Manchester United celebrated the WSL opening weekend in style on Saturday with a dominant 3-0 triumph over West Ham United.
Five new faces graced the pitch in Manchester as Marc Skinner handed competitive debuts to Elisabeth Terland and Dominique Janssen while Rehanne Skinner entrusted summer singings Kinga Szemik, Camila Saez and Li Mengwen.
The Red Devils were enjoying a 2-0 lead at the break courtesy of goals from Geyse Da Silva Ferreira and Leah Galton. Though the early stages of the game had seen West Ham look confident on the break, it was the the home side who were well and truly dictating the tempo in the Theatre of Dreams.
Grace Clinton hallmarked her return to the North, capping off the scoring with her glancing header in the 53rd minute. Though United are very much a new-look team compared to their last time out at Old Trafford in May, it was the perfect response to their 0-8 battering suffered against Chelsea on the final day of 23/24.
From the outset, United looked determined to impress. The first major chance fell to Galton, who showcased excellent footwork on the left wing before sending a cross towards goal. Her effort was tipped over the bar by Szemik, only for the ball to fall to Terland, whose resulting header was cleared off the line by Amber Tysiak.
Terland had another opportunity soon after, latching onto a lofted pass from Ella Toone. However, the former Brighton forward couldn’t quite connect as she would have hoped, sending a golden chance high over the crossbar. Despite not finding the back of the net, Terland’s debut was promising, as she consistently found herself in dangerous positions.
The breakthrough came just before the half-hour mark. A defensive error from Emma Harries gifted Geyse possession near the byline. The Brazilian took advantage of the mistake, slotting the ball past Szemik with a composed left-footed finish to open the scoring.
Just before halftime, United doubled their lead. Galton, who had tested Szemik earlier, made no mistake on her second attempt, firing a sweet strike from inside the box to give her team a comfortable cushion heading into the break.
Shortly after the restart, Clinton then added the third, demonstrating exactly why Marc Skinner was keen to keep her at the club this summer. Fresh off a season-long loan at Spurs, the 21-year-old impressed fans with her composed midfield play and smart link-up with Lisa Naalsund, heading in her first goal of the season to round off a dominant performance for the hosts.
With a 3-0 win to open their season, Manchester United sent a clear message to the rest of the WSL. Their new-look squad gelled quickly and Skinner will be pleased not only with the scoreline but also with the team’s ability to dictate the game and create chances.
West Ham, meanwhile, will need to regroup after being outplayed, but their resilience in the first half suggests there’s potential to build on in the weeks to come.
Starting XIs
Manchester United: Tullis-Joyce (GK), Le Tissier ©, Toone, Clinton, Galton, Riviere, Naalsund, Janssen, Terland, Turner, Geyse
West Ham: Szemik (GK), Tysiak, Ueki, Brynjarsdottir, Saez, Denton, Asseyi, Cooke, Gorry ©, Mengwen
Featured image courtesy of Emilie Mwanza.