Manchester United player ratings after Red Devils hand back Women’s FA Cup to Chelsea | OneFootball

Manchester United suffered a chastening 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley.

Thrown off by injuries, their defence lacked its usual solidity, while at the top of the pitch linkup play simply didn’t flow and they couldn’t test the impressive treble winners.

Here’s how we ranked their performances out of ten.

Player ratings

Phallon Tullis-Joyce – 8

It might seem odd to rank a keeper who conceded three goals so highly, but in reality it would have been far more without the American’s efforts. She was tested much more than her opposite number Hannah Hampton and pulled off some excellent saves, particularly one in the first half to deny Aggie Beever-Jones from a tricky deflection. She also kept out Lucy Bronze for what seemed a surefire tap-in.

Gabby George – 5

Put in some good sliding challenges to battle with Lucy Bronze, but the directness and pace of Chelsea’s attackers eventually became too much for United’s whole defence. She made some key tackles to keep Chelsea out in the first half but there was a nervy moment in the second where she was close to turning a cross into her own goal.

Maya Le Tissier – 6

The young United captain stood up well in a physical mismatch with Mayra Ramírez in the opening stages, and showed characteristic leadership – but Catarina Macario was lost between her and Dominique Janssen for Chelsea’s second and by the end of the match United’s defence were lacking their usual cohesion.

Aoife Mannion – 6 (off 70’)

Though Mannion deputised to a decent standard for the injured Jayde Riviere considering her comparative lack of minutes this season – with one particularly good sliding tackle to stop Sandy Baltimore breaking early on down the wing – she was among those who struggled to judge aerial duels or match Chelsea’s pace.

Grace Clinton – 6

Given the starting nod, Clinton was one of the most technically capable United players on the field with some nice twists and turns in midfield. However her linkup with her teammates was not as fluid as it has ben at times this season and she and her attacking colleagues struggled against Chelsea’s compact back line.

Leah Galton – 5

Worked hard defensively, contributing a lot to preventing Bronze’s possible tap-in during the first half, but couldn’t get the better of the defensive line.

Celin Bizet – 4

Bizet had extra defensive duties in the absence of Riviere and made some strong contributions in the first half both creatively and at the back, even shifting to right-back in the second half as the manager reshuffled due to injuries. However, her rash challenge on Erin Cuthbert conceded the penalty that opened the scoring for Chelsea and dealt United a sucker punch before halftime. At right-back in the second half she struggled for influence.

Dominique Janssen – 5

Janssen was another player shifted around to compensate for an injury to Millie Turner, dropping from holding midfield into centre-back for the second half. Though she mostly stepped up well, the sheer fact of splitting up United’s usually stable centre-back unit caused problems and she was the other defender who lost track of Macario for Chelsea’s second. She also had one of United’s best chances when she hit a poor clearance over the bar in the first half.

Elisabeth Terland – 5

Not the Norwegian’s day. One of her brightest moments was a smart run in the second half that set up the cross for Janssen’s chance mentioned above, but otherwise she seemed isolated up top. She had also had a headed chance early in the second half but couldn’t direct it either way and Hampton saved easily. Lacked clear-cut chances and service.

Hinata Miyazawa – 6

Miyazawa was the standout performer in United’s midfield, covering masses of ground and remaining tenacious in closing down opponents. However, she was needed so much in defence – playing as one of two holding midfielders in the first half – that it stunted her ability to impact the game creatively.

Millie Turner – 4 (off 45’)

Turner struggled to cope with Aggie Beever-Jones’ runs off Mayra Ramírez and though she made some good tackles and clearances, she was lucky not to be punished for letting Beever-Jones get away from her at times. She was replaced at halftime after picking up an injury.

Ella Toone – 6 (on 45’)

A major talking point before the game was Toone dropping out of the lineup and after coming on, she initially looked set to continue her form for impact off the bench at Wembley. She showed good tenacity and energy in the first ten minutes of the second half, during which United looked most likely to get back into the game. However, once Chelsea found their flow again there were few chances for her to contribute.

Melvine Malard – 5 (on 70’)

The Frenchwoman was thrown into a tough situation and though her pace and movement were decent, she struggled along with her teammates to find any cohesion in the final third or create clear-cut chances.

Only includes players on for at least 20 minutes.