Khadija Shaw scored twice to send Manchester City to the Women’s FA Cup final
With her back to goal, Khadija “Bunny” Shaw controlled the ball with her chest, spun around, and fired it into the bottom corner, out of reach of Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton. The Manchester City star then spun her arm in celebration before sliding on her knees in front of the traveling supporters.
“I believe in myself and I know what I can do in and around the box,” she told TNT Sports after City’s dramatic 3-2 extra-time victory in the FA Cup semifinal.
That unwavering self-confidence is exactly what defines a world-class athlete. Even what she described as “a crazy week” with “plenty of highs and lows” couldn’t shake her belief. On Wednesday, City were crowned Women’s Super League champions. The next day, reports emerged that the 29-year-old was set to leave the club she has called home for four years.
In April, *The Athletic* reported that Chelsea had offered Shaw a contract worth at least £1 million ($1.36 million) per year, and according to sources with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity, negotiations with City had stalled over the length of the deal.
On Sunday, Shaw demonstrated exactly why she is the most valuable player in the women’s football market—and the type of striker Chelsea, who have struggled to score consistently, desperately need.
Standing on the halfway line at Stamford Bridge, Shaw lined up opposite Sam Kerr, the player she could replace this summer. *The Athletic* reported in March that the Australia international is expected to leave. Initially, Kerr was the more dangerous of the two, having two goals disallowed and doubling Chelsea’s lead in the 59th minute after capitalizing on a mistake by City goalkeeper Khiara Keating.
Shaw had her chances too, but things weren’t clicking as she fired shots over the bar. A knock to her neck might have suggested it wasn’t her day. But the Jamaica international kept probing in dangerous areas. She had the most touches in the opposition box (15) and took the most shots (10) of any player.
With City trailing 2-1 and six minutes of stoppage time remaining, her persistence finally paid off. Her inner belief held strong as she found the equalizer with a quick turn, sending the match to extra time.
The two-time WSL Golden Boot winner, who is set to claim the award for a third time, soon found herself in another scoring position but sliced her shot wide. At the next opportunity, she told herself to just put it in the back of the net. Thanks to Yui Hasegawa’s alertness in intercepting Hampton’s goal kick, Shaw pounced and headed home, bringing her team one step closer to Wembley.
“That’s exactly what we need from our forward,” said City manager Andree Jeglertz. “To keep creating chances, miss one, then move on and keep going.”
Since arriving in the WSL in 2021, no player has a higher expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes (0.83) or goals per 90 minutes (1.07) than Shaw. Producing such consistently high numbers, as shown in the graph below, is quite remarkable and highlights her ability to find scoring opportunities.
She is clinical in front of goal, though her efficiency has dipped this WSL season, with her goals matching her expected goals total. However, since the start of the 2021-22 season, she has outperformed her xG by an average of 0.24 per game—only Kerr (0.25) and Chelsea teammate Lauren James (0.27) have recorded higher figures over the same period.
It’s not just her goal-scoring threat that makes Shaw such a sought-after player. As she showed against Chelsea, her exceptional hold-up play, link-up passes with teammates, aggressive pressing, and defensive clearances make her a complete striker. At 29 and in peak form, her next club could be her last. “Bunny” is leaving no doubt about her value.
