Manchester United has reached the Women’s FA Cup final and they are also on top of Women’s Super League. This is an incredible accomplishment, especially considering that the team was only founded five years ago in a lower division. If they keep up their success, this remarkable season could end with them winning two titles!
Manchester United’s Women’s squad has an opportunity to make history. They could win the Women’s Super League title, qualify for Europe tournaments, and even win their first-ever Women’s FA Cup Final on May 14th against Aston Villa or Chelsea!
After Wednesday’s game, manager Casey Skinner warned his players not to think two far ahead – they should focus on their next match against Arsenal which is a very important game that could decide if Manchester United will make all of these accomplishments possible.
“I want you guys to enjoy the game, but we haven’t won anything yet. So, focus on what you’re doing and don’t let it get in the way of your performance. It’s tough to stay focused with such a big event happening this Wednesday and all the games before then.”
Based on this game, United could either succeed in winning everything or nothing. In the first half of their FA Cup semi-final match, they were not doing well due to Brighton’s aggressive playing and fast responses. So when Mary Earps accidentally kicked the ball into her own net, it was no surprise that they ended up losing.
Also, the mistake that later allowed Danielle Carter from Brighton to score a goal and make it 2-2 showed that United weren’t performing up to the standard expected from winners.
Leah Galton scored shortly after halftime, goalkeeper Earps made an amazing save to keep out an Elisabeth Terland shot, and Rachel Williams then scored the winning goal for United. Manager Skinner later said it was a mix of good, bad, and ugly from their side as United conceded two goals they usually don’t. In spite of that, the team showed once again why they are on the verge of achieving something historic – they can win when it matters the most.
At the half-way point of the game, we talked and realized that we didn’t have enough energy. Even when it was Brighton’s turn to do a goal kick or throw in, we were just standing around.
The players spoke up and asked each other if this was really how we wanted to play? Everyone agreed that it wasn’t. So in the second half, everyone took responsibility for their part and worked harder.
The players had a lot of support from a crowd of over 4000 people at the Leigh Sports Village. Skinner, their coach, believes they deserve to win this game at Wembley stadium. He also wants to have another opportunity because his team (Birmingham City) lost 4-1 in the 2017 FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Recently, the manager of United got offered a contract that would last until 2024 after successfully managing 34 out of 54 matches. He was deeply grateful for this and said that it meant a lot to him. He also wanted to make sure the fans don’t have the same disappointing experience again, so he’s really motivated for this mission.
I haven’t watched that 2017 game in a while. It was really bad! I’ve learned from the experience, though. Now I’m really happy with how I’ve grown and advanced, and I’m proud of my team now for making it to the finals. But it’d be even better if we had won.
Brighton’s manager, Melissa Phillips, said she felt really proud of her team. Even though Brighton is the lowest rank on a league table called ‘the WSL’, they still caused trouble for the top-ranked team. Unfortunately, it was impossible for them to win because their defense has been far too weak – allowing their opponents to score 50 goals in only fifteen matches!
The Seagulls haven’t won a game against a great team since last November, when they beat West Ham 5-4 in the WSL. However, this changed recently with their fourth manager of the season helming them, Phillips. After the match, she said she was really proud of her players for how they worked through different moments during the game.
“After half-time and when one of our team members was hurt, we did a good job handling the situation. We worked hard in order to prove ourselves.”
