The Red Devils stumble as Aston Villa stole a narrow 1-0 victory over Man United on the road in the Women’s Super League.
The afternoon presented a rare chance for United to end up top of the table if results elsewhere went their way. Either way, with Chelsea and Arsenal facing each other, the game was a strong opportunity to gain some ground in the race for a UEFA Women’s Champions League spot.
On paper, United were by far the stronger side – pre-match, Aston Villa boss Natalia Arroyo had a word of caution for her side, warning that her side must not give United “a chance to destroy us.”
“When Man United visited Villa Park [last season] I was already here. They destroyed us in the first half. I know that can happen because they are so strong,” said Arroyo in her pre-match press conference. That approach paid off as Villa recorded a first-ever WSL win over United thanks to a strike from Scotland’s Miri Taylor.
The Lineups
**MUN:**Tullis-Joyce; Riviere, Le Tissier, Janssen, George; Miyazawa, Park, Naalsund; Toone, Terland, Rolfo
AVL: D’Angelo; Wilms, Patten, Deslandes, Maritz; Kendall, Taylor, Kearns; Grant, Mullett, Hanson
Villa boss Natalia Arroyo made one change from the side which drew 3-3 with Everton last weekend, with Netherlands international Chasity Grant on the right wing over Rachel Maltby, who drops to the bench.
United made three changes as Gabby George was given the nod at left-back, with Lisa Naalsund coming into the midfield and Fridolina Rolfö replacing Melvine Malard.
The Action
Although the opening ten minutes passed without incident, it did not take long for Manchester United to find their rhythm. Their first chance came when forward Elisabeth Terland tried to break clear of the Villa back line, but the visitors’ goalkeeper gathered the ball before the Norwegian could make contact. Moments later, Rolfö delivered a dangerous cross into the box, only for Anna Patten to boot it clear.
Marc Skinner has described his United side as one of the best pressing teams in the country, and they lived up to that reputation early on, pinning Villa deep in their own half. Their relentless pressure left Lucia Kendall and Missy Bo Kearns with few options other than passing backwards towards their own goal.
Villa eventually adjusted, adopting a more direct approach that brought some success. Sabrina D’Angelo launched a long ball forward in search of Chasity Grant, and the Dutch winger managed to flick it on to Miri Taylor. However, Taylor’s return pass went astray, rolling harmlessly out for a United goal kick.
The visitors’ first real threat came from 20-year-old England youth international Georgia Mullett, who raced onto Kirsty Hanson’s header after a surging run. Her effort, though, was straight at United keeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce. Hanson’s ease in breaking through United’s defence served as a warning for United, who looked slightly fragile at the back.
In a game of few clear chances, Mullett’s shot marked the first on target for either side after half an hour. It gave Villa renewed confidence, and they forced a corner soon after. From that set piece, United failed to clear their lines, allowing Miri Taylor to lash home a volley from the edge of the area for her first Villa goal.
With the momentum now firmly on their side, Villa nearly doubled their advantage moments later when Grant’s dangerous free-kick delivery forced Jayde Riviere into a crucial intervention to prevent a second.
United looked flat and short of ideas, prompting Skinner to make several changes, including the introduction of in-form forward Melvine Malard. The French international quickly made her presence felt, booting a dangerous ball across the six-yard box, but no one in red was able to convert before Patten cleared the danger.
As time wore on, Villa began to lose composure in possession, gifting United more of the ball. The hosts responded with increased urgency, bringing on veteran striker Rachel Williams to chase an equaliser. She almost connected with an Anna Sandberg cross, but D’Angelo intervened just in time.
In the dying moments, Tullis-Joyce ventured forward for a corner, but United’s final attempt to rescue a point came to nothing. Villa held firm to claim a hard-fought and unexpected 1–0 victory – their first over United in the league – while handing Manchester United their first defeat of the campaign and an early setback in their push for Champions League qualification.
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United show signs of fatigue
It was an unusually sluggish display from United, especially in the first half. They seemed half a yard off the pace and struggled to make the connections that we have come to expect. Fans and pundits have often voiced their concern that United do not have the squad depth to go deep into domestic and European competition, and this may form an early sign that those concerns are warranted.
Ella Toone and Jess Park have been in electrifying form together but looked fatigued and out of ideas. The hard-fought win over Brighton last weekend, combined with a busy international window for the reds the week before, seemed to have taken their toll on some of the squad’s star players. They failed to produce a single shot on target in the first half, and aside from a late corner that forced D’Angelo to stretch before it clipped the crossbar, the Villa goalkeeper enjoyed a largely comfortable afternoon.
Skinner has acknowledged that United will need to reach into their pockets in the January transfer window. For now, the battle will be not to let this fatigue become a pattern, especially with a game against PSG coming up midweek followed by the Manchester derby.
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Arroyo masters the gameplan
Ahead of the match, Arroyo spoke of not giving United a chance to “destroy us” again – the last time the sides met competitively, United completed a demolition job, winning 4-0. This time, Villa sat deeper, with a younger setup that had more pace. They took advantage of a confidence around set-pieces, scoring their fifth goal from a set piece this season (joint highest with Manchester City). While that tally already doubles last season’s total, it came as part of a much more rounded display from Arroyo’s side than last weekend’s draw against Everton.
In the early stages, it was mainly defensive discipline that they had to show. United pressed with intent and created a number of chances, but none were on target. Their ability to deal with United’s press eventually gave Villa the confidence to emerge from their own half, showing more attacking intent as they used the pace from their young starters to get ahead of the United backline. Shifting to a more direct approach helped with this, with United looking too fatigued to manage.
Georgia Mullett missed a good chance to open the scoring, but Taylor struck moments later with a composed volley following an uncharacteristically weak clearance from Tullis-Joyce. Villa could have extended their lead in the second half but held firm with their defensive line, focused on disciplined counter attacks to help them to a first-ever WSL win over United. With two victories and a draw from their last three league outings, their season now looks to be picking up steam.