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Conti Cup quarter final places claimed

The final round of group matches in the FA Women’s Continental League Cup were played in midweek and seven of the eight quarter final places have been decided.

Liverpool confirmed themselves as winners of Group A when they picked up the point they needed with a goalless draw against Sunderland. The Wearsiders did take the extra point by winning the penalty shootout but it was not enough for them and they finish in second, just ahead of Blackburn Rovers who beat Aston Villa 1-0 in the other group game, Ellie Leek scoring the only goal.

In Group B, the match between Leicester City and Manchester City was postponed and Gareth Taylor’s side will need to win the rearranged game in order to be sure of progressing. Manchester Utd meanwhile are definitely through after winning 2-0 against Everton, an own goal giving them a first half lead which was doubled before the interval by Martha Thomas.

Tottenham Hotspur picked up the result they needed to win Group C, although they were pushed all the way when beating Coventry Utd 3-2. Esther Morgan and Angela Addison gave Spurs a two-goal lead at the break, but Coventry staged a great second half fightback with Destiney Toussaint and Rio Hardy levelling the scores. Spurs were to have the final say in the dying minutes, Rachel Williams netting the the decisive goal to give them a third straight win. Charlton Athletic meanwhile defeated Watford 5-0 and will go through as the runners-up with the best record if Manchester City do not beat Leicester City. Ella Rutherford scored twice for the Addicks, along with Mia Ross, Elisha Sulola and an own goal.

Bristol City picked up the point they needed in order to take top spot in Group D, when they shared a goalless draw with Crystal Palace. City, last season’s beaten finalists, also added the extra point by winning the penalty shootout and finished on top of the group by a comfortable margin of four points. This is because the other match between Lewes and Reading FC Women also ended in a draw. Rhian Cleverly put the Rookettes in front, with Natasha Dowie replying to earn her side a 1-1 draw on the night, before Lewes won the resulting shootout 6-5.

West Ham Utd emulated Tottenham Hotspur’s feat of winning all three group matches when they defeated Brighton & Hove Albion to make sure they finished on top of Group E. Kate Longhurst gave the Hammers a first half lead and they added further goals through Mel Filis and Katerina Svitkova to seal a 3-0 victory and maintain their unbeaten home record in all competitions so far this season. The other game saw London City Lionesses and Birmingham City battle out a 2-2 draw. The Lionesses took a two-goal lead through Karin Muya and Amy Rodgers, before Birmingham hit back with an Eleanor Ryan-Doyle brace for a draw on the night, with the Lionesses winning on penalties to secure the runners-up spot in the group.