Manchester United have kicked-off the 2022/2023 Barclays Women’s Super League season with an impressive 4-0 victory over Reading at the Leigh Sports Village this afternoon.
All of the goals came in the first half as Manchester United made easy work of a Reading side who never really got going.
Some have tipped The Red Devils to finally break the big three’s dominance this season and earn that elusive UEFA Women’s Champions League spot. Today was an opportunity for Marc Skinner’s side to put a marker down and send a message to their fellow challengers that they mean business this season after narrowly missing out on the top three on the final day of last season.
As for Reading, the new season brings much less lofty ambitions. Being the only remaining non-Premier League affiliated team in the division following Birmingham City’s relegation last year comes with it’s own difficulties. It could be argued that The Royals have overachieved to remain in the top tier for as long as they have, let alone compete to the high standards that they’ve shown year in, year out. However, some believe that their luck may finally run out this year, grouping them amongst the sides set to possibly battle against the drop.
Manchester United started the match brightly and a corner fizzed in from Katie Zelem was met on the volley by debutant Maya Le Tissier whose effort, perhaps fortuitously, looped over Grace Moloney to give the hosts an early lead.
Skinner’s side were then given a golden opportunity to double their advantage when Alessia Russo latched onto a through ball and was adjudged to have been brought down as she looked to round Moloney. The Reading keeper will feel herself a little unlucky as it appeared that she got a touch on the ball but referee Abigail Byrne pointed to the spot. Up stepped Zelem, who had been honoured prior to the match on her 100th appearance for the club. The United captain composed herself and fired her spot kick into the top left-hand corner beyond the grasp of Moloney.
Zelem then turned provider again when she found Le Tissier once more in the Reading area and the teenage defender headed into the bottom corner to double her tally for the match. The England youth international had only scored one goal for former club Brighton & Hove Albion in the whole of last season and she eclipsed that in half an hour as a Manchester United player.
The hosts weren’t done there as they found a fourth goal before the interval. It was one of the stars of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 who got the fans cheering this time. Some neat interplay down the right wing from Ona Batlle and Lucía García freed the right-back to deliver a beautiful cross into the area which Russo met with her head to get her scoring for the season underway.
Despite an electric opening period, it was a much more subdued 45 minutes following the interval. Manchester United continued to put pressure on the visitors but couldn’t find that cutting edge to add to the scoreline despite players like Nikita Parris and Martha Thomas looking lively when they were brought on.
The match finished 4-0 to The Red Devils and the result puts them level at the top of the table with Arsenal who beat Brighton & Hove Albion by the same scoreline last night. Manchester United were expected to take all three points going into the match and they got the job done before half-time. Perhaps the biggest news of the day was the attendance which was initially announced as 7,217 before then being confirmed as 5,315 which is still a record for a Manchester United Women’s match at the Leigh Sports Village.
Next up for Skinner’s side is a trip to West Ham United where they will be hoping for more of the same. As for Reading, they will be looking to put in a performance more reminiscent of today’s second half when they travel to Brighton & Hove Albion.
About The Author
