Chelsea Women draw Reading away in FA Cup quarterfinals

On the back of prolific goalkeeping by Ann-Katrin Berger, and clinical finishing in the fifth round of the FA Cup against Arsenal, Chelsea find themselves in their 10th straight FA Cup quarterfinal. The draw for the final eight sides took place on Monday night as Emma Hayes’ side will have to travel less than 50 miles west to take on Women’s Super League side Reading at Madejski Stadium. The match will be played on Sunday, March 19.

With the Gunners out of contention, only three serious contenders remain in the competition. By the luck of the draw, Manchester United will play its second consecutive Women’s Championship side. The Royals are not the most ideal quarterfinal out of the teams remaining, but it is by no means the worst. Manchester City received Aston Villa which could be an upset waiting to happen considering the competitiveness of the league meetings between the two sides this season.

It will be the first time in the club’s history that the two will match up in the FA Cup, but the third instance in which these WSL sides will meet in a domestic cup competition. Overall, in all competitions, CFC have won a total of 11 matches against Reading, drawing three times and losing on one occasion in the infamous 1-0 contest at Madejski Stadium.

Jelena Cankovic seeks to continue her run of form against Reading this season after her sensational Chelsea display at Kingsmeadow in December

Kelly Chambers has done an exceptional job at the helm of the Royals, especially against CFC. Reading was able to hold the Blues scoreless in Dec. 2021 despite allowing 34 shots. In the latest matchup in the league, the west London outfit thought it was going to cruise to a multi-goal victory in the second half.

Up by three goals, Hayes’ side pulled their foot off the gas, allowing the Royals to make a game by pulling back two goals before falling just short when the final whistle sounded. It is the match that is becoming known as the “Jelena Cankovic coming out party”. On a snowy at Kingsmeadow, the Serbian netted two of the three Blues’ goals and completing a team-high nine progressive passes in just 69 minutes.

Since then, the Berkshire county side has struggled to find any sort of consistent form. Reading has lost its past three WSL fixtures since its failed comeback at Kingsmeadow despite putting up a valiant defensive effort against Manchester United. Due to the decrease in form, the Royals are just one point above the drop zone given that Leicester City has triumphed in two out of its last three WSL contests.

Despite this lack of form, it is hard to forget about the difficulties that Chambers’ side has given the west Londoners in the most recent league games. No opposition has found a way to slow down CFC’s ultimate quest toward serial winning. The amount of fixtures within the month of March could slow down the west London side.

That could quite possibly be the Royals’ only hope for an improbable upset. Emma Hayes’ players have not lost in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup since 2020, winning the trophy the past two campaigns. The mission seems clear in the eyes of the Blues, and despite another fixture being added in the third month of 2023, the end goal remains consistent.