Manchester United channel spirit of ‘Fergie time’ to keep title dream alive
Aston Villa 2 Manchester United 3
Manchester United manager Marc Skinner revelled in his side’s use of “Fergie time” after the most fascinating Women’s Super League title race in the competition’s history took another dramatic turn with the leaders scoring a crucial stoppage-time winner to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and go six points clear at the top of the table.
Substitute Millie Turner’s header from a controversially-awarded Katie Zelem free-kick in the 94th minute sent the travelling Manchester United fans wild, on a night where Rachel Daly’s double for impressive Aston Villa looked like it had put a major dent in Skinner’s side’s hopes of lifting a first WSL title.
The destiny of the title remains in defending champions Chelsea’s hands; Emma Hayes’ team, in third, are now seven points behind Manchester United, but with three games in hand. However, for Skinner’s team, the psychological boost of this comeback win will be immense.
He hailed his team’s desire to keep searching for the late goal, saying: “The great Manchester United men’s teams never gave up. It’s called ‘Fergie time’ for a reason, right? It’s the mentality. And what we’ve got is the mentality to keep pressing, to keep trying to get free-kicks, to try and score, so for me it shows much more about our mentality and it’s a massive sign of what we can achieve.”
For long periods though, they seemed second best. Aston Villa had failed to score in their five previous WSL meetings with Manchester United, but Daly put that drought to an end just nine minutes into this contest as she glanced a superb header into the far corner of the net from a right-wing corner delivered by Lucy Staniforth, who would later float in a similar delivery that saw Anna Patten head onto the crossbar.
Manchester United right-back Ona Batlle produced her ninth assist of the WSL season, the joint-highest in the division alongside Chelsea’s Guro Reiten, when she made a powerful run down the right flank after collecting the ball inside her own half and played a perfect cross to the far post where Leah Galton supplied the finish to make it 1-1. However, Daly’s second – a skilful finish from a Maz Pacheco ball in from Villa’s left – restored the home side’s lead before half-time.
Daly’s double took her on to 17 league goals for the season and level with Manchester City’s Bunny Shaw in the race for the Golden Boot, and the former Houston Dash forward’s all-round performance epitomised her impressive first season as an Aston Villa player after signing for the WSL club last summer.
The Euros-winning England star almost had a hat-trick when she smacked a close-range stake onto the bar shortly after the break, in a break from some second-half Manchester United pressure, but the visitors found a way to equalise when Hannah Blundell’s deep cross from the left went all the way through to Nikita Parris, whose header was only helped into the net by Hannah Hampton. Villa then upped their game again and were crestfallen when Turner rose to head in the winner in the dying embers of a red-hot match.
Skinner refused to get drawn into any discussion around his side’s title chances, adding only: “We can’t control anybody else’s fate, so we’ve just got to focus on us. Tottenham are not going to be easy, then we’ve got Man City, and then we’ve got Liverpool. Three hard games, but we’ve navigated one of the hardest ones tonight.”
Villa were furious at the last-gasp decision to award Manchester United the free-kick from which they won the game, where Pacheco was adjudged to have fouled Vilde Boe Risa near the corner flag. Even the most ardent Manchester United fan would surely admit it was ‘a bit soft’. Carla Ward, whose ever-improving team remain fifth in the table, said: “The lineswoman was a yard away and said no foul. The ref was 30 yards away and said foul. It’s a tough one to take. We were excellent right through the 90 minutes. We’re hurting tonight, but my players have been absolutely outstanding.”
Match details
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Hampton 5; Mayling 6, Patten 7, Turner 7, Pacheco 7; Staniforth 8, Littlejohn 6 (Lehmann 6, 63); Blindkilde Brown 7, Dali 6, Nobbs 7; Daly 8
Subs not used: Allen, Boye-Hlorkah, Leat (gk), Magill, Keitley
Yellow cards: Staniforth, Littlejohn, Nobbs, Pacheco
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Earps 6; Batlle 7, Le Tissier 6, Mannion 6 (Turner 7, 87), Blundell 7; Zelem 6, Ladd 6; Parris 7 (Thomas 5, 77), Toone 6 (Boe Risa 6, 90+1), Galton 6 (Garcia 6, 77); Russo 6 (Williams 6, 77)
Subs not used: Riviere, Tounkara, Cascarino, Baggaley (gk)
Yellow cards: Zelem
Referee: Lisa Benn (Sussex)
Attendance: 4,176
