2020–21_FA_Women's_League_Cup
2020–21 FA Women's League Cup
Football tournament season
The 2020–21 FA Women's League Cup was the tenth edition of the FA Women's Super League and FA Women's Championship's league cup competition. It was sponsored by Continental AG, who sponsored the competition since its creation, and is officially known as the FA Women's Continental League Cup for sponsorship reasons. All 23 teams from the FA Women's Super League and FA Women's Championship contested the competition. Chelsea were the defending champions and successfully defended the title by beating Bristol City in the final.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Dates | 7 October 2020 – 14 March 2021 |
| Teams | 23 |
| Defending champions | Chelsea |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Chelsea (2nd title) |
| Runner-up | Bristol City |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 38 |
| Goals scored | 137 (3.61 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Bianca Baptiste (6) |
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the 2020–21 season was delayed, forcing many leagues and competitions to shorten their format. To reduce the total number of games, the previous format of four groups of six (with one being reduced in size by one to suit the total of 23 teams) was altered to six groups of four (with one short again), reducing the number of group stage games from five each to three each. With six group winners now, only the two best second place teams qualified for the knock-out round.[1]
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | WPEN | LPEN | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AST | DUR | SHU | COV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aston Villa | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | +10 | 8 | Advanced to knock-out stage | — | — | 1–0 | — | |
| 2 | Durham | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 | +9 | 7 | Possible knock-out stage based on ranking | 1–1 | — | — | 5–2 | |
| 3 | Sheffield United | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 3 | — | 0–6 | — | — | ||
| 4 | Coventry United | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 18 | −16 | 0 | 0–9 | — | 0–4 | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of wins; 5) Head-to-head record
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | WPEN | LPEN | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | CHE | ARS | TOT | LCL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 6 | Advanced to knock-out stage | — | 4–1 | 2–0 | — | |
| 2 | Arsenal | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 5 | Possible knock-out stage based on ranking | — | — | 2–2 | — | |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 4 | — | — | — | 4–0 | ||
| 4 | London City Lionesses | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | −8 | 0 | C–C[lower-greek 1] | 0–4 | — | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of wins; 5) Head-to-head record
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | WPEN | LPEN | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MCI | EVE | LIV | MNU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 7 | Advanced to knock-out stage | — | 3–1 | — | — | |
| 2 | Everton | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | Possible knock-out stage based on ranking | — | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | |
| 3 | Liverpool | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 3 | 0–3 | — | — | 3–1 | ||
| 4 | Manchester United | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 2 | 0–0 | — | — | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of wins; 5) Head-to-head record
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | WPEN | LPEN | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | WHU | REA | BHA | CHA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Ham United | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 8 | Advanced to knock-out stage | — | 3–0 | — | — | |
| 2 | Reading | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | Possible knock-out stage based on ranking | — | — | — | 4–0 | |
| 3 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | — | — | ||
| 4 | Charlton Athletic | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | −8 | 0 | 0–4 | — | C–C[lower-greek 1] | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of wins; 5) Head-to-head record
Group E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | WPEN | LPEN | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | LEI | BIR | BLB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leicester City | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 5 | Advanced to knock-out stage | — | — | 5–2 | |
| 2 | Birmingham City | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 | Possible knock-out stage based on ranking | 0–0 | — | — | |
| 3 | Blackburn Rovers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0 | — | 0–1 | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of wins; 5) Head-to-head record
Group F
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | WPEN | LPEN | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BRI | CRY | LON | LEW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bristol City | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 9 | Advanced to knock-out stage | — | — | 4–0 | — | |
| 2 | Crystal Palace | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 6 | Possible knock-out stage based on ranking | 2–4 | — | 6–1 | — | |
| 3 | London Bees | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 3 | — | — | — | 1–0 | ||
| 4 | Lewes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | — | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of wins; 5) Head-to-head record
Ranking of second-placed teams
Due to Group E containing one fewer team, the ranking to determine which two second-placed teams progress is calculated on a points-per-game basis.[5]
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | WPEN | LPEN | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Durham | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 | +9 | 7 | 2.33 | Advanced to knock-out stage |
| 2 | F | Crystal Palace | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 6 | 2.00 | |
| 3 | D | Reading | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | 2.00 | |
| 4 | E | Birmingham City | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 | 2.00 | |
| 5 | C | Everton | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2.00 | |
| 6 | B | Arsenal | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 5 | 1.67 |
Quarter-finals
The draw for this round was made live on BT Sport Score on 19 December 2020.[6] The two teams that qualified as best placed runners-up could not be drawn against the teams that topped their respective groups meaning Bristol City were not eligible to face Crystal Palace and Durham could not be drawn with Aston Villa. Manchester City's match against Chelsea was postponed following a COVID-19 outbreak in the Manchester City first-team squad.[7]
| Bristol City | 2–1 | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
Salmon  55', 58' |
Report | Larsen 86' |
| West Ham United | 3–0 | Durham |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Semi-finals
Final
On 28 January, it was announced the 2021 FA Women's League Cup Final would be held at Vicarage Road, the home of Watford FC, for the first time.[8] The game was televised live domestically on BT Sport 2 and internationally via the FA's own streaming service the FA Player.[9]
- "Conti Cup draw made". 1 September 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- "London City Lionesses' clash with Chelsea postponed". FAWSL Full-Time. 18 November 2020.
- "FA Women's League Cup quarter-final draw date". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
- "Continental Cup tie postponed". www.brightonandhovealbion.com.
- "Conti Cup rules explainer". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
- "Conti Cup quarter-finals drawn as holders Chelsea to travel to Manchester City". FAWSL Full-Time. 19 December 2020.
- "Conti Cup Heading to Watford". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.