Manchester United, the dominant team, alleviated their struggles in the league by easily progressing to the semi-finals of the Women’s FA Cup with a commanding win against Brighton.
Last year’s finalists scored three goals in the first half – by Millie Turner, Nikita Parris, and Lucía García – and another spectacular goal by Lisa Naalsund in the second half which secured them a spot in the semi-finals.
The team’s manager, Marc Skinner, commended their “collective effort” which offered a break from their unstable performance in the league.
He expressed satisfaction with our performance, calling it one of the best. We quickly found our rhythm, with our players working well together. He was proud of how well we handled the rough aspects of the game.
As the day was ending, the teams appeared before an enthusiastic audience at Broadfield Stadium. This was a repeat of the previous season’s semi-final, a closely contested game that was won by Manchester United with a goal in the 89th minute from Rachel Williams.
The home fans were full of belief as they welcomed their team back after a successful visit to Bristol in the Women’s Super League. Coach Mikey Harris kept the same lineup as the one that had scored seven goals the weekend before.
On the other hand, after a disappointing tie in the league against West Ham, Skinner made three changes to his starting lineup. As a result, they fell even further behind the top three in the standings and their chances of playing in Europe began to diminish.
Jayde Riviere has finally returned from an injury, and both Naalsund and Garcia also made their comebacks. This resulted in Parris, who has been playing well lately, being moved up to the front to play as the lead.
Although the hosts initially appeared lively, it was not long before United started to exert control. García was having a good time on the right side, with ample room to make runs.
Due to Brighton’s unstable defense, the opposing team was able to gain an early advantage when García rushed forward and won a corner. Although the first attempt was cleared, Katie Zelem regained possession and delivered one of her well-known crosses. At the back post, Turner outjumped the competition and scored an impressive header.
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The United team remained in charge as they applied pressure to Sophie Baggaley’s goal. Melvine Malard was instrumental in extending their lead after 10 minutes, sending a well-placed pass to Parris. With only the goalkeeper to surpass, she successfully scored.
Brighton made every effort to regain control of the game, but their final outcome was not up to par. On the other hand, United remained a constant threat. Naalsund attempted a shot that went over the goal, while Hannah Blundell forced Baggaley to make a great save.
García extended the score just before halftime, converting a rebound after Malard’s shot struck the goalpost.
United did not want to ease up, as Baggaley’s performance was the only thing preventing the score from increasing. The goalkeeper made two impressive saves to stop Malard’s attempts, and then made a spectacular save to prevent Parris from scoring late in the game. Unfortunately, she could not stop the visitors’ fourth goal, as Naalsund scored with a fantastic curved shot.
Brighton had a humbling evening, with a sharp decline from their previous successes. On the other hand, this victory in a significant tournament provides a boost of confidence for United and their coach, Skinner. “The competition holds a lot of meaning for us. When we lost in the final, we were incredibly frustrated. We are determined to make a comeback. We anticipate facing tough opposition, but our disappointment from the previous final will motivate us to give our all and bring our fans back to Wembley.” This triumph could also inject much-needed energy into the remainder of their league season.
Source: theguardian.com
