Brighton Shocks Arsenal to Advance to Women's FA Cup Semifinals

In a stunning upset, Brighton eliminated European champions Arsenal from the Women's FA Cup with a 2-0 victory at Meadow Park. The decisive moment came when Madison Haley scored three minutes into the second half, capitalizing on a pass from Fran Kirby after Arsenal's Stina Blackstenius had a goal disallowed. Kirby again played a crucial role in the 63rd minute, providing a corner that Caitlin Hayes headed in to secure the win for the underdogs. Arsenal, who had beaten Chelsea in the Champions League just days prior, were unable to carry their momentum into this match and suffered another FA Cup disappointment. The 14-time winners, who last lifted the trophy in 2016, made six changes to their lineup but were unable to keep up with Brighton. The Seagulls, who have reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the fourth time in their history, will look to keep their hopes alive of winning their first major trophy. 'It's something special that we've talked about,' said Kirby. 'We knew we could come here and get a result, but to do it against a team like Arsenal, who have quality all over, is really special.' Meanwhile, Liverpool advanced to the semi-finals with a 1-0 win over Charlton in extra time, thanks to a late goal from Zara Shaw. The Women's FA Cup semi-final draw is set to take place on Monday, with matches scheduled for the weekend of May 9/10 ahead of the final on May 31.