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IIn the words of Julius Caesar, “experience is the teacher of all things.” As Mark Skinner and his Manchester United side make the long climb to the royal box at Wembley, they will know how important the lessons of heartbreak last time out were in helping them lift the FA Women’s Cup for the first time in their history.
With a dominant performance in a comfortable 4-0 win over Tottenham, the Demons of that loss to Chelsea were firmly placed in bed. On this occasion, United were outplayed by the guile and flair of more experienced winners. Against Robert Villahamn’s fledgling side this time around, Skinner’s side were determined to put in a finished performance that illustrated why many saw them as favourites.
United are full of players with the knowledge and ability to shine at the biggest stages. From back to front—Mary Earps to Rachel Williams—Skinner trusted those most tested at this level.
For the Earps and Ella Toone, Wembley is their second home, where they have both achieved so much success for England in recent years. The latter certainly has an affinity for scoring on this pitch. Many will remember her goal against Germany which helped the lionesses lift their first major trophywhile she also entered the record in winning the Finalissima in 2023.
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The 24-year-old has struggled for form at times this season but has had the firm support of her manager throughout. Skinner knows exactly how important Toon is to keeping United ticking and her undeniable ability in front of goal. His faith in his midfielder paid off as her spectacular opener deep into first-half stoppage time turned the tide of a well-balanced encounter. That awareness – developed from countless such moments – of being in the right place at the right time turned the momentum in United’s favour.
In Williams, who doubled the lead early in the second half, United have plenty of experience. Her ability to find the back of the net has been crucial to much of United’s success over the last few seasons. The 36-year-old could write the book on the success of this scene.
In 2012, she played a crucial role in Birmingham City’s FA Cup final win over Chelsea, scoring an injury-time equalizer to send the tie to extra time. She may not start as often under Skinner, but her manager understands how little Williams worries at this stage in her career and is counting on her more and more over the course of a difficult season.
Williams may be familiar to many of the opposition in the Women’s Super League, but her ability to scare the life out of defenders is unwavering.
The timing of her runs, her vision to see the game two steps ahead of everyone else and her seemingly telepathic tendency to nod the ball into the back of the net are key to her success.
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In a fairly uneventful first half, Williams was a constant thorn in the side of Tottenham’s centre-backs. The veteran will be disappointed to have missed two early gilt-edged chances, rising high each time to meet Katie Zelem’s deliveries in the box. She wasn’t going to miss a third and when the Spurs defense let her in again unhindered at the far post, she made them pay.
Lucia Garcia was the other shining star of United’s triumphant afternoon. The Spanish striker has had to be patient under Skinner and it has paid off in recent months. The 25-year-old was another runner-up with this team last year but looked right at home this time around with her tireless running, high energy levels and strong technical ability. Her brace came as Tottenham began to look tired: first alerted for a huge error in Becky Spencer’s distribution, before reacting quickest to a second ball.
Spurs, in contrast, were naive and struggled to cope with the intensity of their opponents. The occasion was clearly on Villahamn’s side as a typically creative team struggled to create any notable opportunities. The captain, Bethany England, came closest when she headed over the crossbar in the second half, but by then the game had eluded them. Of course, this was Tottenham’s first time at Wembley and their first appearance in a major cup final and they will be hoping that experience serves them as well as it did their opponents last year.
For United, success finally came. After a difficult season, Skinner and his players return to Manchester in festive fashion. Winning a first silver item is always difficult. Once they break that duck, they will look to build the foundation for greater success.
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