Aston Villa Women: Manchester United razor-sharp finishing shows gulf in class during 5-0 defeat
Aston Villa fell victim to a stunning Manchester United side on Saturday lunchtime (3 December), but can learn from their opponent’s clinical nature in front of goal as they seek major improvements.
Carla Ward’s side wasn’t by any means out-classed throughout the game, but they struggled to match the precise finishing and high tempo of The Red Devils in front of the record-breaking 30,000 fans at Old Trafford.
Villa displayed glimpses of promise – registering 13 shots on goal over the 90 minutes – but lacked a razor-sharp edge in attack, with just four of these attempts troubling Mary Earps in the United net.
Alisha Lehmann thought she had got her side’s account underway when she found the back of the net in the first half before being flagged for offside, and after that Villa had few major chances of note.
Freya Gregory tested the United shot-stopper with a long-range effort in the first half, and Rachel Corsie sent a brilliant chance wide from a corner as United took a 2-0 lead going into the break which would only be stretched in the second 45.
The away side, who came into the game on the back of three consecutive wins, looked promising down the left flank and had plenty of bright moments, but seemed to rush attacks as they reached the final third and were sloppy in possession on numerous occasions.
Sky Sports journalist Dan Bardell believed that Villa “looked so bright going forward” when taking to Twitter, saying: “Disallowed goal looked very tight and with better quality of pass, could have gone one up.
“Unfortunately, United clinical with their chance.”
Although it was a disappointing result for Villa, they must try to take the positives from the performance as they look ahead to a FA WSL Cup match against Sheffield United and a tough home match against Arsenal.
Games such as this won’t define Villa’s season and they probably wouldn’t have expected a win unless their evidently superior opponents dropped their standards.
Simply put, they came up against a side in flying form, and they struggled to contain the several international stars on show.
The gulf in class was highlighted by the likes of Ella Toone and Katie Zelem – who both proved creative catalysts and pulled the strings for Marc Skinner’s side throughout.
Ward and her ever-improving side must dust off this crushing defeat and take stock of how United dissected their way through Villa’s defence in such precise nature.
Lehmann and Gregory should study the performance of Toone and Nikita Parris in the final third as all that’s missing from this Aston Villa side is an extra edge of quality in the final third of the pitch.
In other Aston Villa news, an alarming goal stat shows Unai Emery must try to cut out his side’s persistent fouls.