Charlton Women pushed WSL side Liverpool all the way in the quarter-final of the FA, losing 1-0 in extra time. The game was a competitive fixture where neither side deserved to lose, in front of the biggest women's crowd in 20 years.
The games started evenly before Liverpool brought the first save out of Sophie Whitehouse, as a blocked cross meant she had to spring across her goal and palm the ball out for a corner.
Liverpool kept the pressure up, but that gave the Addicks chances to break on the counter. This is what brought about our first attempt on target when a mishit Karin Muya shot rolled to Amalie Thestrup free in the box. She flicked her boot at the ball with her back to goal, and the keeper easily saved. In hindsight, she had a lot more time with the keeper stuck to her goal line.
As the half wore on, Liverpool started to dominate possession, yet nothing really came of it. Just before the break, the best chance of the half fell to Liverpool, when the ball was somehow skied over from mere yards out.
The second half started the way the first half ended, with Liverpool dominating but creating little. Whitehouse went most of the half unchallenged, with the chances that did fall Liverpool’s way not being on target. Charlton were resolute in their defending, with each player sticking to their task well.
Liverpool did have the ball in the net in the 78th minute, but the goal was chalked off for offside. The game stayed a battle, and Liverpool did have a chance to stop the game needing another 30 minutes in added time, but Whitehouse easily gathered a tame shot in the 94th minute, and we headed to extra time.
The breakthrough eventually came for Liverpool after 114 minutes, when utter chaos ensued in the box from a corner. Liverpool captain Jenna Clark got her head to the ball first, and it cannoned back off the post before it was headed onto the crossbar, cleared out, and eventually hit through a crowd into the bottom corner.
It was an incredible fight from Charlton, who pushed a WSL side all the way and were disappointed not to have at least taken it to penalties. Now, we have an international break before we are back to league action, away, against Southampton.
Charlton Athletic: Whitehouse, Newsham (Mason 76), N’Dow, Pearse (McAteer 103), Bradley (Lockwood 57), Fitzgerald, Muya (Kenney 57), Siber, Thestrup (Ross 57), Lobato, Flannery (Bissell 90)
Subs (not used): Pedersen, Finlayson, Waldie
Goals:
Booked: Ross 70, N’Dow 88, Whitehouse 110
Liverpool: Falk, Evans, O’Sullivan (Thomas 56), Kapocs, Nagano, Enderby, Woodham (Bernabe 56), Clark, MacLean, Bergstrom (Shizmizu 77), Csillag (Olsson 56)
Subs (not used): Kirby, Shaw, McDonald, Ireland, Trueman
Goals: Shaw 115
Booked: Thomas 96
Attendance: 2164
Referee: Megan Wilson