Her Football Hub
·30 April 2023
Her Football Hub
·30 April 2023
Manchester United remain at the top of the Women’s Super League table after a last gasp goal from Millie Turner kept their winning streak alive against Aston Villa.
It was a tightly contested match, with five goals across the 90 minutes. But ultimately it was the Reds who edged their way to the three points after a 3-2 thriller.
United went into the tie at the top of the table with 44 points, while Villa sat in fifth, three points clear of Everton, trailing eight points behind Arsenal who have a game in hand.
The two teams have met six times in the past three years. United have won four previous encounters, with the fixture ending in a draw twice.
Hampton; Mayling, Daly, Dali, Staniforth, Turner (c), Patten, Blindkilde, Littlejohn, Pacheco, Nobbs
Earps; Batlle, Mannion, Blundell, Toone, Zelem (c), Galton, Ladd, Le Tissier, Parris, Russo
Just nine minutes into the tie, the hosts had already found the opening goal. A header resulting from a Villa corner saw Rachel Daly put the ball beyond Mary Earps to give her side an early advantage.
United quickly found an equaliser though. Leah Galton’s 15th minute goal saw the winger tap home Ona Batlle’s cross to bring the game back level.
From there, the game settled into a steady rhythm with good chances for both sides. As half-time approached, Daly found her second of the evening to put her side ahead at the break. Her 37th minute strike saw Earps unable to keep the ball out.
The second half brought good chances for both sides, however, neither team was able to capitalise until the 62nd minute. Nikita Parris’ close range effort gave her side a route back into the game with less than 30 minutes of time remaining.
Just as it seemed the tie would end with the points shared, Millie Turner found the winner for the visitors right at the death. Three minutes into injury time, she capitalised on a well-worked header from captain Zelem. The defender managed to get her head to the ball to earn a vital 3 points for the Reds. United vs Villa lived up to its billing, and the Red Devils maintain their place at the top of the table.
Aston Villa will next travel to face Reading before playing host to Liverpool. Carla Ward’s side will finish the WSL campaign with a visit to title contenders Arsenal.
Manchester United will host Tottenham before facing title rivals Chelsea away. Marc Skinner’s side will then host the final Manchester derby of the campaign before finishing their league campaign with a visit to Liverpool.