Marc Skinner vowed that Manchester United will bounce back following the disappointment of Sunday’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup extra-time defeat to Chelsea.
There was nothing to separate the teams over 90 minutes at Kingsmeadow, with big chances for both sides. But after Sam Kerr and Simi Awujo goals three minutes apart ensured the tie initially finished 1-1, Chelsea eventually won it when Naomi Girma scored from close range in the additional half-hour.
“So proud of the players, so proud of all the commitment,”
he told MUTV a few minutes after the final whistle.
“We’ve just played back-to-back-to-back-to-back games, travel away, travel home, and to put that performance in epitomises everything we are. It epitomises our fans’ energy, our players’ energy. There’s something special about us.”
In a separate interview with TNT Sports, Skinner also declared: “They left everything on the field.”
‘YOU SEE HOW MUCH IT MEANS’
United had won eight games in a row across four competitions going into the fifth-round tie, and were unbeaten in 12 stretching back to early December.
“We took a loss today and that hurts,”
the boss added in his MUTV chat.
“But you see how much it means to our players, to play for our club, and that really is special. The loss today will feed us for the next games coming up.
“The players we’ve brought in this year have galvanised the group and pushed us on to stronger things. We’ll come back from this and be stronger and we haven’t tasted defeat in a while, so it will be a little shock and gives us fresh impetus to go into the next games.”
SKINNER’S MESSAGE TO THE FANS
More than 600 United fans were present at Kingsmeadow, both a visible presence in red and making themselves heard throughout. The boss expressed his gratitude for that level of support which never wavers.
“Our fans filled one side of the ground and rocked the whole ground,”
Skinner remarked.
“That’s how good they are. They are the lifeforce behind us, the golden thread in everything we try and do, and they mean the world to us. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get you there today, but I promise that energy will get us over the line in future games.”