As they marked the 65th anniversary of the Munich Disaster, Manchester United Women relinquished top spot in the WSL after being held to a goalless draw against Everton. The hosts were in control of the game throughout but struggled early under the Toffees' high press, succumbing to several counterattacks as the visitors were quick off the mark.
Despite enjoying the majority of the ball and strong performances from Marc Skinner’s side, they struggled for quality in the final third, unable to break through the wall of blue shirts blocking their attacks.
Ella Toone hit the upright, Alessia Russo couldn't get her toe to a loose ball at close range, Lucia Garcia hit the crossbar, Ona Batlle’s long-range attempts were a touch too high and Katie Zelem's efforts were palmed away by goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan.
The hosts hammered the Toffees’ back line and although they gelled more in the second half, it didn’t quite click for United, despite continuous noise from a passionate home support at Leigh Sports Village.
The draw sees United fall into second place in the Women’s Super League title race. As it stands Chelsea are top with 31 points, United sit second with 29 and Arsenal are fourth. Manchester City sat in third ahead of their league fixture against West Ham on Sunday evening.
Player Ratings:
Mary Earps - Tremendous punch out early on showcases her confidence and quality in the air. In a brief break, she helped motivate the players to get control of the game. 7
Ona Batlle - Strong performance in attack and defence from the Spaniard, not letting rough challenges throw her off her game. Came close to breaking the stalemate twice with long-range efforts just tipped over the bar. 8
Hannah Blundell - Intelligent tracking of her opposite number but also covered the right flank when United got caught on the counter. Growing more in the attack, she was happy carrying the ball, cutting into the middle, and releasing a ball to Galton out wide. 7
Ella Toone - A victim of the offside trap several times, but was a huge threat when dropping a little deeper to collect the ball. Was instantly surrounded by blue shirts but played quality passes through to Garcia and Zelem for a chance on goal. Very unselfish play. 8
Katie Zelem © - Enjoyed touches on the ball and playing out of tight spaces from the Everton press. For the majority of the game, she took a touch, turned and played out the ball to stretch out the pitch. 7
Leah Galton - Her return to the squad starting lineup since injury. She had a fair amount of space and chance on the left flank rotating with Toone and delivered a stunning cross after chasing a fair amount of balls down the channel. Did well to get the better of Megan Finnigan time and time again. 7
Hayley Ladd - Commanded the middle of the park with Zelem yet again, strong challenges to break up any momentum from the Toffees. 8
Maya Le Tissier - Strong and confident and the back, didn’t panic when under pressure and was happy to play the ball back to Earps. Intelligent defending but also linking with Batlle and Zelem for quick forward options. 8
Lucia Garcia - After being played in by Toone, her first-time shot kissed the cross-bar, and was involved with a lot of the attacking play when linking with Toone and Batlle. 7
Millie Turner - Saw some quick feet from Turner at the back to shake off a high Everton press. Touch tight on Everton’s Katja Snoeijs and didn’t really put a foot wrong at the back. Very solid performance. 7
Alessia Russo - Came deep to help initiate an attack, playing in Galton early on with a perfectly weighted through ball. Skillfully ran at the back line with stepovers and ball control that no one seemed to be able to nick the ball off her toes but struggled to finish her chances but provided quality balls for others to capitalise. 8
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