Man Utd given an important lesson in heavy Women's FA Cup defeat
Manchester United learned a hard lesson from Sunday’s heavy defeat to Manchester City in the Women’s FA Cup fifth round, having been far the better team in the first half but collapsing after the interval to crash out of the competition in humbling fashion.
United manager Marc Skinner had spoken before the game about the importance of matching City’s aggression and competitiveness, highlighting a particular moment in the 1-0 defeat earlier this month when City midfielder Georgia Stanway had shoved Hannan Blundell off the pitch.
“What we have to do is have the mentality to attack Manchester City and make them defend. It’s about taking the game to them…we need to match their aggression, if not go past it,” he had said during Friday’s pre-match press conference.
For 45 minutes at Leigh Sports Village on Sunday, United's performance was spot on. The players were doing exactly as Skinner had asked and were fiercely competing for every ball. City struggled to gain a foothold in midfield because of the intense pressing from the home side and it was no surprise that United had the best chances and took the lead in that period of the game.
But the match was flipped in the second half. City boss Gareth Taylor made a double substation at the break, bringing on Caroline Weir, who has a reputation for scoring world class goals against United, and winger Hayley Raso. Both players served to change the game.
Everything that had been good about United in the first half was no longer there – the intensity, the aggression and the competitiveness, all gone.
It gave control to City, with Raso setting up the equaliser for Lauren Hemp and forcing the mistake that led to their second. Weir, meanwhile, didn’t produce another Puskas Award contender but still added a third with a helping hand from United goalkeeper Mary Earps.
What was most hard to swallow about the result was the nature of it and how it happened.
“As a group, we cannot have the standard drop from the first half to the second half. Physically, we jumped out of the way of some things and that’s not what we will do going forward,” an extremely frustrated Skinner reflected after the game.
“We had the first half and we were absolute at that point where we could control what they were doing and we stopped it. What I look at as a coach is, we were in control at that moment and we let it slip. It doesn’t matter what Man City do. If we get to a point where we let our standards drop in that second half, you get beat. It doesn’t who you play, you won’t win the game.
“I’m really disappointed in our one-v-one duels – we have to be more aggressive.”
This will serve as an important lesson for a United side that is still developing. They had City on the ropes but lost momentum, something they could never afford to do against an opponent that, despite a tough start to this season, has been one of the best in Europe for most of the last decade.
“It’s something that we will learn from, it’s an experience,” Skinner said. “[City] have had a lot of time doing what they do, so have Chelsea, so have Arsenal. For us, it’s about using this experience but never forgetting what it feels like after this game.
“Never forget what it feels like for our fans, never forget what it feels like for our players. It’s about feeling it but using it in a positive way and showing everyone else that reaction. You have to go through all these experiences to grow and learn.”
This United side ultimately wants to compete against the likes of City, Arsenal and Chelsea for trophies sooner rather later and play in the Champions League. For 45 minutes on Sunday, they had everything they wanted. But the second half was a stark reminder that the journey isn’t over.
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