Tottenham Hotspur booked their place in the Women's FA Cup quarter-finals in the most dramatic fashion possible, overcoming a stubborn London City Lionesses side in a marathon penalty shootout on Monday night. After a 2-2 draw at Hayes Lane that saw Spurs rescue themselves with a 95th-minute penalty, the north London outfit eventually triumphed 9-8 in a shootout that saw 17 consecutive successful spot-kicks before a final hero emerged.
Arsenal forward Olivia Smith was stretchered from the field and taken to hospital when suffering a worrying head injury during the Gunners’ Women’s FA Cup clash with Bristol City. The Canadian star was rushed away for medical checks, having received lengthy treatment on the field. A full diagnosis is yet to be delivered, but Arsenal are “hopeful” that the knock is not too serious.
Manchester United's bid to reach a fourth-straight Women's FA Cup final was ended on Sunday as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea after extra time in their fifth-round tie. Phallon Tullis-Joyce produced heroics in the Red Devils' goal but couldn't keep out strikes from Sam Kerr and Naomi Girma, while Simi Awujo's equaliser couldn't spark a come-from-behind win for Marc Skinner's side.
Naomi Girma picked a perfect time to score her first Chelsea goal on Sunday, with her finish in extra-time allowing the Blues to secure a dramatic 2-1 win over Manchester United and put themselves into the FA Cup quarter-finals. It looked like Sam Kerr's late second-half strike was going to be the difference for Sonia Bompastor's side in a tightly-contested clash, but Simi Awujo's quick-fire response prolonged the tie, paving the way for Girma to be the hero.
After winning all of the last six Women's Super League titles in succession, it's not been an easy season so far for Chelsea. The Blues are set to surrender their crown for the first time in seven years, with Manchester City sat eight points clear at the top of the table, and the negative noise around the club has only grown since the unpopular departure of Paul Green, the long-time head of women's football, was announced last week. But on Sunday, it felt like a boost of hope was injected into their season, by none other than Lauren James.
Arsenal dominated Aston Villa in their Women's FA Cup fourth round meeting at Meadow Park on Sunday afternoon as they progressed with a 2-0 win over the Midlands side. It took until the second half for the Gunners to find the breakthrough, but the result was never really in doubt once they went ahead shortly after the interval.
Since the Conference League's inception in 2021, three teams have lifted the trophy: Roma, West Ham United, and the current champions, Olympiacos.
How many teams are in the Conference League?
The newest format, introduced ahead of the 2024-25 season, features 36 teams, four more than in the previous format.
Who has made the most Conference League appearances ever?
Mainz 05 midfielder Hong Hyun-seok and Gent captain Sven Kums have made 39 appearances each in the Conference League, making them the players with the most appearances in the competition.
Who is the all-time top scorer of the Conference League?
As for top goalscorers, Arthur Cabral leads the list with 21 goals to his name, including those scored in the qualifying phase. However, without taking into account goals scored in the qualifying phase, three players have scored the joint-most goals in Conference League with 12 each to their names: Arthur Cabral, Eran Zahavi, and Vangelis Pavlidis.
Who has the most assists in the history of the Conference League?
Darian Males, Gavriel Kanichowsky, and Cristiano Biraghi have the most assists in Conference League history, registering eight assists each.
Who is the oldest player ever in the Conference League and how old was he?
Veteran Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina, while playing for Villarreal in 2023, became the oldest player to feature in the Conference League at 40 years and 175 days.
Who is the youngest player ever in the Conference League and how old was he?
Lille wonderkid Ayyoub Bouaddi holds the record as the Conference League's youngest-ever player at the tender age of 16 years and 3 days.
Which famous players have played in the Conference League?
Stars such as Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Tammy Abraham, Declan Rice, Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins,Co Mario Gotze, Kasper Schmeichel, Cody Gakpo, Stephan El Shaarawy, James Maddison, Jonathan David, and Edin Dzeko have played in the Conference League.
Which famous managers have managed in the Conference League?
Manuel Pellegrini, Jose Mourinho, Unai Emery, David Moyes, and Ange Postecoglou are among the most famous managers to have managed in the Conference League.