Ambitious United turn on the style to shatter Spurs’ Wembley dreams
There is an old black-and-white photo of Broxbourne Ladies, the side that would become Tottenham Hotspur Women, that tells a story of a club’s journey from grassroots minnows to Wembley finalists. Spurs will be back, but it is Manchester United who have secured immortality – those who eventually obliterated Robert Vilahamn’s side will forever be remembered as the club’s first Women’s FA Cup winners.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe might be content to miss the big moments, with the Ineos chief to be found 196 miles away at Old Trafford for the men’s game against Arsenal. Yet Ella Toone is not, and especially not at Wembley. She is the ultimate clutch player.
The tale of the tape for Eveliina Summanen was thus, and epitomised Tottenham’s afternoon. Defending valiantly, the Finland international almost knocked heads with Lucia Garcia as she cleared a golden opportunity from her path – but later came Toone, marauding into the final third and skipping past Summanen before drifting a strike dreamily into the top corner past a powerless Becky Spencer. Protests that Rachel Williams had fouled Luana Buhler to prevent her from reaching Toone proved just as impotent.
Marc Skinner will surely have noted the irony. Starting one of his former Birmingham allies in Williams, at the expense of top scorer Nikita Parris, was part of a scrappier plan of attack. It is not so long ago that United pelted Spurs with set pieces in a 2-2 draw and Skinner smelt blood, even as Williams missed two clear headers.
When her goal came, it was just as unspectacular as planned. All the same, it was a moment the 36-yearold cannot even have dreamt about on her run of one Women’s Super League start in two seasons. Against her old club, Williams saw Katie Zelem’s free-kick floating into the box and knew she had the height to
eclipse Ashleigh Neville. One bounce and it was in, Skinner celebrating with a simple high five, Vilahamn bowing his head in defeat. The worst was yet to come.
If there were any doubt remaining, Tottenham banished it themselves. Spencer was almost tearful and held her hands up in apology after gifting the third to Garcia, passing straight into her path for her to dispatch into an empty net.
Had Beth England’s header not ricocheted off the post, it would only have been a consolation. The exhaustion of the heat was beginning to set in and when the cross came deeper than anyone was expecting, only Lisa Naalsund was alive to it; she touched it on and Garcia had a second and United’s fourth.
Though the searing gulf was apparent, that is not necessarily cause for concern. Tottenham are ahead of schedule under Vilahamn, who has totally rejuvenated a team that narrowly avoided relegation last season.
The process could yet prove to their advantage. Whereas United entered the Championship after reforming, Spurs have worked their way up from grassroots level.
Nine years ago, they were playing in the Ryman League’s Boux Avenue Cup final, watched by a smattering of supporters and Gary Mabbutt, who remains the last Tottenham player to lift the FA Cup. That history breeds a kind of perseverance that can withstand even the most crushing disappointments.
Some of those fans have been there for the journey and some were here just for the day, but where navy
blues blurred into white and faint hope petered into bitter acceptance, Spurs had at least dared to dream. Now to make sure it is not a one-off.
As Mary Earps skipped down the steps after collecting her medal, it was clear that at United the taste for silverware has been whetted – it will require a little help from Ratcliffe, on whom there will be more scrutiny than ever regarding his interest in the women’s team. Either the face of United’s football operations or not, he cannot have it both ways.
Skinner called on the club to use this triumph as a “springboard” and vowed to “compete better in the league” in future after United missed out on Champions League football for next season.
He insisted he was not disappointed by Ratcliffe’s absence, revealing: “The messages have been messaged, I was messaged... We had more than enough representation from our club here.
“We know, as a club, we want to be winning titles and winning things and the men have the FA Cup to look forward to as well. But for us, I’ve been really excited with the energy it’s driving internally and it won’t be long before we’re talked about in the kind of elite women’s team.
“We’ve started now, hopefully, but I’m really excited. I know what’s coming and it’s an exciting time to be a Manchester United fan.”
Regardless, United should have nothing to prove to the Ineos suits, or indeed to Avram Glaser, who did attend. They should be content to play their football, of which they did an exemplary job.