Ella Toone said “it means so much” after her hat-trick led Manchester United Women to a famous 4-2 win over rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
City were made to pay for a number of sloppy mistakes in a pulsating derby match, with Toone scoring either side of a Leah Galton strike to give the visitors a commanding lead.
Vivianne Miedema and Rebecca Knaak scored for City to reduce the deficit, before Toone took advantage of another defensive error to seal her hat-trick.
“We are also speechless. It's a derby, so it means so much,” Toone told Sky Sports.
“I thought we made a huge change and delivered great performances. I think we deserved it.
“I let the girls know, 'Girls, I've never scored in a Manchester derby, never scored against City,' and for a girl who supports Manchester United, I know what these derbies mean.
“I want to be at every game, make something happen on the field and set up a shift for the girls.
“But today I wanted a goal and managed to score three, so it was a special day for me and I couldn't have done it without the players and staff.
“I've been through a lot, and when I got injured it was a blessing in disguise. Looking back now, I needed it, not just physically but mentally too. I used my time wisely to get fitter and stronger again , but more importantly: take care of myself.”
Toone praised United's spirit after a performance and result that saw United leapfrog City into third place in the Women's Super League.
“We're doing well,” Toone said.
“Sometimes people write us off, but we know what team we have. We have personality, we have attitude, we have work rate and we give everything we do every time we step on the field and we enjoy playing.” together.
“Today was very special for us. It's a Manchester derby, we came out fighting, we put on a show until the end. There were moments in that game when they had a lot of ball possession and mentally it's difficult to continue and to keep fighting, but we did.
“I am proud of the team today and so was Geyse [who is on personal leave and missed the game].”
Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce added: “We have a really powerful team and women who are ready to just go for it and that's certainly what we saw today, especially Toonie.
“Toonie has just been an absolute inspiration. When I see her from the side, she was the first on the training pitch and the last to leave. You (Toone) have deserved every second of this moment for how hard you've worked to get back come.”
Skinner: Fearless United played with personality
Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner:
“My pleasure comes from the fact that the team is enjoying their football and we have done a very good job of accounting for ourselves. I know we will talk about the mistakes Manchester City made, but we also let them make the mistakes. “
“We've had some criticism this season in the bigger games where we've been a bit passive, but tonight we were just 'right, okay, we're going after Man City'. We forced the mistakes and we got our received reward.
“It's three points. It's a fantastic achievement. But for me it is more important how this young group will grow from that.
“I've been here before. Two seasons ago we won at the Emirates. We've brought games to teams and our team is new and young again. They've had to learn these big stage environments. Tonight is a great learning curve for them.
“I think personality and fearlessness are the most important thing that overcomes lack of experience. And I felt like we had that in abundance tonight.
“Tonight is a big win for the whole club and we'll get to work on playing them again on Wednesday. [in the League Cup]which is going to be interesting.
“So we were going to rest, recover and be ready to perform against them again.”
Taylor: We gave away easy goals
Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor:
“Our build-up play is usually a strong part of our game, it has been that way for many years and it will continue to be that way. It's the way I like to play because it allows us to come together as a team, but we have got it wrong a few times tonight.
“When you give away goals, especially the ones at the start of the second half, it killed the momentum because we had it back.
“We were quite good between the box and created some good chances, we had a lot of the game, it was only at the start of the game when we gave away too many chances to them.
“They're easy goals. Sometimes when you play like that and the decision-making is wrong… it really wasn't good for us in that part, which is normally a strong part of our game.
“I can count on one hand how many goals we've given away playing this way, so it's frustrating to give away three like that and the fourth was also hard to accept because it's a situation we don't need to have.” in.”
Analysis: The mistake-ridden city lacks plan B
Sky Sports' Laura Hunter:
Is this the moment for Manchester United to enter the title race? A statement victory in a derby, but City's hopes of a second WSL crown will have made it all the sweeter.
Gareth Taylor's team started the day in second and finished fourth. The numerous mistakes they made were completely uncharacteristic, but equally reflected Man United's brutal approach.
Fortune favors the brave.
From minute one they pushed high, forced mistakes and took advantage of every City stumble.
Marc Skinner's side suffocated the home side, yet it was City who controlled 74 percent of the ball. The fact that United scored four goals with such a poor share of possession makes the result even more remarkable.
Too often, City relied on their ability to overpower opponents into submission and in the absence of a Plan B, they were defeated by the smarter game plan.
Comments