Manchester United Women claimed their first piece of silverware since the team's reformation in 2018 after a thumping 4-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup final on Sunday.
United's Ella Toone opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time but it was a merciless and comprehensive display from United in the second-half which claimed a place in the history books, with goals arriving from Rachel Williams and Lucia Garcia. Spurs, relishing their first time under the Wembley arches, struggled to cope with the attacking calibre on hand and failed to offer a response.
The trophy not only marks the first since United reformed 13 years after disbanding in 2005, but the first since INEOS' takeover of the club earlier this year.
Spurs boss Robert Vilahamn named an unchanged side from the last time the pair met, while Marc Skinner opted to twist with the team that salvaged a last-gasp point, bringing in four new faces including veteran striker and former FA Cup winner Rachel Williams, along with fellow forwards Lucia Garcia and Jayde Riviere.
A frantic start gave way to chances for both sides. Spurs were at first slick and fluid, working the ball well and teasing a rhythm, but without ever finding their bite. United did their best work when pouncing on an errant Spurs pass and sashaying forward. Toone was excellent in this department, and fittingly it was the Lioness who would break a turgid deadlock in the final minute of first-half stoppage time, cutting right off the semi-circle and smashing a splendid curling effort into the top right corner of Spencer's goal.
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The lead was deserved for a side that had managed, by then, thirteen shots at goal, albeit only three on target. From there, United smelled blood, and with nine minutes elapsed in the second-half, Rachel Williams met Katie Zelem's inch-perfect delivery at the back post to nod home United's second. Three minutes later, Lucia Garcia, a nuisance throughout as she harried Spurs' backline, pounced on Spencer's misplaced pass to claim a third.
Spurs have cut themselves comeback queens in the FA Cup but the overwhelming quality of United and their own error-strewn display left them with little way back into the competition. Their best chance at a response came through record-signing Bethany England, who crashed a header off the underside of Mary Earps' goal after left-wing cross from Amanda Nilden.
However, with 15 minutes left to play, Garcia once again pounced in the box after sloppy defending from Spurs to put the contest firmly to bed.
Below are the talking points.
1. Man Utd finally taste silverware
Is this the feeling? Manchester United know it now. After last year's heartbreak to Chelsea, a second chance was all they needed to make up for last season's disappointment.
This is the first piece of silverware for Manchester United Women since their reformation in 2018 and the first piece of silverware for the club's new INEOS era, a moment almost as equally significant, though CEO Jim Ratcliffe's non-attendance was a sticking point in the build-up to the contest (other INEOS hierarchy were in attendance).
United's lack of silverware has been a difficult selling point for the club's recruitment in the face of other more successful clubs, a point that even goalkeeper Mary Earps felt compelled to mention when discussing her future last year.
But now those shackles are off. Williams, once again an FA Cup champion 12 years on from her last triumph with Birmingham, declared that one trophy would only open the door to more. United fans will hope the prophecy is rooted in truth.
Lucia Garcia celebrates scoring Manchester United's fourth goal in the FA Cup final (Photo by Stephanie Meek - CameraSport via Getty Images)2. Spurs revolution still in tinkering mode
The Vilahamn revolution is very real and at Wembley, in moments, that revolution felt like real evolution. At their best in this contest, Spurs displayed some wonderful transition and link-up play, like watching ice melt and seep into all the nooks and crannies. But there is work to be done. Increasingly passes failed to find their mark, gifting possession as away as swiftly as they managed to wrest it back. Tottenham were fortunate that United did not make them suffer earlier.
These are the gaps. Spurs have managed to defeat only one team from the top-half of the Women's Super League this season, an unlikely but blistering north London derby win over Arsenal. The task on Sunday was always going to be about playing bigger than themselves, but sometimes the task proves to be too big.
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LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 12: Bethany England of Tottenham Hotspur gives the team instructions during the Adobe Women's FA Cup Final match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on May 12, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)In the end, the game belonged to United, who exuded the cool composure of a team more experienced in this landscape. From the moment Toone plucked her strike, things seemed to unravel for Spurs. Their midfield was sliced open on too many occasions and England too often tried to be the hero with few others around her capable of stepping up. Individual errors proved costly, as did the absence of midfielder Grace Clinton, a constant source of enterprise and incision for Spurs this season. Earps never once had to make a save despite 10 shots rallied in her general direction. Where Skinner could call on a number of high-profile recruits with trophy-laden careers, Vilahamn's bench paled in comparison.
But there is hope here, embodied by the Spurs flags still waving in their section with three minutes left of their first trip to Wembley Stadium.
3. Man Utd find their edge
One of the sticking points of the Skinner era this season has been his side's relentless profligacy. A team teeming with quality attackers with an alleged allergy to scoring. For long spells on Sunday, that seemed to be the case. Three times chances were spurned from set-pieces before the first water break, Garcia’s apparently so terrible that the Spanish international took to hitting herself in the forehead in flagellation. Maya Le Tissier joined the growing coterie of missed set-piece chances as her header was cleared off the line by Martha Thomas.
By the time Toone picked up her head, noted the location of the top corner and smacked a thunderous strike into it, United had managed 12 shots at goal with only two on target.
Lucia Garcia scored Man Utd's third goal against Tottenham (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)But sometimes you need one to go in and the rest follows. That seems to be what happened with United, aided by Melvine Malard's arrival in the second-half. United put on a second-half display more than worthy of their champions status, funnelling themselves into a relentless pursuit that opened with Williams' header and ended with Garcia's brace.
Whether this match points to a brighter future remains to be seen. United were the easy favourites here: more experienced, higher league position, teeming with Euro2022 winners who know what it takes to win on this stage. Skinner and co completed the task, however emphatically.
A trophy will certainly make the future look bright. But after a lousy league season and with questions swirling over Marc Skinner's future, there are still questions left to be answered. Will a trophy prove to be a plaster behind which trouble masquerades, or is this the beginning something bigger?
4. Toone loves Wembley
Toone's jink set Eveliina Summanen into the stands, the 25-year-old Finland international transported somewhere dark and sad, not this sunshiny patch of London. Toone, unflustered to the point of not knowing if Summanen was still sliding, picked out the top corner and that was that.
In a game with all the chances but no conviction, Toone supplied the goods with the half-time whistle ready to blow.
Ella Toone opened the scoring against Spurs (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)Toone loves Wembley, and she especially loves a big goal at Wembley: first Germany, then Netherlands, now here with United. The thing with scoring big goals in big games is each has their own unique weight to it: a first-ever international triumph, a crucial comeback victory, the potential to salvage a season that felt irretrievable just last week.
Garcia will rightfully claim the Player of the Match plaudits but Toone's goal -- her ninth of the season and 53rd in the United shirt, a club record -- ignited the onslaught from United in the second-half. Her goal made proceedings comfortable. A first piece of silverware is a deserved gift for a player that has called United home since the beginning of their new adventure.
5. Ratcliffe opts for Old Trafford
Plenty of noise was made when videos surfaced of Sir Jim Ratcliffe perusing Old Trafford mere hours before kick-off. Not that kick-off: the kick-off at Wembley at 2:15, the one featuring Ratcliffe's club's women's team and presenting the first chance at silverware to mark the Ineos era's arrival. No, Ratcliffe decided to bin off the national stadium and the women's team's biggest game of the season for the Theatre of Dreams for United's date with title-chasing Arsenal.
In Ratcliffe's place, Avram Glazer attended, as well as a swathe of other high-ranking INEOS officials. Ratcliffe also sent personal messages of good luck to the London-bound Red Devils. The touch was classy for some but for others, a poor show. Ratcliffe would likely get slated regardless of the match he chose. The 71-year-old has not been present for a United win in normal or extra-time this season.
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