Hemp hits heights as Manchester City beat Spurs to reach League Cup final

Manchester City will have the chance to seal a fourth Continental League Cup triumph against the holders, Chelsea, following this schooling of Tottenham. The star act was Lauren Hemp, who scored the third and whose ability to glide across the turf was matched by a killer end product.

Gareth Taylor should enjoy the challenge of plotting to take down Emma Hayes’s team following his side’s sticky start to the campaign. Chelsea may have claimed the trophy for the past two years but the three-times winners are stylish and able to land dizzying punches when required, so the showpiece at Plough Lane may be a spectacle to savour.

City enjoyed an early ascendancy that had those in white chasing the ball. A Georgia Stanway corner that was taken short – and wasted – was followed by Hemp’s mazy run that took her infield from the left and had Becky Spencer grateful to clutch the shot in her gloves. Then Khadija Shaw drove along an inside channel. Her effort did beat Spencer but not the goalkeeper’s left post.

While City had control, too many errant passes showed their concentration required tightening. There was a concerning lapse when a defence led by Alex Greenwood – chosen as captain in the absence of the injured Steph Houghton – allowed Jessica Naz to skate through the middle. Ellie Roebuck, making a first home appearance of the season due to injury, advanced and Naz unloaded, but her radar was also awry and City escaped going behind.

Jess Park did not make the same mistake. The attacker’s blistering pace helped her zigzag toward the area, and the finish that beat Spencer low into the right corner was just as impressive. So, too, was City’s second strike a little later. Hemp again dazzled, her pace splitting the Spurs rearguard