Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner reflected on Sunday’s semi final glory as the Red Devils brushed past Manchester City to book their spot in the Final of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup.
First half goals from Celin Bizet and Grace Clinton were enough to secure United’s place in the final for the third consecutive season. It was Ella Toone who stole the show, leading the Red Devils from the centre of the park.
“I always ask the team, ‘what would you say, if you were me’, and Ella looked like she had something to say. She just said that we are a family and that is the difference between us and other teams, is that when it gets dark, we are together. I think not only does she love this club – that it is her club – but it’s the growth she’s made as a leader, we’re seeing those leadership traits on the field and she’s only going to get better at that,” Skinner praised.
Manchester United will now face Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on May 18. Despite the challenge of Sonia Bompastor’s Chelsea side, Skinner says his side “are looking ahead with excitement, not fear”.
“I want to see us attack it, or see us be aggressive in it, and I believe if we do that with our special spirit we can beat anyone. So they’re there to fear if you want to fear them, of course they have great talent, Sonia [Bompastor] is a great manager. If we give it our very best, with the fan base that we have as well – we’ll make it loud. Hopefully we’ll show our learnings and change the result.”
Goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce pulled out the heroics against City, palming Yui Hasegawa’s long-ranged strike into the crossbar before blocking a closing effort from Lily Murphy.
“Her reaction at the end was ‘That’s just my job’ – that humility is exactly what keeps her as being one of the world’s best and will get her to being the world’s best goalkeeper because she’s humble, she’s hard working,” the head coach praised of Tullis-Joyce.
“Those two saves are incredible. I’ve not seen them back but they’re incredible, I know the feeling of them. I love that about my team, I love the fact that they work for our fans. It gives me a real boost because it’s not just about the results, that’s part of the process but it’s building that spirit and that’s a huge trophy for me, mentally.”
