After giving this game the big build up in midweek it was perhaps predictable that the encounter would not live up to the hype.

Without producing too much excitement and no real drama the game did highlight the size of the task facing the teams trying to prevent Arsenal Ladies from completing a domestic treble this season.

In this game the Londoners comfortably subdued Everton Ladies, one of their main challengers, and eventually won with something to spare.

Arsenal Ladies started brightly with a couple of surges by Rachel Yankey suggesting Becky Easton might be in for a difficult afternoon and Jayne Ludlow firing well off target after only a couple of minutes.

Ludlow would find her range later.

There was a physical response from Everton Ladies FC as they sought to disrupt the sharper passing and movement of the Arsenal Ladies midfield.

Chantelle Parry was fortunate to escape a caution after a jarring challenge on Hayley Kemp and Fara Williams was as combative as ever in her attempts to give the home side some measure of control.

Then Easton put a hand into Yankey's face in turning and was booked, a little harshly.

There were few signs that Everton Ladies could really trouble the visitors defence, however.

Jody Handley, too often isolated up front, had little chance of making an impression. Faye White was easily winning the aerial battle and on the few occassions Handley managed to elude her on the deck Mary Phillip was covering diligently.

The one source of promise for Everton Ladies lay in the sporadic supply of long balls behind Yvonne Tracy to Michelle Evans on the left wing.

Evans' delivery would let her down all too often, however, and when Easton set her free with a wonderful diagonal ball she could only find the side netting at Emma Byrne's near post.

Becky Easton had really risen to the challenge by this time and was playing Yankey very well, but with Kelly Smith probing cleverly in midfield and always looking to drive forward when the opportunity arose Arsenal Ladies always carried the greater threat, especially as Lianne Sanderson was giving Rachel Unitt an uncomfortable afternoon down Everton's left.

There had only been an Anita Asante shot from 25 yards to bother Rachel Brown, however, before Arsenal Ladies took the lead on 40 minutes with a fine goal.

Smith did the spadework with a driving run down the right wing before squaring a low ball into Jayne Ludlow who took a touch before flashing a precise drive low across Brown and into the far corner of the net from just outside the box.

Almost immediately Smith worked herself an opening on the other side of the area but Brown moved across smartly to save underneath the crossbar.

half time: Everton Ladies 0 Arsenal Ladies 1

There was a strange prelude to the second half as the referee engaged goalscorer Ludlow in a lengthy conversation before allowing the game to restart.

What the subject of their discourse was is anyones guess although it did allow me to notice that the linesman on the far side, who had been particularly flag happy in the first half, had come out for the second in his sunglasses.

The second half was immediately livelier than the first though it basically followed the same pattern, Everton Ladies trying to get in behind the full backs, mainly without joy, while the more measured approach play of Arsenal Ladies carried a far greater threat.

Julie Fleeting was presented with a golden chance by a Fern Whelan error but shot wide and Brown had to be alert again to thwart a Kelly Smith free kick.

On 53 minutes Everton Ladies had their best opportunity to level. The chance stemmed from a fine ball out of defence by Lindsay Johnson which sent Handley away.

Although the Arsenal defence recovered to smother the initial threat they could not clear and the ball again broke for Handley inside the box.

Quick as a flash, however, Byrne was off her line to smother bravely at the strikers feet.

Perhaps stung by this escape Arsenal Ladies moved forward and Asante was just off target from 20 yards.

Then, around the hour mark, came controversy.

First Julie Fleeting went down in the box under a suspicious looking Rachel Unitt challenge but no decision was forthcoming.

Nor was any action taken moments later when Jayne Ludlow took an elbow in the face going up for a header.

Much to Ludlow's evident disgust neither the referee or the linesman nearest (not the one in shades) would admit to having seen the incident, which was very hard to believe.

Although it was difficult to judge whether the contact had been deliberate it was clear that contact had occurred.

Fara Williams, well and truly up against it in midfield against Smith, Asante and Ludlow, managed to engineer one decent chance for Amy Kane but the finish was weak and when Chantelle Parry lobbed goalwards the ball ended up tamely in Byrne's gloves.

In between times Smith once again tested Rachel Brown after a clever turn on the edge of the box. Again the England goalkeeper was equal to the effort.

Then in the final quarter of an hour Arsenal Ladies turned the screw against a defence tiring and beginning to creak under the increasing pressure.

Rachel Yankey probably should have done better than hit the side netting when Kane lost possession on the edge of the area following an ill advised throw in and then Whelan left the England winger through on goal after another slip.

Brown came out to block Yankey's shot but was helpless as the rebound fell straight into the path of Anita Asante. With the goal gaping, however, Asante shot wide.

The reprieve was shortlived, however. With ten minutes remaining Arsenal Ladies scored again to secure their passage into the final and again it was a super goal.

Yankey was slipped clear and when she cut the ball back from the byline Julie Fleeting fizzed a cracking shot on the half turn into Brown's near post, the keeper doing remarkably well to get a hand on the effort but unable to prevent it from billowing her net.

Two minutes later Everton Ladies afternoon was summed up when Amy Kane sent over their one really dangerous centre of the afternoon across a penalty area noticably bereft of blue shirts.

So in the end Arsenal Ladies progressed with few alarms.

It was tough on Everton's defence who generally did well and on Brown, Easton and Johnson inparticular but there could be no real complaints about the result.

Emma Byrne was never seriously tested in the Arsenal goal while Jayne Ludlow and Kelly Smith eventually overwhelmed the stoic Fara Williams in midfield.

Without ever really hitting top form Yankey, Fleeting and Sanderson also posed a far greater and more consistent threat than their Everton counterparts.

Indeed it was surprising that the Everton Ladies manager, Mo Marley, did not gamble on a change of formation when her side was struggling so patently to create chances. Her injury time substitutions were also puzzling.

Not that there was much, in all probability, that could have been done to engineer the Arsenal Ladies downfall. That task now faces Charlton Athletic Ladies in the final.

Good luck.

full time: Everton Ladies 0 Arsenal Ladies 2

Star Player: Jayne Ludlow

There was not much to choose between Kelly Smith and Jayne Ludlow, so it's only fair to give the vote to Ludlow.

Her combative edge helped give Arsenal the upper hand in the hard fought midfield battle and she popped up with the vital opening goal.