Manchester United continued their winning run at Old Trafford with a 4-0 victory against West Ham United last night.
The scoreline would suggest that The Red Devils cruised to victory, however, the result doesn’t tell the full story. Manchester United found themselves up against a stubborn West Ham United defence and they were left frustrated as the two sides went in goalless at the break. A clumsy foul from Hawa Cissoko gave Manchester United the opportunity to break the deadlock from the penalty spot early in the second half and they never looked back from that point.
When speaking in the post-match press conference, Manchester United boss Marc Skinner was quick to address where his team were lacking in the first half.
“We were not quick enough first half,” Skinner said. “We weren’t progressive enough, we were a bit slow in our build-up and didn’t get beyond their lines enough. When we did, we were dangerous, so the reality was that at half-time, we had a few words with each other and recognised that we needed to be better and we were much better second half.”
Lucía García was one of the catalysts for Manchester United’s clinical display in the second 45 minutes. The Spaniard came on as a second half substitute and netted two of her side’s four goals. Skinner saw a much-improved display from the 24-year-old.
He said “I reviewed her game against Lewes and I don’t think she performed anywhere near her ability, she needs to keep it up now.
“I’ve now got 45 minutes, the second half, of footage to show her and say ‘this is the Lucía García that Manchester United need’. The reason we signed Lucía is because I think she can do that for 90 minutes.”
The Red Devils went top of the Barclays Women’s Super League table in front of 27,919 fans, the biggest crowd so far on Women’s Football Weekend ’23. Although the attendance was lower than on Manchester United’s last visit to the ‘Theatre of Dreams’, Skinner believes that this game proved incredibly significant for the team’s relationship with the stadium.
“This is the third game I’ve played here as manager and it felt more like home today,” Skinner said. “I know the players felt that as well.
“The second half, there was a moment it turned and the fans got right behind us. I felt the fans were magnificent throughout and especially second half when we needed them.”
Manchester United are back in action on Saturday lunchtime when they travel to Broadfield Stadium to face Brighton & Hove Albion.
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