion declaring ‘it’s OK to be white’.

Idiots put this sign up at Perth Stadium #BBL08 pic.twitter.com/CD58PODN5T

— Tristan Lavalette (@trislavalette) January 24, 2019

Government senators originally supported the motion, before backing down and voted against it the second time around.A Western Australia police spokesperson said the incident was “currently under investigation by police”, with the trio involved aged 50, 38 and 24. Perth has a history of racial and religiously motivated banners appearing in public places. In 2016 a banner declaring “Go WCE, Stop the Mosques” was briefly unfurled at Subiaco Oval during an AFL fixture between West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers, following a similar banner displayed during another AFL match in Melbourne.Stadium management indicated at the time that the four spectators responsible for the banner would be banned from the stadium for life.Earlier this summer, numerous spectators were ejected from the MCG’s famous Bay 13 during the Boxing Day Test for repeatedly chanting “show us your visa” to Indian members of the crowd. Footage of the chant, obtained by ESPNcricinfo, was passed on to Cricket Australia, who in turn passed the video on to Victoria Police and stadium management.”Three people in question was immediately removed from the venue and they will be issued a first and final warning from Cricket Australia,” a CA spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo in relation to Friday’s incident. “Cricket Australia takes a zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour at any of our matches, which includes racial vilification.”Our message to any fan attending a match is that if you display anti-social behaviour you will be removed and risk being banned from any cricket match across Australia, along with police action.”We encourage anybody who may witness this at one of our matches to report the matter to security or a member of staff immediately.”