Manchester City Women are aiming to complete a historic Double by winning the FA Cup against Brighton on Sunday, following their first Women's Super League title in a decade. The club secured the league trophy earlier this month, and victory at Wembley would give them their first league and FA Cup Double, as well as their first two-trophy season since 2019.
A key factor in City's momentum has been the dramatic U-turn of striker Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw, who signed a new four-year contract after initially indicating she would leave. The Jamaica international, who scored 21 league goals this season, had broken off talks with the club over more lucrative offers elsewhere. However, senior management from the men's team intervened to meet her requests, and Shaw announced her decision to stay during the trophy parade in Manchester.
Shaw's retention is seen as vital for City's ambitions, with midfielder Laura Blindkilde Brown stating: 'Because we've won silverware, there's more hunger there to win even more.' The club are also targeting success in the Champions League, having reached the latter stages two years ago.
City face a Brighton side that beat them in the league in April and have been in strong form since mid-March. However, the champions are confident, buoyed by Shaw's deal and a strong squad that includes four players in the WSL team of the year: Shaw, Yui Hasegawa, Vivianne Miedema, and right-back Kerstin Casparij, who topped the assist charts.
Casparij said: 'To win a Double, after so many years, would be absolutely incredible. That's definitely a goal we have and we'll give everything to realise that goal.' The team have balanced celebrations with preparation, with Blindkilde Brown noting: 'We're just trying to separate both, celebrate first and then really turn our focus on to Wembley.'
