Manchester United kicked off their WSL campaign with a bang winning 4-0 against Reading on Saturday afternoon. There was a record attendance of 7,217 at Leigh Sports Village to watch Marc Skinner's side rout their opponents.
Before the game, Katie Zelem received a special award to commemorate her 100th appearance for United as she became the first player in the women's team's short history to achieve this feat. And she showed during the game both why she has played so many games for this side and also been named captain, with a stellar display in the centre of the park.
Her corners were a constant issue for Reading and led to two goals. She also got on the scoresheet herself, converting a penalty won by Alessia Russo to score United's second.
ALSO READ: United Women player ratings vs Reading
But while Zelem was representing the old guard, United's new blood were also making a name for themselves. Maya Le Tissier got on the scoresheet twice and was part of a back line that kept a clean sheet on her debut to announce herself to United fans.
Her first goal was a bizarre effort. She struck at the ball from a corner and it looped upwards, with everyone in the box and even probably around the stadium convinced that it had gone over.
However, when the goalkeeper turned around she saw that it had nestled into the back of her neck. She fell down in frustration as the crowd roared in excitement.
Le Tissier's second goal was a much more conventional effort, headed into the bottom corner past the Reading keeper to make it 3-0 to United. Erik ten Hag will need to have a word with the coaching staff that Marc Skinner has assembled to try and figure out how they are able to look so dangerous from corners while the men's team consistently struggle.
Lucia Garcia also made her debut and while she didn't quite make the same impact as her teammate, she had a handful of moments that showed her quality throughout the game.
Finally up front were United's returning heroes, Alessia Russo and Ella Toone, fresh off their victory at the 2022 European Championships. Despite playing football throughout the summer, neither looked like the bloated calendar had affected them.
Toone was full of energy throughout the game and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet herself. Her best effort came at the end of the first half, but her effort went just wide.
Russo on the other hand capped off a quintessential striker performance with a goal towards the end of the first half. She is a fan favourite with United fans for a reason, you can just see her quality and what she brings to the team within seconds of watching her play.
She consistently occupies defenders and if they take their eyes off her for a second she is instantly in acres of space. Reading could not handle her at all and when the defenders didn't mark her properly in the box they paid dearly for it as she powered a header into the back of the net.
Overall it was a strong performance against Reading and the manager will be incredibly pleased with what they managed. However it is also true that Reading offered no real danger throughout the match, so they will need to stay sharp as they head into their next game against West Ham.
READ NEXT:
- All the latest Man United news and views
- Lisandro Martinez gives verdict on partnership with Raphael Varane
- Erik ten Hag has two weeks to decide on his best Manchester United XI
- Jadon Sancho is becoming a true Man United player on and off the pitch
- Erik ten Hag might have discovered the solution to unlock Antony
