Everton Everton were one of 23 WSL and Championship teams to enter the competition in the fourth round proper and were drawn against
London Bees of the Championship to start, a tie that provided Everton with the only non-top flight opposition of their cup run. The Toffees beat the second division side 1–0 with Dutch international
Inessa Kaagman scoring the only goal of the game, a 25-yard strike on the stroke of half-time. Everton were handed an away tie against
Bristol City at
Ashton Gate in the fifth round, a team sat bottom of the WSL and battling relegation at the time but had progressed to this stage after similarly besting Championship opposition by one goal. Everton proved comfortable 5–0 winners: Kaagman again opened the scoring, her first of two goals on the day.
Esme Morgan and
Lucy Graham added goals before the break with
Hannah Cain and Kaagman's second giving Everton their biggest margin of victory since a 6–1 FA Cup quarter-final victory over second-tier
Durham in March 2018. A home quarter-final tie against
Chelsea, a team in the midst of a title challenge having already lifted one trophy this season by beating
Arsenal in the
2020 FA Women's League Cup Final in their previous match, was scheduled for 15 March 2020. However, it was postponed indefinitely due to the
coronavirus pandemic. With the
2019–20 FA WSL season eventually curtailed and decided on a points-per-game basis, the FA Cup was permitted to resume at the quarter-final stage six months later than planned. Everton ultimately faced newly-crowned WSL champions Chelsea on 27 September 2020 having already played two matches of the 2020–21 season. The game was played behind closed doors at
Goodison Park with
Erin Cuthbert giving the visitors an early lead in the 5th minute, the only goal the Toffees would end up conceding en route to the final. Everton went in level at the break through a 40th-minute
Lucy Graham goal before French international
Valérie Gauvin, a high-profile summer signing from
Montpellier, scored the decisive goal just past the hour mark, ending the London side's hopes of a domestic treble. Three days later, Everton booked their place at Wembley with a 3–0 victory away at
Birmingham City, a team undergoing a sizeable rebuild having lost eight senior players over the summer and under new management with
Carla Ward. Everton's
Nicoline Sørensen, another of the club's international summer recruits, scored her first goal for the club in the game.
Manchester City Manchester City were one of 23 WSL and Championship teams to enter the competition in the fourth round proper and were drawn against
Manchester derby rivals
Manchester United having already met twice earlier in the year: City had triumphed on the opening day of the season before United earned a
League Cup group stage win. The game was selected as the televised match of the round and broadcast live on the
BBC Red Button. City won a five-goal thriller 3–2 with a brace from
England international
Ellen White putting the away side ahead. Substitute
Lauren James pulled one back for United in the 69th-minute and the Red Devils thought they had drawn level when former City player
Abbie McManus saw her shot trickle over the line but the officials disagreed, putting the lack of
goal-line technology in women's football under scrutiny.
Jill Scott restored City's two-goal cushion shortly after while a
Lauren Hemp own goal two minutes from time set up a nervy finish. The fifth round paired the defending FA Cup champions in a favourable matchup against
Ipswich Town of the
FA Women's National League Division One South East (tier 4), the lowest ranked team left in the competition who had entered during second round qualifying and won six games to reach this stage.
Pauline Bremer,
Jess Park and
Georgia Stanway all scored hat-tricks as City ran out resounding 10–0 winners. Reaching the quarter-final stage for the seventh consecutive season, City were drawn against Championship side
Leicester City. With the season postponed due to the
coronavirus pandemic the
2019–20 FA WSL season was eventually curtailed and decided on a points-per-game basis, moving City down from 1st to 2nd in the process as Chelsea were declared WSL champions. Manchester City, meanwhile, had appointed
Gareth Taylor as manager ahead of the new season on 28 May following the departure of
Nick Cushing during the previous campaign. Despite the increased investment and influx of WSL talent to the new-look Leicester team, the Cityzens were able to see off the Foxes 2–1.
Chloe Kelly, who had joined the Manchester club from
Everton over summer, scored her first goal as a City player from the penalty spot to open scoring with
Georgia Stanway doubling the lead before half-time. Leicester earned a penalty of their own in the 78th-minute, converted by
Charlie Devlin, but City were again able to see out the win to set up a semi-final meeting with
Arsenal. The teams had already met at the semi-final stage of the
2019–20 FA Women's League Cup earlier in the year with the Gunners emerging 2–1 winners. City were able to reverse the scoreline in this rematch: England international teammates
Steph Houghton and
Jordan Nobbs traded first-half goals before
Sam Mewis, City's reigning
World Cup champion midfielder acquired from
North Carolina Courage in August, scored her first goal in English football to clinch the defending champions' place in the final. ==Match details==