Chelsea secured their place in a sixth consecutive FA Cup semi final after teenage defender Veerle Buurman scored a spectacular late winner to beat Tottenham 2-1 at Kingsmeadow on Easter Monday.

The 19 year old Dutch centre back rescued Sonia Bompastor’s side after goalkeeper Hannah Hampton gifted Spurs an equaliser with a shocking error in the second half.

Sam Kerr opened the scoring just before halftime, heading home from Keira Walsh’s pinpoint delivery to give the Blues a deserved advantage. The Australian striker wasted a golden opportunity to double the lead after the restart, and Chelsea were punished when Eveliina Summanen caught Hampton completely off guard with a free kick from a wide angle that sailed over the stranded keeper.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Hannah Hampton (5/10): Awful afternoon for the England international. Completely misjudged Summanen’s free kick and looked nervous throughout.

Ellie Carpenter (6/10): Worked hard down the right flank and got forward well, but somehow missed an absolute sitter from two yards out with a free header.

Kadeisha Buchanan (7/10): Rock solid in her defensive duels and comfortable on the ball. The Canadian international was Chelsea’s most reliable defender on the day.

Naomi Girma (7/10): Exceptional passing accuracy with just one misplaced ball from 72 attempts. The American continues to impress with her composure and distribution.

Niamh Charles (7/10): Excellent return to the starting lineup after three months out. Made two vital blocks to deny Tottenham chances in the first half and contributed well to Chelsea’s build up play.

Midfield & Attack

Keira Walsh (7/10): Struggled at times when Tottenham broke quickly but produced a magnificent cross for Kerr’s opener. Controlled the tempo effectively when given time on the ball.

Erin Cuthbert (7/10): Quietly effective performance from the Scotland international. Won countless battles in midfield and disrupted Tottenham’s rhythm without getting much recognition.

Sjoeke Nusken (7/10): Intelligent movement between the lines caused problems for Spurs all afternoon. Her runs into dangerous areas stretched the visitors’ defence and created space for teammates.

Sam Kerr (7/10): Clinical finish for the opening goal but wasteful with two other excellent chances. The Australian is still getting back to her best after injury troubles earlier this season.

Lauren James (8/10): Chelsea’s best player by some distance. The England international orchestrated everything positive going forward, creating numerous chances with her vision and technical quality. Absolutely superb.

Subs & Manager

Veerle Buurman (8/10): Match winner off the bench. Slotted into left back seamlessly when replacing Charles and then produced a moment of pure magic, driving forward before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top corner with four minutes remaining.

Sonia Bompastor (7/10): Named a strong starting eleven and got the job done, though Hampton’s error nearly cost them dearly. Will be relieved to progress after the Champions League disappointment.

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Chelsea have held talks over the signing of forward N’Sira Safi from the Right to Dream Academy, with manager Sonia Bompastor impressed by the 17-year-old during a trial last summer.

The Ivory Coast international was recently called up for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which was cancelled at short notice last month.

No agreement has yet been reached between the two parties, and Right to Dream, a multi-club organisation with a strong record of developing African talent, also has the option of placing Safi at one of its affiliated clubs after her 18th birthday.

The group includes Nordsjaelland in Denmark and San Diego FC in the United States.

Complex FA Regulations Could Force Loan Move

Because of the Football Association’s complex Governing Body Endorsement regulations regarding signing non-British players, recruiting young Africans into women’s football in England is generally more difficult than in other countries.

Clubs in the United States face fewer restrictions and therefore dominate recruitment from the continent.

Those same rules mean that if Safi joined Chelsea, an initial loan move may be required to aid her development while she builds the international caps needed to secure a full work permit for the reigning Women’s Super League champions. This is frankly a frustrating situation that puts English clubs at a disadvantage.

BlueCo Expanding African Scouting Network

BlueCo, which owns Chelsea and Strasbourg, has an extensive scouting network in Africa that has supported recruitment across its men’s teams in England and France. They have also hired a women’s sporting director, Phil Radley, who has a decade of experience at Nordsjaelland and knows the Right to Dream Academy system well.

The 2026 summer transfer window opens on 15 June and closes on 31 August, giving Chelsea plenty of time to finalise any potential deal.

Also read: Chelsea Announce Biggest Pre-Tax Loss in Premier League History as Blues Post £262.4 Million Deficit Despite Second Highest Ever Revenue

Arsenal manager Renee Slegers has bemoaned Katie McCabe’s hair pull incident overshadowing their two leg Women’s Champions League victory over domestic champions Chelsea.

Ireland’s captain was lucky to avoid being sent off at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday having tugged the hair of Alyssa Thompson as the American sped away towards goal.

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor was livid at the lack of action taken by referee Alina Pesu or the failure of VAR to intervene. She was eventually sent off, citing the moment as the turning point of the tie they were chasing a two goal deficit in from the first leg.

McCabe Apologetic After Discussion With Slegers

McCabe’s incident has dominated the aftermath of the tie and while Slegers claimed there was no intent by the Dubliner, she admitted a discussion with the 30 year old was arranged the following day. “Yeah, I’ve seen it and have spoken to Katie today as well,” the Dutch coach explained. “She’s very apologetic about the situation and it’s unfortunate that it’s happened.”

Slegers is absolutely right to be frustrated that the incident took attention away from what was an excellent Champions League quarter final between two top WSL sides. Arsenal progressed 3-2 on aggregate and will now face Lyon in the semi finals.

McCabe Reports for Ireland Duty After Brighton Clash

McCabe responded to the controversy by providing her input on social media. “I just want to clarify that I was genuinely reaching for the shirt. I wouldn’t ever want to pull someone’s hair. Full respect to Thompson.”

The Ireland captain is due to report for international duty on Monday following Sunday’s FA Cup quarter final against Brighton. Ireland have a World Cup qualification double header against Poland, firstly in Gdansk on Tuesday week followed by the rematch at Lansdowne Road on April 18.

Also read: UEFA Backs Champions League Officials After Sonia Bompastor Slams VAR Following Chelsea Exit to Arsenal as Katie McCabe Hair Pull Goes Unpunished