Man Utd defeat Aston Villa after late drama in WSL opener - 5 talking points
Rachel Williams' last-gasp header gave Manchester United Women a 2-1 victory over 10-woman Aston Villa Women in the opening game of the Women's Super League season.
Rachel Daly opened the scoring late in the second half with a sublimely taken low strike shortly after Villa's Kirsty Hanson, formerly of Man Utd, was sent off for a poor challenge on Hayley Ladd. But despite Villa's earnest defensive shape and an intrepid debut performance from new keeper Daphne van Domselaar, Lucia Garcia drew the visitors level 10 minutes from time after a frantic bit of defending from a set-piece.
The goal led to a frenetic and fierce finale, and with eight minutes of time added on, Man Utd eventually punctured the Villa defence was more as veteran striker Rachel Williams found the back of the net to give Marc Skinner's side the first three points of the new season.
Below, the Mirror walks you through the top five talking points from the first match of the 2023-24 WSL season.
1. Villa flex disruptor credentials but vulnerabilities remain
Read any WSL preview and it was Carla Ward's villains tipped to be the plucky disruptors crashing the WSL's top four parties.
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The opening exchanges suggested Villa were more than capable of living up to the hype as the contest ebbed and flowed with equal chances falling to each side. Where most of the pre-season anticipated focussed on the attacking threat Ward's side touted (Salmon, Kirsty Hanson and Daly is a wicked attack by any stretch of the imagination), Ward's side showed their greatest strength was a disciplined and well organised defence.
An unassailable shape left Skinner's ranks bereft of ideas beyond what Geyse could conjure herself.
But where Villa proved difficult to break down, more could be asked of their attacking edge in the first half. Lucy Staniforth's threaded ball into the path of Lehmann was scuppered by the Swiss international, a theme throughout the match in which golden opportunities failed to be exploited better.
Rachel Daly of Aston Villa celebrates her goal during the Barclays Women´s Super League match between Aston Villa and Manchester United (Photo by Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)The introduction of Salmon in the second half shifted Villa's attacking dynamic positively, and Daly's previous isolation was a distant memory, with last season's Golden Boot winner looking all the more dangerous, even scraping the top of the bar with a dinked effort just before the 70-minute mark as Villa searched for an opener.
The opener arrived through none other than Daly, after some good work from new signing and substitute Adriana Leon, but Hanson's sending off minutes before proved too costly as United rallied well and eventually overwhelmed Villa's remaining players.
Villa showed the danger they can pose, particularly with Salmon and Daly operating in tandem and Van Domselaar in goal. But the margins to the top four will inevitably be difficult to bridge.
2. Welcome to the WSL, Geyse
The loss of Alessia Russo up top for United was always going to be a major talking point, but rather than being a point of bemoaning, new signing Geyse attempted to make the loss feel almost like a gain.
Skinner spoke pre-match about the need to have “big moments” players who can “create magic out of nothing”. He rued the dearth of this brand of player last season, but pointed to Geyse as being the player to provide that dimension.
Early on, the signs were there that Geyse was just the player Skinner had wished for. Geyse blitzed passed Villa's Dan Turner a number of times down the right channel and constantly stirred problems for Villa’s backline with her relentless harrying off the ball. Rachel Corsie was shown a yellow before the half hour mark, testament to the challenge that was attempting to contain the Brazilian.
United's early threats arrived through Geyse, whether cutting crosses in from the right or manipulating the ball from the top of the area with feints and clever footwork.
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Often, however, Geyse's efforts found herself with no one in the middle and as the match wore on, the Brazilian's impact lessened. Shortly after the hour mark, she was subbed off. This is just the beginning, watch this space, etc. But Skinner will need to find a method to the madness she can inspire.
Geyse of Manchester United is challenged by Lucy Parker of Aston Villa during the Barclays Women's Super League match between Aston Villa and Manchester United (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)3. The impact of the Women's World Cup
A perennially congested fixture list feels like the new reality for women's football, and the start to the new season has already seen the signs of fatigue percolating throughout performances.
But for those players who did not travel Down Under, fatigue does not seem to be too big a problem. Man Utd defender Gabby George and forward Leah Galton particularly looked fresh, with the former matching the blistering pace of Lehmann down Villa's right flank repeatedly.
Meanwhile, the likes of those players who had featured in the summer's showpiece event showed the inevitable signs of wear and tear, with a lack of energy and adrenaline underpinning most of the match until Hanson's red card imploded the proceedings and chaos ensued.
How the domestic and international stages collide this season, and how respective managers opt to handle players' minutes, will continue to be a major talking point.
4. Man Utd show heart in comeback but not unconvincing in attack
The first-half stats read favourably for those of Man Utd bent who put stock in numbers: more possession (60%), more shots (9), more shots on target (2).
But other than Geyse's flair, United offered very little in the way of doing much with the possession. Patient build-up is to be admired, but snap shots from just outside the area soon became the ostensible modus operandi as Villa's backline remained resolute.
Hanson's sending off inevitably shifted the playing field into United's hands, despite Daly's opening shortly after.
That United's equaliser arrived from a frenetic failure of 10-woman Villa to clear their lines from a set-piece, and the game winner arrived from a deflected last-ditch Nikita Parris cross speaks to the tenacity touted by this United side, as well as the strength in depth, crucial characteristics to any challenge for Chelsea's crown.
Even so, United's attacking edge was ultimately dull and disjointed, a lack of guile from all those not named Geyse and even that dynamic was subdued after the interval.
While Van Domselaar was kept busy in the second half, especially after the introduction of the World Cup Golden Boot winner Hinata Miyazawa, Skinner will demand more from his side in open play.
Referee, Rebecca Welch, shows a red card to Kirsty Hanson of Aston Villa during the Barclays Women's Super League match between Aston Villa and Manchester United (Photo by Nathan Stirk - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)5. Inevitable VAR chatter
When is it too early to bring up VAR? That was the question less than a quarter hour into the match as the offside flag flew up with the standard alacrity of a league's return as Daly barrelled down on goal. The call was close, as would a number of offside calls come to be as the match carried on.
But the biggest VAR chatter arrived in the second half. Substitute Salmon was seemingly shoulder barged by Maya Le Tissier just outside the area during a dangerous Villa counter attack in the second half, though official Rebecca Welch offered nothing in the way of punishment despite shouts from a baying Villa Park.
The shouts were at fevered pitch later on as Daly was seemingly taken out in the box by Le Tissier's high-swinging shin, leaving the Lioness stranded on her back. The lack of VAR in the top-flight of the women's game has been a point of contention as the game continues to grow.
But with a number of women's teams playing in non-Premier League grounds, coupled with the cost of implementing the technology, the chatter is likely to continue without much change.
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