The five-minute read for dedicated-ish fans of women’s football.

This week was a week of exits. Arsenal out, Chelsea out and Nils Nielsen… out. Plus: Wrexham are going to Europe, a 17-year-old born in Singapore is heading to Wembley, and Bompastor brought receipts.

– Jo, founder of Twentytwo

Brighton knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup on Sunday. Slegers rotated after Wednesday's UWCL second leg and Brighton took full advantage — Madison Haley and Caitlin Hayes both scored from Fran Kirby assists. Kirby was on punditry for the Arsenal vs Chelsea Champions League game on Wednesday. She was clearly taking notes.

Liverpool needed extra time to see off WSL2 side Charlton 1–0. Zara Shaw, back from a year out injured, got the winner.

Chelsea vs Tottenham and Birmingham vs Manchester City are still to come this afternoon — semi-final draw to follow at around 4.30pm.

🎥 Watch this if you only click one thing: Zara Shaw had had enough of the faffing in front of goal and put everyone out of their misery, serving up heart-break for Charlton.

Semi-finals: Sunday 10 May
Final: Sunday 31 May, Wembley

Arsenal are through, Chelsea are out, and that Champions League trophy remains as elusive as ever for the Blues. Both legs were tight — Chelsea had their chances — but they never found an answer to Arsenal's three at the back across either game.

United led on the night and had their moments, but a squad missing eight players through injury was always going to struggle to sustain it. Skinner’s full-time comments?: "It takes, sometimes, a punch in the face to wake up." Indeed it does.

Barcelona put six past Real Madrid at Camp Nou. Putellas scored her 30th UWCL goal on her 500th appearance while Madrid's coach pointed out that roughly half the world's best players are at Barça. Lyon needed extra time against Wolfsburg but got there — their 15th semi-final. Of course it is.

First legs 25/26 April · Second legs 2/3 May

💬 The talking point from Stamford Bridge: Katie McCabe appeared to pull Alyssa Thompson's hair in the closing minutes. The referee missed it, VAR didn't intervene, and Sonia Bompastor was sent off for protesting. Bompastor afterwards: "I don't understand why VAR cannot check that."

🦁 Sarina Wiegman has named 17-year-old Erica Meg Parkinson in the senior Lionesses squad for the first time, ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Spain (14 April) and Iceland (18 April). Full squad announcement here

🏴󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁥 Wrexham have won the Adran Premier and qualified for next season's Champions League — a first in the club's history. The celebrations were followed by a wave of sexist and misogynistic comments online; the club moved quickly to condemn them and threatened bans. Read more

🏥 England Football has launched a Female Health Hub — a free online resource covering injury, menstrual health, nutrition and wellbeing specifically for women in football.

🇯🇵 Nils Nielsen has left Japan just 12 days after winning the Asian Cup — his contract wasn't renewed, with the JFA citing concerns he was "lax" and "lacking passion." Journalists point to cultural friction and the long shadow of Norio Sasaki, who remained heavily involved throughout. Michihisa Kano takes over as interim coach. Read more

🇸🇪 The Women's Europa League has a final — Hammarby vs Häcken. If you've been wondering where the Swedish clubs have been while the Champions League noise has been going on, this is where. Read more

→ Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid in the Women’s Champions League. It’s time to reconsider El Clasico — Laia Cervelló Herrero via Yahoo

→ "Tottenham women head coach Martin Ho: 'If the season ended now, it's been a success'" — via The Guardian

Sam Kerr — Australian outlet Network 10 reported this week that Kerr has agreed to join NWSL expansion side Denver Summit when her Chelsea contract expires. Kerr disputed the specific report on Snapchat, but her contract is running out and the NWSL is widely reported as her likely next destination. Read more

Real Madrid and Niamh Charles — ESPN Deportes has linked Real Madrid with Arsenal's Niamh Charles and Everton goalkeeper Ane Agirrezabala. Both are rumours from a single source at this stage.

Sarina Wiegman described her as "speechless" when she got the call. At 17, that's pretty understandable.

The basics

The backstory
Parkinson moved to Portugal at ten, signed her first professional contract at Valadares Gaia, and made her senior debut there at 15. She's been playing top-flight football for three seasons. Named Liga BPI's best young player last season; four goals and two assists in 14 appearances this term.

Why Wiegman picked her now
Toone and Clinton are both out injured, leaving England short in midfield. Wiegman was clear it's more than a stopgap: "She's very dynamic, wants to go forward. She's also very aggressive and pretty technical." Whether she starts against Spain or Iceland doesn’t matter — this camp is about getting her in the environment.

Why it matters beyond April
The UK nations host the World Cup in 2035. Parkinson will be 27 — potentially in her prime. England's midfield depth has been a concern; injuries have forced Wiegman's hand here, but they may also have accelerated a timeline that was coming anyway.

→ This bit of skill on her Instagram explains why Wiegman was watching.

England vs Spain screenings, KO 7pm, Tuesday 14 April:

Women's Football Fair 3
Sunday 17 May · 11am–4pm · Big Penny Social, London
Kit stalls, community vibes, women's football people. One to get in the diary now. Get your ticket

Adobe Women's FA Cup Final
Sunday 31 May · 3pm · Wembley Stadium
Tickets still have 25% discount available

Is there a women’s football event happening near you? Give us a heads-up

Your what-not-to-miss viewing guide (BST)

World Cup Qualifiers
England vs Spain — Tuesday 14 April · Wembley · 7pm · ITV
England are currently top of their qualifying group. The Lionesses' 499th game.

This week’s fave find has to be the iconic moment that Bompastor turned up to the post-match interview with receipts.

👋 Not a subscriber? → Join for free

👀 Follow us on Instagram

✍️ Take our subscriber survey

📮 Tell us what you think of Twentytwo → [email protected]