Doncaster Rovers Belles and Sheffield Ladies FC crash out in cup quarter-finals

League leaders Manchester City marched into the semi-finals of the FA WSL Continental Tyres Cup with a comprehensive 4-1 defeat of Doncaster Rovers Belles.

Izzy Christiansen, Georgia Stanway, Toni Duggan and Jane Ross all netted for the Blues, with Marta Bakowska-Mathews’ strike proving just a consolation for the visiting Belles.

Belles keeper Nicola Hobbs admitted injuries had taken their toll on the side.

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She said: “I think we competed as much as we could. We have a lot of injuries, and new players and players playing in new positions.

“Letting the third goal in killed us a little bit – we just need to make sure when we’re getting our chances we’re taking them; we need to be scoring or at least hitting the target. We need to get them in the right places. At the minute we’re not doing that, but it is getting there.”

Belles (4-3-1-2): Nicola Hobbs; Sophie Barker, Rhiannon Roberts, Leandra Little, Maz Pacheco; Kasia Lipka, Samantha Tierney, Marta Bakowska-Mathews; Sue Smith; Katrin Omarsdottir, Christie Murray

Substitutes: Carla Humphrey for Murray 54, Lauren Cresswell for Tierney 83. Not used: Anna Moorhouse, Rachel Newborough, Yasmin Mosby, Emily Simpkins

Attendance: 1,153

Sheffield FC Ladies went out 2-0 at home to Loondon Bees.

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Club, trailing 1-0 to a 60th minute goal by Goddard, were battling for an equaliser in the 90th minute when a corner was cleared out to Clarke, who was allowed to run from inside her own half to wrap the game up after rounding Julianna Draycott.

In a quarter-final of few chances Zoe Johnson’s Sheffield side played the better football in the first period without really testing Beth Davies, before the fellow WSL 2 side Bees got on top after the break.

Sheffield FC (4-3-3): Julianna Draycott; Sarah Jackson, Carla Ward, Billie Murphy, Ellie Gilliatt; Sherry McCue, Hannah Dale, Jodie Michalska; Hannah Cain, Kirsty Hanson, Sophie Jones

Substitutes: Emma Johnson for Hanson 58, Chloe Dixon for Jones 65, Danielle Lea for Michalska 87. Not used: Claire Wallhead, Danielle Cox, Rhema Lord-Mears, Emma Lipman,

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