Manchester City 0 – 2 Manchester United
by Catherine MacKenzie (13/04/2025)
Above: Manchester United celebrate with traveling fans. Photo: Manchester United Women.
Manchester United beat their cross-city rivals in the second FA Cup semi-final on Sunday afternoon, thanks to goals from Celin Bizet and Grace Clinton.
The injury crisis in women’s football can never be talked about enough. Mere days after an injury-ridden England lost a surprising Nations League game in Belgium, Manchester City fell to the same fate. Missing players like Vivianne Miedema, Alex Greenwood, Jill Roord, Laura Blinkilde-Brown, Bunny Shaw, and Lauren Hemp, City are on the brink of collapse. Even United head coach Marc Skinner remarked post-game; “…we saw a city today that were diminished by injuries”.
City’s injury list increased twenty minutes into the game as Australian forward Mary Fowler went down with a suspected knee injury. She was replaced by 21-year old defender Naomi Layzell; City did not have any fit attacking options left to choose from.
However, this should not overshadow the grit and determination of a Manchester United team who were dogged in their pursuit of a third consecutive FA Cup final at Wembley. The cup holders were tenacious and did not let City have many chances; the best came from a Yui Hasegawa free kick that was only kept out by a tremendous double save from United keeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
There is often a balance in football between a team performance and standout individuals. There were many standout performances by individuals in this United team; Elisabeth Terland’s work ethic and willingness to help her team defensively; Grace Clinton and Ella Toone’s latching on to City’s attempts to play out from the back; Celin Bizet providing a masterful performance on the wing.
Defensively, United were solid too: Gabby George had the pace to deal with Jess Park, Millie Turner and Maya Le Tissier were unflinching, and Tullis-Joyce provided saves that were reminiscent of United men’s former shot-stopper David De Gea.
These individual performances were highlighted by Skinner post-match, however it was the collective spirit and ability to work together as a team that pleased the United boss most:
“It was pure control. I felt that the defensive line was fantastic – Millie Turner, epic, Maya, epic, the full-backs when we swapped them, Gabby got in a couple of challenges late…and Teri [Elisabeth Terland] today. I know we talk about her goals, but the work she does for the team is the reason you keep clean sheets, and that shows you the a real special spirit”.
Pundits and fans have often debated the merits of having Toone and Clinton on the pitch at the same time (their inclusion plus that of Hinata Miyazawa normally means stalwart Dutch CDM Dominique Janssen is left on the bench), however Skinner’s game plan appeared to work today.
Toone and Clinton started the game and provided the creativity that prompted United’s attack; Bizet latched onto a sublime pass by Toone for United’s first goal six minutes in, and Clinton headed in from a George corner fifteen minutes later.
Janssen was introduced when the game became stretched in the later stages and City began to build momentum, providing more control and protection for United’s backline.
On Toone, Skinner asserted that the Lioness is enjoying her football following an injury that kept her out of the team for months:
“She’s refreshed, she’s hungry…she had a little go at me because she had a cramp at that point…the pitch was quite hard and she had a cramp, so we took her off. I’ve really loved her leadership, she’s my vice-captain and she’s grown so much”.
United will be hoping to retain their FA Cup trophy, however will have to face a formidable foe first: Sonia Bompastor’s Chelsea, who have only lost once since the Frenchwoman took over last summer. Chelsea beat United in the FA Cup final two years ago, adding another dimension to the tie.
For his part, Skinner asserted that “I don’t care [who are favourites]”, adding that “the reality is a final is different, and I want to see us attack it, I want to see us be aggressive in it, and I believe if we do that with our special spirit, we can beat anyone”.
Manchester United will face Chelsea in the women’s FA Cup final at Wembley on the 18th of May. Time is TBD.
TEAMS: MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Keating, Kerolin, Prior, Aleixandri, Ouahabi, Hasegawa, Casparij, Park, Coombs, Murphy, Fowler. Substitutes: Layzell (for Fowler 25′), Weinroither (for Murphy 82′), Yamashita, Startup, Oyama.
MANCHESTER UNITED (4-1-4-1): Tullis-Joyce, George, Turner, Le Tissier, Riviere, Miyazawa, Bizet, Clinton, Toone, Galton, Terland. Substitutes: Janssen (for Clinton 69′), Sandberg (for George 82′), Naalsund (for Toone 82′), Mannion (for Bizet 87′), Malard (for Riviere 87′), Middleton-Patel, Rendell, Awujo, Williams.
Scorers: Bizet 6′, Clinton 21′.
Referee: Stacey Pearson
Attendance: 5,600
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