Arsenal Ladies defeated a determined West ham 2-0 in the London County Cup in Wednesday night.
Both sides took a while to settle on the surface, which was only made playable after the snow was swept away to allow the pitch markings to be seen.
However, Arsenal were soon moving the ball around with the style expected from a side containing such illustrious names as Rachel Yankey and Katie Chapman. It was the former who opened the scoring on 10 minutes, when a burst of pace took her away from the Hammers' back line as she ran onto a through ball and calmly tucked it inside the post.
There was no danger of the goal breaking the Hammers' resolve and for the next 80 minutes they kept their shape and discipline to make it hard for Arsenal to find a further break through.
While the Hammers were not able to create too many clear-cut chances of their own, their confidence grew and having soaked up a lot of pressure in the first half, the second period saw them have more possession and build some pressure of their own.
The game was not made safe by the visitors until the last minute, when the lively Danielle Carter found space in the box and slipped the ball to her left for Lauren Bruton to convert.
The Gunners now face a North London derby at Tottenham Hotspur while Millwall Lionesses host Charlton Athletic in the other semi-final.
SEMI-FINALS (To be played on Sunday 21 February)
Millwall Lionesses v Charlton Athletic
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal
FINAL
To be played Tuesday 23 March at Wingate & Finchley FC.
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