Brighton & Hove Albion produced a dramatic turnaround on Sunday, coming from two goals down to beat Liverpool 3-2 in a gripping Women’s FA Cup semi-final and reach the final of the competition for the first time in their history.
The encounter at St Helens began strongly for Liverpool, who raced into a 2-0 lead within the opening 22 minutes. Denise O’Sullivan opened the scoring with a header before Beata Olsson doubled the advantage from close range, putting Brighton under early pressure.
Brighton, however, found a response before halftime when Manuela Vanegas reduced the deficit from left-back, shifting the momentum of the contest.
The equaliser arrived early in the second half as Madison Haley rose to head home and level the score at 2-2 by the 54th minute, setting up a tense finale.
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With the match edging towards extra time, substitute Nadine Noordam delivered the decisive moment deep into stoppage time. Introduced just six minutes earlier, she fired in from about 10 yards to complete the comeback and seal a 3-2 victory.
Nigeria international goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie also played a key role in Brighton’s win, making important late saves to deny Liverpool substitutes Aurelie Csillag and Cornelia Kapocs and preserve her team’s lead.
Brighton now advance to the final at Wembley on May 31, where they will face either defending champions Chelsea F.C. Women or Manchester City W.F.C., depending on the outcome of the other semi-final.