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Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner was pleased to see his side get the better of the Barclays Women’s Super League’s bottom club Crystal Palace at the Leigh Sports Village on Sunday afternoon.
Elisabeth Terland fired Manchester United into a ninth-minute lead but The Red Devils were pegged back by a Mille Gejl equaliser just before half-time. Second half goals from Terland and Grace Clinton helped the hosts to eventually get the better of their opponents and record a 3-1 win.
When speaking to the media after the match, Skinner said that his side should have carved out more big chances and struggled with game control in the first half.
“What we did in the first half was that we were too eager to try and score,” Skinner said. “You open up real transition if you don’t get your marking positions right; they can counter, so they were causing problems on the counter attack. At half-time, we spoke about being more purposeful, more patient with the build-up and I felt the second half was much more controlled from us. We should have had more golden chances that we’ve missed where we need to punish.”
Forward Terland impressed by netting a brace and Skinner was full of praise for his number 19.
He said “It’s her intensity, I’ve not seen many better finishers in the box than Elisabeth but what she’s brought [to her game] is outside of the box. I think if you look at the start of the season to now, the development that she’s had, and more importantly, she’s a coach’s dream. I mean that, she works for the team, she means the world to us. I think she’s in a great vein [of form] and she’s showing she’s a top forward.”
Skinner also praised opponents Crystal Palace after they put up a strong fight. He felt that it was a game that his side had to win but recognised The Eagles’ efforts.
He said “Everyone sees Palace as this team that you should beat, but actually, I think they make it really difficult for teams. At times, Crystal Palace got five players in our box for crosses. If they keep doing that, they’ll get opportunities to score, which wins you games, so credit to them.
“I think for us, it’s much more about when we do play teams in that area [of the table] that we are as focused as we are, we’ve been professional. These are the games we must win. We have to make sure we’re in a position to win these games and we were very professional today.”
Manchester United return to action on 2 March 2025 when they play host to Leicester City at the Leigh Sport Village.
