Match report: Man United women put to the sword in 6-0 battering by Chelsea at Old Trafford | OneFootball

Manchester United women’s team players were taught a very harsh lesson as they were put to the sword by Chelsea in a 6-0 battering on the final day of the Women’s Super League (WSL) season.

United had little to play for considering their exploits last week that saw them lift a historic FA Cup at the expense of Tottenham Hotspur.

The only thing Marc Skinner and his side perhaps had their eye on was a fourth-placed finish above Liverpool. Meanwhile, the stakes couldn’t have been higher for Chelsea, who went into the match fully aware that a win would give them every chance of winning a fifth consecutive WSL title.

It was also an emotional occasion for the Blues considering it was the last game in the dugout for their highly successful boss Emma Hayes.

Skinner started Mary Earps in goal with a back-four of Jayde Riviere, Maya Le Tissier, Millie Turner and Hannah Blundell ahead of the shot-stopper.

Lisa Naalsund and Katie Zelem formed the midfield pivot, with Ella Toone slightly ahead of them in the hole. Rachel Williams led the line with Lucia Garcia and Melvine Malard flanking her on either side.

It was a nightmare start for United as they conceded just two minutes into proceedings. Chelsea came out flying and didn’t need long to shed first blood. Mayra Ramirez connected with a cross from Guro Reiten and produced a bullet header that beat Earps.

The early goal seemed like it unsettled United who were nervy, as evidenced by their erratic passing. They also left a lot of space for Chelsea, who were all too happy to capitalise on it as they doubled their lead in the eighth minute. This time, Earps’ pitiful goal kick was intercepted before the ball found its way to Johanna Rytting Kaneryd. The Chelsea star beat Earps to make it two for the Blues.

Chelsea dominated proceedings and were on the front foot. One thing that especially seemed to unsettle the Old Trafford crowd was how slow and bereft of imagination United looked at the back.

It took some time for the Reds to land their first punch when Malard produced some lovely moves to go forward but unfortunately, Millie Bright in the Chelsea backline was equal to the task and neutralized the threat.

United steadily grew into the game with the likes of Le Tissier and Malard getting some joy in attack. At times, Chelsea needed Bright to intervene to keep United from getting back into the game and firing up their fans.

Unfortunately for the Reds, all their hard work to try and come back into it was undone just before the interval as Chelsea grabbed a third of the match, with Ramirez once again proving to be the thorn in the home team’s backside.

She embarked on a strong run as she warded off her marker with relative ease before setting it up for substitute Sjoeke Nusken who had time and space to just tap it into the back of the net from close range. There was further misery for Skinner and his players before heading down the tunnel. Ramirez went on another run and brushed aside two United players. She then produced a stunning finish that frankly, even the brilliant Earps had no chance of keeping out.

The United players looked stunned and shocked by how events were panning out at Old Trafford.

Not much changed in the second period of the match. Chelsea carried on with their title charge as Melanie Leupolz extended her side’s lead just two minutes after the interval after some shambolic bit of defending from United.

Skinner’s defenders failed to clear despite having multiple occasions to do so. Chelsea on their part just kept coming and finally managed to break through through Leupolz’s sliding effort.

United had a mountain to climb but Leupolz’s strike all but buried their chances of staging any fightback they may have envisioned.

From there, it was just Chelsea in the driving seat and they never really looked like taking their foot off the gas. It was so easy for them to keep the ball and at times, it felt like they were toying with United. Frank Kirby put United out of their misery with five minutes of regular team left on the clock.

She made a clever run in behind the United defence and expertly tucked the ball into the corner.

Garcia almost gave United a consolation goal in the dying embers of the match but in keeping up with the team’s rotten fortune today, her shot flew over the bar.

It was a fairytale ending for Hayes but a nightmare finish for United and Skinner, who will undoubtedly have plenty to think about in the coming days and weeks.

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