Substitutes Nikita Parris and Rachel Williams combined to score Manchester United’s winner in the 93rd minute
Manchester United manager Marc Skinner says he was surprised by the strength of his side’s performance in their opening day Women’s Super League victory over Aston Villa, despite needing a last-gasp winner to seal a comeback.
The Red Devils were 1-0 down with 14 minutes to go at Villa Park but eventually came away with a 2-1 win after Lucia Garcia and Rachel Williams scored following Rachel Daly’s shock opener for the hosts.
Having added a plethora new faces to his United squad this summer, including four signings on transfer deadline day, Skinner faced question marks over how quickly they would settle into the side, especially given the quality of their opening-day opponents.
Villa, who were down to 10 players after Kirsty Hanson’s sending off in the second half, were their usual resilient selves and made clear that they could be capable of disrupting the traditional top four this season.
But United’s comeback was in large part down to the impact of established players Nikita Parris and Williams, who came off the bench in the latter stages and combined for the winning goal as Skinner showed his ability to rotate a squad which has been restructured this summer.
He will no doubt need to do that throughout the campaign as United attempt to juggle their first Champions League campaign with their quest to win a WSL title.
But the rapid impact of summer signings Geyse and Gabby George, both handed debuts against Villa, was what impressed Skinner the most.
“I didn’t expect that. I expected the quality of the individuals but not the quality in terms of the domination,” said Skinner.
“We’re not quite ready where [the players] know exactly what each other are doing as we’ve had five days together [in] complete training sessions.
“The best players read off each other, so from my perspective that is an absolutely wonderful performance considering we haven’t had time together.”
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‘It was what I always planned’
Rachel Williams (left) came off the bench to score for United at the start of her 13th season in the WSL
A busy transfer window meant United had an element of surprise about them in the Midlands, with a further five summer signings on the bench.
Brazilian Geyse, who joined from Barcelona, quickly imposed her quality, causing Villa’s defence problems with her pace in behind, while George put in a solid display at the back when tested by the hosts’ attacking talent.
Japan forward Hinata Miyazawa, the Golden Boot winner at this summer’s World Cup, was also given 10 minutes to demonstrate her technical prowess/
The quality of perofmrnaces throughout the teams from the new recruits was enough to excite team-mate Parris.
“When you have so many numbers coming in, all with different qualities and different languages, it’s tough,” said Parris. “We’ve knuckled down as a team, welcomed them and done really well.
“The first couple of games in pre-season there was a language barrier so we had to find different ways to communicate. As you can see, we’re still progressing.
“We have so many different strengths in the forward areas and in midfield. It’s exciting, especially as forwards when you know some of the players we have in this team.”
Those summer signings will no doubt give United more of an edge this season, but the way in which Skinner manages his squad could be equally as important.
“[Rotation] was what I always planned. We didn’t rotate as much [last season] because we didn’t have as many games,” said Skinner.
“This year, should we progress [to the group stages in] Europe, we have different tools. It’s having better-quality thinkers, but also being in positions to use different skillsets for different parts of the game.”
Last season, defender Millie Turner headed home a 93rd minute winner at Bescot Stadium as United beat Villa 3-2, but this time around it was Williams who nodded in Parris’ cross in the 92nd minute.
“[Our squad depth will be] massively important,” agreed Parris. “If you want to compete at the top, it has to be on a rotation basis.
“You can’t have a tired game or a slow game. You can’t drop points in this league. There’s been times where we’ve lost by a point because we’ve not had the strength in depth and fell short.”
‘We’re getting closer - we’re competing with them’
Sarah Mayling was among the Villa players tested by United forwards Leah Galton, Lucia Garcia and Geyse
Villa finished fifth last season, kicking off the campaign with a memorable win over Manchester City on the opening weekend.
They have added quality of their own in the transfer window, including England internationals Lucy Parker and Ebony Salmon, as well as Netherlands goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, and all three put in strong displays at Villa Park.
Many believe they can test the WSL’s top four clubs, and Sunday’s display showed encouraging signs.
“I think that’s a narrative a lot of people are pushing. We just need to take care of ourselves first and foremost,” said Villa captain Rachel Corsie.
“It’s important we stay humble to the hard work and the discipline we’ve shown. Last year was a great year for us. But this season there will be a lot more from every team. The competitiveness has improved and the standards are improving all the time.
“It will come down to getting results and today we didn’t get the one we wanted.”
Villa manager Carla Ward said it was “frustrating” to lose to yet another stoppage-time goal against United but believes there is evidence of progression.
“[I said to the players] ‘if you compete in that manner week-in, week-out, then you can close that gap on the top four’,” she said.
“We’re getting closer. We were getting walloped by the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City - now we’re competing with them. That’s really important.
“This league will be fascinating. Everyone has improved and I think we’ll see tighter games.”
