Skinner blames lack of 'desire' for Man Utd loss

According to the coach Marc Skinner, Manchester United's loss to Liverpool in the Women's Super League was due to their insufficient "passion".

In their last game of the year, United couldn't keep up with Liverpool who secured a great 2-1 win at Leigh Sports Village, hindering United's chances of winning the title.

Liverpool women's football team, led by coach Matt Beard, have achieved an unprecedented feat by defeating the formidable United team in the Women's Super League. This victory marks a significant milestone for Liverpool, who have now drawn level on points with United, securing the fifth spot in the league table. However, they still trail behind the current leaders, Chelsea, by seven points.

Skinner commented that our defeat was due to our lack of basic football skills. The opposing team performed better than us in terms of heading, kicking, and scoring goals. The two goals we conceded were unacceptable according to our usual standards.

The source of the problem is craving. There were several instances where we missed headers. The Liverpool forward, Sophie Roman Haug, made the most of it, which negatively impacted our overall performance.

We didn't play with a strong attacking mindset. It was not a good day overall for us. In my opinion, we did not perform better than Liverpool and we did not earn anything from the match. Losing because of the goals we allowed is unacceptable, especially when they were scored in such a way.

Liverpool may have experienced a challenging afternoon as United took the lead in just three minutes. Ella Toone seized the opportunity presented by Leah Galton's pass and scored after the winger's shot hit the post.

Melvine Malard had the chance to increase the score to 2-0, but she missed the opportunity by shooting the ball into the side-netting from a short distance away. The goal was wide open, making it an easy shot to make.

Liverpool did a good job of recovering from a troublesome first half, which was filled with mistakes. In the end, they managed to make a comeback by having Mel Lawley send a cross that was accidentally deflected into the goal by United defender Millie Turner.

United had a tough time defending against set-pieces throughout the game. This ultimately resulted in their defeat as Liverpool's defender, Taylor Hinds, scored the winning goal by hitting the ball with the inside of her knee from a pass delivered by Missy Bo Kearns.

Near the end of the match, the team playing at home tried to score a goal to even the score. However, the goalkeeper for Liverpool, Teagan Micah, successfully prevented Hannah Blundell's attempt by blocking the striker's shot. Additionally, a substitute player named Rachel Williams had a chance to score, but unfortunately her header missed the goal and went over the bar.

There was a significant amount of additional time taken during the match due to a distressing head injury sustained by Gemma Bonner of Liverpool. Bonner had blood on her face but managed to leave the field with assistance from medical personnel.

After the match, Manager Beard stated that it was likely that centre-back Bonner would need to go to the hospital for additional medical attention.

"I just paid her a visit, and thankfully she's fine," he shared. "She's able to communicate and she's undergoing a procedure to stitch up her lip, but she has no recollection of what happened."

'Daily Job Pressure: How To Cope?'

This outcome is worrying for United.

They have failed to secure a victory for the fifth time in the current WSL season, having suffered two losses and settling for three ties within only 10 matches. It has been a rather unstable performance so far.

Manager Skinner will undoubtedly feel pressured to improve the team's performance as they head into the Christmas break. Their rivals are currently ahead of them and they have already been eliminated from European competition.

Skinner responded to questions regarding the title race by stating that the team's sole focus must be on winning every game.

We must persist with investing in improving our team. Injuries have occurred and have reduced the number of players available during busy weeks with three games. This is vital as without strong resources, we won't be able to compete effectively.

In my opinion, we have the potential to become champions, but it requires close to flawlessness performance. This is an area we need to focus on because we cannot expect to play each game at such a high level to secure the title.

In order to become a strong competitor, we need to increase our assertiveness in the market and receive support and assistance. It's my belief that we still have room for growth and improvement.

Skinner expressed disappointment about the "low-quality" goals his team let through and was "displeased" with how they played, however, his attitude towards pressure remains unchanged.

Skinner stated that there is a sense of tension regardless of whether we win, lose, or tie.

Being the manager of Manchester United is a challenging reality that is felt on a daily basis.

'We're A Driven Soccer Club'

At the start of the pre-season, Liverpool aimed to narrow the distance between them and the leading four teams in the WSL. They were aware that a victory in their match would put them on par with United in terms of points.

To achieve success, Beard's team had to rely on luck and work hard, which is exactly what they did for the entire 113 minutes of play in Leigh.

The goalkeeper named Micah was able to make great saves when they were necessary, and the United team's Mary Earps was also quite busy. One of the outstanding moments was when she used her fingertips to prevent Bo Kearns from scoring.

Beard expressed that our initial beginning was challenging due to our almost accidental contribution to their second goal.

We deserved to win with the way we bounced back and progressed throughout the match. Keeping up with the top four or top five is crucial, making this win even more important.

I am confident that we can perform well on the day of the match and we have already demonstrated this a number of times this season. It's excellent to have goals to strive for. We are a team that is driven and eager to succeed, but we focus solely on the game at hand.

The outcome showcases that Liverpool has greatly improved since experiencing a 6-0 WSL loss during their previous visit to Leigh in January. They conclude the year triumphantly and are on the right track towards achieving their goal.

The game has finished with a score of Manchester United Women 1 and Liverpool Women 2.

The latter half of the game comes to a close, and the score stands at 1-2 in favor of Liverpool Women over Manchester United Women.

Saved! Leanne Kiernan from Liverpool Women took a shot with her right foot from a very short distance but the goalkeeper managed to block it with a diving save in the bottom left corner.

Geyse Ferreira (Manchester United Women) committed a foul.

In the defensive area, Taylor Hinds (a player from Liverpool Women's team) has managed to obtain a free kick.

Maya Le Tissier allows Liverpool Women to score a corner kick.

In the defensive half, Katie Zelem from Manchester United Women receives a free kick.

Fuka Nagano (from the Liverpool Women team) committed a violation.

Maya Le Tissier from the Manchester United Women football team was granted a free kick while in the defensive portion of the field.

Sophie Haug (from Liverpool Women team) committed a foul.

Liverpool Women make a substitution as Ceri Holland is replaced by Sofie Lundgaard.

Manchester United Women are in a bit of a pickle as they have just lost a point due to a goal scored by Taylor Hinds.

The effort was kept out! Hannah Blundell took a shot with her left foot from the middle of the penalty area, but the goalkeeper managed to save it in the top corner located on the left side of the goal. Lucía García provided assistance for the attempt.

In the game between Liverpool Women, there was a player substitution due to Gemma Bonner's injury. Leanne Kiernan was brought in to replace her.

The wait is over. They are set to resume.

The game was put on hold as Gemma Bonner (Liverpool Women) suffered an injury.

Rachel Williams (from Manchester United Women) committed a foul.

In the defensive half, Gemma Bonner from Liverpool Women is awarded a free kick.

The hold-up has ended. They are prepared to resume.

Manchester United Women experienced a delay in their match.