The Continental Cup draw was reshaped following Aston Villa’s penalty for fielding an ineligible player, leading to key group position changes.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 05: Kim Little and Leah Williamson of Arsenal lift the FA Women's Continental Tyres League Cup trophy following the FA Women's Continental Tyres League Cup Final match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Selhurst Park on March 05, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 05: Kim Little and Leah Williamson of Arsenal lift the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup trophy following the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup Final match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Selhurst Park on March 05, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

The draw was made for  the Conti Cup knock-out rounds following the FA announcement of the Aston Villa punishment for fielding an ineligible player in Noelle Maritz.

Aston Villa were deducted the three points from their 7-0 victory against Sunderland, and Sunderland were granted the three points for the win.

The scoreline was expunged and therefore recorded as 0-0.

It meant Sunderland ended up winning Group A, and Aston Villa dropped to second place. This was in line with the Continental Cup regulations 8.14.2.a) as the independent tribunal simply applied the rules.

Manchester United offered a statement protesting the decision, but considering the tribunal applied the rules, I don’t think there was a problem with the decision, and it would make it hard to appeal something that has been done by the book.

In the end, it meant Sunderland qualified as group winners, while Tottenham and Aston Villa were the best two runner-ups with the points per game criteria as number one and goal difference per game as number two.

Manchester United finished third in the runner-ups ranking.

The full draw is:

  • Brighton and Hove v Aston Villa
  • London City Lionesses (Championship) v Arsenal
  • Chelsea v Sunderland (Championship)
  • Tottenham v Manchester City

Ties to be played 7/8 February

Arsenal will be the favourites against a second-tier team that recently got bought by Michelle Kang, who is building a women’s football entity with multiple clubs around the world like Olympique Lyonnais and Washington Spirit.

There are multiple ex-Arsenal players at London City Lionesses: Hermione Cull, Grace Neville, Emma Mukandi, Ruesha Littlejohn, Tinaya Alexander and Danielle Carter.