Manchester United have moved to the top of the Barclays FA Women’s Super League table for the very first time after defeating Arsenal 1-0 at The Leigh Sports Village yesterday.
Ella Toone’s late goal proved to be enough to separate the two sides as United recorded a first victory over one of the clubs previously placed in the ‘top three’ category.
FA Women’s Super League Full-Time have been looking back at the statistics from the game with the performance of full-back Ona Batlle being particularly impressive.
Batlle played the full 90 minutes for Casey Stoney’s side and was especially strong when tackling opponents. The Spaniard completed eight tackles, four better than teammate Amy Turner who was the next best tackler on the pitch. Batlle was the only player to complete tackles in every third of the pitch, three in United’s defensive third, three in the centre and two in the final third. The youngster also recovered the ball more than any other player.
The full-back ended the greatest number of Arsenal dribbles (three), the best tally on the field. No Arsenal player managed to dribble past Batlle.
Only Jackie Groenen and Hayley Ladd managed more successful pressures than Batlle while the Spaniard was fourth in terms of blocks. She was also one of just four players to block a shot during the 90 minutes and completed the third-highest number of clearances (five).
When in possession of the ball, Batlle made real progress. The player had the most touches and carried the ball the greatest distance (245 metres) over the course of the 90 minutes. Only teammate Tonne controlled the ball on more occasions than Batlle while Tobin Heath was the only player other than the full-back to progress further with the ball.
Joining United in the summer was a huge decision for Batlle with the player moving away from her native Spain at such a young age. She is already showing great maturity in her short period of time at The Leigh Sports Village while yesterday’s performance highlights what a huge asset she can be for Stoney’s side in the big games.