The England winger provided the vital moment for Sonia Bompastor's side on Sunday as they joined Man Utd, Man City and Liverpool in the last four
A sweet strike from Lauren James secured Chelsea's place in the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday, granting the five-time winners a narrow 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace. The Blues, top of the Women's Super League, were dominant against their visitors, bottom of the same division, but that pressure did not pay off until past the hour, when James raced onto a loose ball and buried it into the far corner with aplomb.
In truth, it was no less than Chelsea deserved. Chances aplenty were created by a side still to lose in Sonia Bompastor's first season in charge, but the likes of Aggie Beever-Jones, Catarina Macario and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd were all guilty of wasting opportunities that would've put the hosts out-of-sight well before the deadlock was eventually broken.
Still, it always felt like the champions of England would find their shooting boots to get the job done – and with Palace unable to really create anything of note themselves, one goal was likely to be enough, too. That was how it played out, with James able to put Chelsea into the last four as they search for a fourth FA Cup triumph in five seasons.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Kingsmeadow…
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Hannah Hampton (6/10):
Was alert when she needed to be, despite having very little to do all afternoon.
Ashley Lawrence (7/10):
A consistent thorn in Palace's side down the right, providing some good deliveries to create chances and always offering an outlet.
Nathalie Bjorn (6/10):
Did very little wrong and helped restrict Palace to minimal opportunities on the attack.
Millie Bright (6/10):
Wasn't called upon much from a defensive perspective, but was more or less always there to thwart any threat that presented itself.
Sandy Baltimore (7/10):
Acted as a second winger, essentially, with James' movement inside giving her plenty of space to attack, and she created some good chances in the final third.
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Erin Cuthbert (7/10):
A valuable start for her after some time on the sidelines. Worked hard in the middle and looked sharp despite that recent absence.
Wieke Kaptein (6/10):
Did all the dirty work well and offered support to the attack with some timely runs. Off at half time.
Maika Hamano (6/10):
Showed good movement to find space in different areas of the pitch and played some nice passes before somewhat surprisingly going off at the break.
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Aggie Beever-Jones (5/10):
A sprightly performer who combined well with Lawrence down the right, but didn't take any of the chances that fell her way. Off before the hour.
Catarina Macario (6/10):
Picked up the free spaces well and was often involved in Chelsea's best moves.
Lauren James (7/10):
Showed a few nice glimpses before finally breaking the deadlock with a sweet hit.
Getty ImagesSubs & Manager
Sjoeke Nusken (6/10):
One of Bompastor's half-time subs, she picked up where Kaptein left off and battled hard in the middle.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (5/10):
Had a huge chance just minutes after coming on at the break but mistimed her volley at the back post.
Mayra Ramirez (7/10):
Replaced Beever-Jones before the hour and made a real impact with her ability to pick up the ball and run at defenders.
Oriane Jean-Francois (N/A):
Gave Cuthbert a well-earned rest in the latter stages and helped Chelsea see the game out.
Niamh Charles (N/A):
Replaced James as a late sub and added some extra security in the final minutes.
Sonia Bompastor (6/10):
A strangely managed game. Her starting line-up was strong, while still resting players who needed a break, and they dominated the game, creating plenty of chances. It felt like a goal was always on the way and yet, she made two half-time subs and another before the hour, showing urgency which didn't seem to match the state of the game. Those changes seemed to disrupt Chelsea rather than inject life into them, though they did eventually get over the line regardless.