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London City Lionesses advanced to the fourth round of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup with a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth at Princes Park.
While Portsmouth started on the front foot, the Lionesses quickly found their stride and exerted pressure on the away side.
Hannah Haughton made several impressive saves before the Lionesses broke the deadlock on the quarter-hour mark, with Harley Bennett finding the net from just inside the penalty area.
Shanade Hopcroft and Lily Agg both had chances to score in the first half but were denied by the in-form Haughton.
Melissa Phillips made four changes during the interval, with Agg, Karin Muya, Lucy Fitzgerald, and Shanade Hopcroft replaced by Amy Rodgers, Lucy Shepherd, Lois Heuchan, and Katie Kitching.
The Lionesses built on their positive work after the break, with Sarah Ewens and Jamie-Lee Napier testing Portsmouth’s defence in the pouring rain at Princes Park.
“It’s a result in our favour and we advance to the next round, so we’re pleased with that,” Phillips explained at full-time. “It’s obviously been a few weeks since we played, which meant it was really important for us to make sure we established a little bit of form ahead of our next league matches.”
The Lionesses will travel to the Beyer Group Stadium to face Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round on Sunday, 29 January.