A HISTORIC afternoon at the Snows Stadium saw AFC Bournemouth’s dream FA Cup run come to an end at the hands of WSL leaders Manchester City. Despite the 6–0 scoreline, the Cherries can hold their heads high after hosting the giants in front of a crowd of 2,089.
The gap of 33 places in the football pyramid eventually told, but Bournemouth started with the fearlessness that has defined their season. The home side nearly ignited a sensational upset inside ten minutes when Jenna Markham latched onto a through ball from Katie James, forcing a sharp save from Khiara Keating. It was a “what if” moment that proved to be the hosts’ best opening before the City machine hummed into gear.
City’s Clinical Blitz
The deadlock was broken in the 19th minute through City’s tactical blueprint: width and crossing. Leila Ouahabi whipped a pinpoint delivery from the left, allowing Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw to escape her marker and head home.
While Bournemouth remained resilient, absorbing pressure and even seeing a Kelci Bowers cross cause problems in the City box a ruthless window before the interval took the game away. In the 39th minute, Lauren Hemp pounced on a deflected ball to drill a low finish into the corner. Then, Laura Coombs took over, trading passes with Shaw to fire home a third before sweeping in a cross just 60 seconds later to make it 4–0 at the break.
Miedema Makes Her Mark
The second half saw City introduce world-class depth, including Vivianne Miedema. After Yui Hasegawa rattled the crossbar, Miedema reacted quickest to a goalmouth scramble in the 60th minute to poke home the fifth.
Bournemouth continued to fight; Kenni Thompson produced a brave block to deny Coombs, and Charlotte Harris cleared a goalbound effort off the line. Miedema eventually rifled home her second five minutes from time, but the Cherries nearly had the final say when substitute Amber Treweek saw a late effort narrowly clear the bar.
Match Summary: AFC Bournemouth 0–6 Manchester City
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Competition: Adobe Women’s FA Cup (Fourth Round)
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Venue: Snows Stadium
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Attendance: 2,089
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Referee: Sophie Dennington
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Goals: Shaw (19′), Hemp (40′), Coombs (44′, 45′), Miedema (60′, 85′)
Standout Performers
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Laura Coombs (Man City): The captain was clinical, netting twice in a minute to kill off the contest.
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Erin Foley (Bournemouth): Kept the scoreline respectable with a string of fine saves, including a superb double-stop from Ouahabi and Shaw.
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Kenni Thompson (Bournemouth): A tireless and brave performance at the back, epitomized by a heroic block in the second half.
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Vivianne Miedema (Man City): Showed why she is one of the world’s best, bagging a brace off the bench.
AFC Bournemouth: Erin Foley 13, Kelci Bowers 24, Freya Meadows Tuson 6 (Treweek 63’), Jessica Hennessy 4, Charlotte Harris 28, Kenni Thompson 7, Phoebe Williams (C) 8, Emma James 14 (Barron-Clark 63’), Georgia Wilson 9 (Cole 63’), Jenna Markham 22 (McGuinness 78’), Sophie Quirk 12 (Barratt 78’).
Subs not used: Abby Jones 2, Emilia Newton 18.
Head Coach: Helen Bleazard
Manchester City: Khiara Keating 35, Jade Rose 4 (Prior 56’), Grace Clinton 6, Laura Coombs (C) 7, Khadija Shaw 9 (Miedema 56’), Lauren Hemp 11 (Murphy 46’), Laura Blindkilde Brown 19, Leila Ouahabi 15, Iman Beney 24 (Casparij 71’), Yui Hasegawa 25, Rebecca Knaak 27 (Greenwood 46’).
Subs not used: Eartha Cumings 1, Codie Thomas 44, Rachael Adedini 99.
Head Coach: Andrée Jeglertz
