Key events
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Half-time: Manchester United 2-0 West Ham
The hosts have a comfortable lead at the break following a dominant first-half performance.
45+4 min: Galton receives the ball on the left before cutting inside. She unleashes a powerful strike from the edge of the box which flies into the bottom-left corner!
GOAL! Manchester United 2-0 West Ham (Galton, 45+3)
Galton makes it two for the hosts!
45+1 min: Four minutes have been added on…
45 min: Huge chance for West Ham! Manchester United concede a corner and the ball is sent straight into the box by Asseyi. Tullis-Joyce fails to punch it clear and Tysiak goes for goal, but scuffs her shot. The visitors appeal for a handball in the build-up, but nothing is given.
43 min: Just a few minutes to go now in this first half. Will we see another goal before the break?
40 min: A corner is swung into the box from the right. It falls to Geyse around 10 yards out from goal and the winger goes for an audacious bicycle kick which rattles the crossbar! What a goal that would’ve been!
38 min: Toone receives the ball on the left and leaves two defenders spinning with some spectacular skill. She looks to make the cross, but West Ham can clear. Naalsund eventually attempts an audacious strike from distance as the ball falls to her feet, but the midfielder’s effort flies just wide.
35 min: Manchester United have dominated this match so far and deserve to be in the lead. But West Ham have had their chances. They just need to take them whenever they come about. This is far from over.
32 min: Quick pause for a drinks break. Both managers are taking the time to speak to their players with around 15 minutes left to go in this half.
29 min: Terrible defending from the visitors. Le Tissier splits the West Ham defence with a long pass through to Geyse. Saez attempts to see the ball out for a goal kick, but Geyse bullies her off it and fires her shot past a helpless Szemik from close range.
It could be argued that Saez should have been awarded a foul in the build-up, but that was excellent work from Geyse.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 West Ham (Geyse, 28)
Geyse breaks the deadlock for the hosts!
26 min: Harries receives the first yellow card of the match for a clumsy challenge on Riviere. Thankfully for Manchester United, the full-back does not need any treatment from the physios.
25 min: West Ham have started to apply the pressure in the last five minutes or so. Manchester United have still been the better team overall so far in this game, but these are promising signs from the visitors.
23 min: Another chance for West Ham as Denton receives a cross just inside the box. She goes for goal first time but her wild shot is way off-target and Tullis-Joyce claims the ball with ease.
21 min: Ueki looks to make a run down the left wing before cutting inside, but Le Tissier is there to win back the ball. This has been an impressive performance so far from the new United captain.
18 min: United head straight to the other end of the pitch following the corner and Toone sends a cross to Terland in the box, but the striker cannot direct her header on target.
16 min: Chance for West Ham now as Denton makes a great run through the middle before passing the ball to Harries on the right, who goes for goal but is tackled at the last moment by Galton. A good effort from the visitors. They get a corner as a result, but nothing comes of the set-piece.
12 min: Another fantastic pass from Le Tissier falls straight to the feet of Terland in the box. The striker plays it back to Clinton, but her first touch is too heavy and West Ham can clear the danger.
9 min: Fans are now participating in a minute’s applause in memory of Sheffield United star Maddy Cusack, who passed away one year ago yesterday.
6 min: Newly-promoted captain Le Tissier sends a stunning pass over to Galton on the left. The winger cuts inside before crossing the ball into the box, but it rattles the crossbar! Tysiak is eventually able to head it clear from the goal-line.
5 min: Terland appeals for a penalty after being tripped in the box by Saez, but the referee dismisses her claims and play continues.
3 min: West Ham are struggling to progress forward in these early stages, with Manchester United relentlessly crowding out the midfield and winning the ball in the centre third.
Kick-off
We’re under way at Old Trafford on this beautiful Saturday afternoon!
The teams are out at Old Trafford! Kick-off is just a few moments away!
Karen is confident Manchester United will be back competing at the top this season despite losing some key players…
“I got a good feeling about United team this season. Sure Earps is gone but lets not forget we already had a phenomenal goalkeeper in our squad and she’s gonna show it this season. Zelem’s gone but the view was always to integrate Clinton. They didn’t put unnecessary pressure of captaincy on our star Ella; the signings look good so I’ll say bring it on!”
Some of our women’s football correspondents gave their 2024-25 predictions in the latest episode of Women’s Football Weekly. Give it a listen here…
Following two successful loan spells, Grace Clinton finally makes her first WSL appearance for Manchester United today. The 21-year-old was named the PFA’s young player of the year last month following her impressive 2023-24 campaign with Tottenham, and now she is ready to establish herself as an indispensable member of Marc Skinner’s squad.
Reigning WSL champions Chelsea kicked off the campaign with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa last night. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd scored the decisive goal with a stunning strike, but Villa attempted to mount a late comeback in the final minutes. Goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo came agonisingly close to equalising in added time, but Hannah Hampton kept the clean sheet with a fantastic stop.
With the new WSL season finally underway, I want to hear from you! Feel free to email me with some of your predictions for this season. Top goalscorer, player of the season, you know the drill. And the all-important question – who will lift the trophy in May?
Team News
Manchester United starting XI: Phallon Tullis-Joyce; Maya Le Tissier (C), Millie Turner, Dominique Janssen, Jayde Riviere; Ella Toone, Grace Clinton, Lisa Naalsund; Leah Galton, Elisabeth Terland, Geyse. Substitutes: Safia Middleton-Patel, Gabby George, Aoife Mannion, Simi Awujo, Hayley Ladd, Hinata Miyazawa, Celin Bizet, Melvine Malard, Rachel Williams.
West Ham starting XI: Kinga Szemik; Amber Tysiak, Anouk Denton, Camila Saez, Shannon Cooke, Li Mengwen; Dagný Brynjarsdóttir, Katrina Gorry (C); Riko Ueki, Viviane Asseyi, Emma Harries. Substitutes: Megan Walsh, Oona Siren, Marika Bergman-Lundin, Manuela Pavi, Shelina Zadorsky, Kristie Mewis, Halle Houssein, Seraina Piubel.
Preamble
We’re back! Hello and welcome to coverage of Manchester United vs West Ham. The Women’s Super League finally returned last night as reigning champions Chelsea clinched a 1-0 win over Aston Villa in a highly competitive opening fixture.
FA Cup winners United return to action today as they target an improvement on last season’s fifth-place finish. But with the likes of Mary Earps, Katie Zelem, Lucia Garcia and Nikita Parris now gone, Marc Skinner will have to make some huge selection calls.
Meanwhile, West Ham finished 11th in the table last season – nine points above relegated Bristol City. Rehanne Skinner’s side struggled throughout the campaign and they could be in for another rocky ride this time around.
Kick-off is at 12pm BST – join me!
