- Fran Kirby praised Brighton’s performance despite the 4-0 defeat
- The Seagulls reached the first major final in the club’s history
- Kirby believes Brighton must add more experience to keep progressing
Fran Kirby insisted Brighton & Hove Albion can be proud of their performance despite suffering a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley.
The Seagulls were competing in the first major final in the club’s history and matched the Women’s Super League champions for large parts of the opening period before City’s quality ultimately proved decisive.
“It’s disappointing to lose an FA Cup final. It’s never nice,” Kirby said after the match.
“But I’m really proud of the team and our performance, especially in the first half. We controlled the game really well.”
Dario Vidosic’s side started brightly and looked comfortable for much of the first half, with Kirby finding space between the lines and Kiko Seike causing problems down the right flank.
Brighton’s bright start undone before half-time
However, City’s breakthrough arrived in the 38th minute when Khadija Shaw rose highest to head home the opening goal.
Just before half-time, Alex Greenwood doubled City’s advantage with a low free-kick from 20 yards, leaving Brighton with a mountain to climb after an encouraging opening 45 minutes.
“But then we conceded and it’s really hard to get back into the game against a team like Manchester City,” Kirby admitted.
The champions showed exactly why they have dominated English football this season. Aoba Fujino added a third midway through the second half after being set up by Shaw, before Vivianne Miedema marked her return from injury with City’s fourth goal late on.
“They’ve been incredible this season,” Kirby said.
“It’s been a difficult game but I’m really proud of the girls and how they stepped up today.”
While the scoreline was ultimately convincing, Brighton’s route to Wembley and their performance during large spells of the final highlighted the progress made under Dario Vidosic.
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Kirby identifies next step for Brighton
The Seagulls were not expected to challenge for major honours at the beginning of the campaign, making their appearance on the biggest domestic stage in English women’s football a significant achievement.
“No one would have put us in this position at the start of the season,” Kirby said.
“It’s a really good learning curve.”
Kirby believes the occasion also exposed areas Brighton must continue to develop if they are to regularly compete with the very best teams in the country.
Manchester City’s squad featured experienced international players accustomed to title races and cup finals, while Brighton’s group were experiencing such an occasion for the first time.
“You could see the difference today in the leadership, in the experience,” she explained.
“That’s what we need. We need more experience in the team, we need to keep building and keep pushing.”
A historic occasion to build on
Despite the disappointment of defeat, Kirby believes Brighton can use the experience as motivation moving forward.
The former England international was quick to emphasise how far the club has come in a short space of time and feels the foundations are now in place for further progress.
While Manchester City celebrated a domestic double at Wembley, Brighton left knowing they had reached a historic milestone of their own.
And for Kirby, the focus is already on ensuring this final becomes the first of many rather than a one-off occasion.
She said: “We need to keep building and keep pushing. It’s a really good learning curve.”
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