Manchester United were six years away from having a women’s team when Rachel Williams won the FA Cup in 2012 with Birmingham. She now has the chance of another winner’s medal after settling their thrilling semi-final against Brighton in the final minutes.
United made things hard for themselves by giving Brighton two goals through errors but eventually showed the quality to edge their way to Wembley for the first time. The 35-year-old Williams used all her experience to keep calm at the crucial moment to slide in the winner after coming off the bench.
“The beauty of the finish is excellent,” the Manchester United manager, Marc Skinner, said. “I asked her what she was thinking and she said: ‘I was rubbish in training all week in finishing, so thought I can’t go across her.’ And she put it in.”
It was a dramatic moment fitting of a match that could have gone either way. Considering Manchester United defeated the same opponents a fortnight ago 4-0, they would have hoped for a more straightforward day in their busy schedule as they battle to win the double. United are top of the Women’s Super League and Brighton bottom but the Seagulls, under their new manager, Mel Phillips, showed they have a great chance of staying up.
Brighton’s Lydia Williams was the first goalkeeper to be called into action after 27 minutes when Alessia Russo reacted quickest to whack a bouncing ball inside the box at goal, only to see her shot expertly tipped over the bar. United were beginning to get on top of Brighton, tiring them out through their domination of possession and the danger offered in the final third by Lucía García and Russo in particular.
While the Brighton goalkeeper was being kept busy by United four pigeons were feasting on the penalty spot in Mary Earps’s area, a sign of where the action was taking place. But the pigeons and Seagulls did eventually take flight. The opener arrived against the run of play when Brighton’s Veatriki Sarri outsmarted Ona Batlle on the wing, drove into the box and put in a cross. Earps stuck out a hand to stop it but instead diverted the ball into the net for an own goal that silenced the home crowd.
Within a minute of the restart parity was restored. United looked recharged and Batlle, desperate to make up for her part in Brighton’s goal, stormed down the right flank past a litany of light blue shirts before pinging a cross for Leah Galton to turn home from six yards out, her third strike in two matches against Brighton. Skinner said: “As a coach you can have an impact but if they don’t take responsibility, you don’t get anything. But in the second half they took responsibility and got the result.”
Galton’s fine work almost immediately produced a second when she dispossessed the centre-back Zoe Morse before dribbling into the box and chipping to Ella Toone, who volleyed inches over the bar. If United had been lacklustre in the first 45 minutes, they were making up for it in the second half.
It was a Brighton lapse that would give United the lead for the first time. Morse gave the ball straight to Katie Zelem, who strode through midfield and slipped a pass to Russo. The striker took a touch and powerfully struck the ball into the roof of the net to leave Lydia Williams without a chance.
United, however, had their own defensive failings soon after when Millie Turner failed to clear a through ball, letting it bounce off her thigh and toe when facing her own net. The error allowed the Brighton substitute Danielle Carter to take control and slide a finish past Earps.
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But Manchester United’s own replacement Rachel Williams settled the match with only two minutes to go. “It means a massive amount [to reach the final] and our fans deserve it,” Skinner said.
Brighton have survival in the league to focus on now but there were plenty of positives for Phillips to take from her first match in charge. “[I am] unbelievably proud,” she said.
“We are disappointed by the end result, it won’t define us. What we take away from this game is going to be far greater than that.”
