Manchester United 4-0 Tottenham Hotspur
by Adam Millington
at Wembley Stadium
SIR JIM RATCLIFFE will be wishing he opted against a trip to Old Trafford yesterday, missing Manchester United being crowned Women’s FA Cup champions after picking up their first major trophy by beating Tottenham at Wembley.
Amid an otherwise lacklustre season, this was the chance for United to find a silver lining. How fitting, therefore, that it was Ella Toone — the United fan who has been with this team since their inaugural season in 2018 — provided the dose of magic to lead her side to silverware.
Wembley holds a special place in the heart of England midfielder Toone. Back in the summer of 2022 she scored a rocket to help the Lionesses come from behind to beat Germany. It needed similar quality this time.
So up she popped. United had missed countless big chances, but this one wasn’t much of a chance at all. Left in space on the edge of the Spurs box as a potential foul led to her not being closed down, she decided to let fly and was right to do so. Her wicked strike nestled perfectly in the top corner and put her side on course for victory.
It had seemed like it would only be a matter of time until Spurs would crack. They didn’t do much to test United, leaving Red Devils goalkeeper Mary Earps with little more to do than enjoy her sunny surroundings. Spurs couldn’t get going; it was everything they wouldn’t have wanted their performance to be.
Toone’s opener put an end to an otherwise frustrating first half and then the floodgates opened. First Rachel Williams got on the end of an excellent Katie Zelem set-piece delivery, then Lucia Garcia made the most of an absolute gift to tap into an open net after Tottenham keeper Rebecca Spencer got a clearance completely wrong.
After just 57 minutes United were 3-0 up. Overcoming the deficit would have required a herculean effort from Tottenham and it was unsurprising that they were unable to fight back.
They were handed a chance to ignite a comeback when Amanda Nilden charged through the United defence before sending an excellent cross towards Bethany England, but she could do no better than hitting the crossbar. Luck definitely wasn’t on Tottenham’s side.
Then United put victory beyond doubt. Lisa Naalsund knocked a delivery back to Garcia and the Spaniard prodded past Spencer to inflict yet another blow.
Without midfield dynamo Grace Clinton, who is on loan from United, Spurs lacked a true creative spark and were limited to ineffective counter-attacks. United, meanwhile, enjoyed freedom in the final third and the opportunity to keep building up their confidence.
They should really have conceded more in the first half, too. Zelem nearly provided assists with four corners: Williams missed the target with two headers, Garcia did so with another, and Spurs striker Martha Thomas had to pull off an impressive goal-line clearance to deny Millie Turner.
United toyed with Tottenham on the edge of their box, pulling defenders from left to right and finding gaps. They seized total control from the beginning and never really looked like letting up.
An initially noisy Tottenham crowd soon faded into silence as the crowd of supporters clad in red shirts on the opposite side of the ground began their early celebrations. Tottenham’s run to the final was impressive, but they’re not quite at the level of the Women’s Super League’s best yet.
Years of sustained growth coupled with an excellent debut season for boss Robert Vilahamn brought Tottenham to this point. They look to be on the road to breaking up the established order but it’s going to take time.
United were once the challengers, now they’re mixing it up with those at the top. They crashed out of the Champions League in qualifying, were knocked out of the League Cup in its group stage and have struggled to find their footing in the league, but the sweetness of an FA Cup triumph will make this season much easier to take.
United investor Ratcliffe watched the men’s game against Arsenal instead. In doing so he missed out on a pivotal moment in his club’s history and a perfect performance at Wembley.
