Chelsea Women: 3 takeaways from narrow FA Cup semifinal win over Villa

1. Villa cannot outlast the Blues’ experience in end of season cup ties

Compared to the match two weeks ago in the WSL, the Villains challenged the Blues far more often. Those four shots on target do not describe just how much Ward’s team took the game to the away side toward the end of the second half. Following the goal, the Villains took the match to the west Londoners, making the new-look back four come up with blocks inside the penalty box. No matter what the home side did offensively, the Blues had an answer for it.

There was never a point, even when Villa struck the post that Hayes’ side looked out of control. Eriksson and Carter provided the composure in the back while Zecira Musovic did what she needed to do when the ball made it past the gold kits. Teams can test the Blues in more than one way in the final two months of the season, but under Hayes, this squad has continuously found a way to do just enough to achieve the result.

It is the relentlessness of the Blues that stands out above all from this contest. In a competition where the margin of error is slim to none, the west London outfit could not afford to gift the opponent anything. Just one moment of magic is oftentimes good enough. The Blues looked even more locked in to prevent a breakthrough when Kerr found the back of the net. Villa is a talented side that was going to trouble the west London outfit at some point. It is how the squad responded that mattered. Ward had limited solutions, and in the club’s first semifinal appearance in the FA Cup, the Villains simply could not outclass the country’s most experienced side.