Skinner: We created enough chances to beat City
Marc Skinner believes there were a lot of positives to take from Manchester United Women's derby defeat to Manchester City, in the Continental Tyres League Cup on Wednesday night.
The Reds lost our final group game 2-1 at the Joie Stadium, but Geyse strike's in injury time almost grabbed a point.
Nikita Parris scored for United in the second half but Skinner's side otherwise struggled to convert the chances that were created.
Speaking after the game, Marc discussed the fans' energy, decision making and the competition format in the Conti Cup.
I FELT THE FANS' ENERGY
“The derby is one of those special games. When Manchester City and Manchester United play each other, it’s a different type of game. I want to give credit to our fans once again tonight because even though they’re outnumbered here [at City's ground], I felt their energy and their commitment.
“They were cheering us on, galvanising us. The players heard it and I think they gained from that tonight. I said that if we can keep giving them the energy, our fans are the best in any stadium.”
WE DID ENOUGH IN THE SECOND HALF
“There were some calls tonight which on reflection might have been different. It’s part and parcel of the game. It was frustrating at times, you just look for fairness but it’s a difficult game to referee.
“I don’t think that had any implication on the game. It was our chances that we needed to take that would have changed the game, not the refereeing decisions. I felt like we did enough in the second half to create chances and kill the game and take the points.”
Skinner: We created so many chances
Marc Skinner says United created enough opportunities to beat City, but just lacked the finishing touch to triumph...
WE DROPPED ONE GAME IN A DIFFICULT GROUP
“The groups are something that needs to be fixed. We are in one of the most difficult groups. There are WSL teams who are in just Championship groups and it’s not a georaophic [format]. That’s not to say that we would beat all the Championship teams, let’s not be disrespectful. But we dropped one game, against Manchester City.”
United finished second in the group and are on course to go through to the knockout stages as one of the two best runners-up. However, that could be affected by an FA investigation into Aston Villa reportedly fielding an ineligible player in their 7-0 victory over Sunderland in Group A.
HOME GAMES 2023/24
Make sure you come down to Leigh Sports Village, and Old Trafford on 18 May, to support United Women in our remaining WSL home games this season.
Sun 28 Jan: Aston Villa (12:00 GMT)
Sun 4 Feb: Brighton (12:00 GMT)
Sun 17 Mar: Bristol City (12:00 GMT)*
Sun 31 Mar: Everton (14:00 BST)*
Sun 21 Apr: Tottenham (12:00 BST)*
Sun 18 May: Chelsea (15:00 BST)**
*Times and dates TBC
**This game is being played at Old Trafford