By Tony Leighton

Nottingham Forest will face Barnet in the Women's Premier League Cup final in March after both sides came through hard-fought semi-finals.

An excellent Catherine Lawson goal gave Forest their somewhat fortunate 1-0 win against local rivals Leicester City.

And Barnet had to battle all the way against Southern Division side Portsmouth to claim a 2-1 victory.

In the weekend's only Premier League game a Demi Stokes hat-trick gave Sunderland a 3-2 win against Millwall.

Women's Premier League Cup semi-finals

Nottingham Forest 1-0 Leicester City

Northern Division Leicester were the better side for long periods but failed to make their dominance pay.

Foxes striker Natasha Meade missed two good first-half chances but was then unlucky with a long-range effort that hit the bar midway through the second period.

Lawson won the game in the 72nd minute, expertly curling a 25-yard free-kick into the roof of the net.

Barnet 2-1 Portsmouth

In-form striker Stacey Sowden gave Barnet a great start with the opening goal after only three minutes.

But it then took the Premier League team until 25 minutes into the second half to increase their lead through Jess Trimnell.

Plucky Pompey kept battling, however, and Kirsty McGee's goal in the 85th minute led to a nervy closing period for the Bees.

Women's Premier League

Sunderland 3-2 Millwall Lionesses

The Black Cats twice had to come from behind to clinch a win that lifted them four points clear at the top of the table.

Emma Beckett's 20 yard free-kick gave the Lionesses a fourth-minute lead that Stokes equalised with a tremendous individual effort two minutes into the second half.

There were only eight minutes remaining when Kate Longhurst took advantage of a defensive error to shoot the visitors back in front.

But within 60 seconds Stokes bagged her second equaliser, turning in a Kelly McDougall cross from the right.

McDougall then missed an 88th minute penalty, but the midfielder's blushes were spared when Stokes ran through to score the winner a minute from time.

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