Sports

Leicester Women book Man City FA Cup quarter-final date


Paige Bailey-Gayle scored twice to put Leicester into the last eight

Paige Bailey-Gayle’s spectacular double helped Championship side Leicester dump out Super League side Reading, and book a Women’s FA Cup quarter final date with holders Manchester City.

Reading led until 79 minutes through Brooke Chaplen’s first-half penalty.

However, 18-year-old Bailey-Gayle smashed a shot in off a post from 25 yards to take the game to extra-time.

Penalties were on the cards until Bailey-Gayle hammered in a second goal, off the crossbar, to settle the tie.

The likelihood of Leicester extending their cup run against a Royals side fourth in the women’s top flight looked ominously slim when Chaplen slotted in from the spot in the final moments of the first period.

By that stage the visitors had already seen two goals chalked off for offside, and only the goalkeeping of Demi Lambourne denied them further success in front of goal.

Yet, Leicester stayed in the contest and were rewarded when former Arsenal striker Bailey-Gayle, who only signed a professional deal at the Foxes in December, let fly with a screamer to bring the tie all square.

Millie Farrow forced a smart save from goalkeeper Lambourne, while at the other end Reading needed Grace Moloney to deny Ella Rutherford.

Extra-time was cagey, and the longer the game went on the more Leicester seemed buoyed, although Reading did strike the crossbar with a sizzling free-kick.

In the event it took another quality strike from Bailey-Gayle to ensure progress for a side currently sixth in the FA Women’s Championship after 14 games.



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