Parris and Williams lead Manchester United to dominant WSL win at Everton
A confident 5-0 defeat of Everton helped Manchester United steady the ship domestically after their crushing Champions League exit in midweek.
A goal from Melvine Malard and two each from Nikita Parris and the substitute Rachel Williams earned them their second win of the season after draws with Leicester and Arsenal. Everton sit 10th, with a worrying three defeats in four, yet to find their feet.
The United manager, Marc Skinner, described the impact of the statement win going into the international break as “huge”. The pressure had been on following the end of the European dream and back-to-back draws in the league.
“It’s been stuttery results,” he said. “If you break down the performance and look at expected goals for and against, we’ve been excellent, but you’ve got to score. For us, it’s about putting theory into performance and then into results.
“I couldn’t give the players more credit today. Their resilience, their togetherness, there were times when Everton got through and they had to think quickly.”
Skinner made three changes to the side that lost 3-1 at Paris Saint-Germain – to go out 4-2 on aggregate – on Wednesday night. The forwards Geyse and Leah Galton and the midfielder Hayley Ladd missed out entirely because of a sickness bug.
For Brian Sørensen, there were two changes to the Everton team that earned a first win of the season, at Liverpool, last weekend. Lucy Hope was absent because of an ankle injury and Emma Bissell dropped to the bench.
Skinner told his players they had to be more ruthless at both ends in their brief meeting before travelling along the M62, following their disappointing defeat to PSG where they had a goal incorrectly disallowed for a perceived foul on the goalkeeper and enough chances to have been able to win the game.
They began brightly at a sunny and warm Walton Hall Park – a happy hunting ground for the visiting side – with Megan Finnigan blocking Malard’s effort before Hinata Miyazawa fired over.
In front of a sellout crowd the home side had the chance to take the lead decidedly against the run of play, though, when Nicoline Sørensen was played in but shot over from eight yards.
Perhaps not wanting to have to come from behind again, United hit back instantly to take the lead and punish Everton’s profligacy. Katie Zelem’s corner was headed into the air and Malard got there first, ahead of the goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan, and nodded in from close range.
Hanna Bennison should have levelled shortly afterwards, Mary Earps tipping her shot over the bar after she had struck it from distance when there were better options either side of her.
Parris doubled United’s lead and eased their nerves just before the hour. The former Everton player got a powerful header on Zelem’s cross and although Brosnan got her hands to it, she could not keep it out.
It was disaster for Everton for the next goal. Katrine Veje attempted to twist and turn away from Parris but the United forward dispossessed the defender and sent a cross in for Williams to head home.
The fourth was similar, this time Williams nodding in Jayde Riviere’s ball over the top from close range, with Brosnan flapping.
“I think we were hard done by with the result if I’m honest, in terms of the performance,” said Sorensen. “The goals we conceded were too easy overall. We’re not happy that we lose that big, that can’t happen.
“We’re still a very good football team. We showed that last week. We showed that against Leicester, just didn’t get the result, we showed that against Brighton.”
It was too routine for United in the end, with Everton folding defensively. Brosnan’s saved an effort from Miyazawa but moments later Parris extended their lead to five, calmly clipping the ball over the goalkeeper. It was her eighth goal in nine games against Everton (including those for her former side Manchester City).
For United, there will be a desire to shake off a European “what if” following a far more clinical performance. “I’ll always have a what if, that’s just a human response,” said Skinner. “That does give me optimism about where we’re headed and where we want to head. We’re getting better. I want us to head to success being an inevitability, not a hope.”