Report: United Women 4 Tottenham Hotspur 0
Manchester United Women lifted our first major piece of silverware since the team was reformed, after emerging as 4-0 victors against Tottenham Hotspur in a historic Adobe Women's FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
Neither side had lifted the cup before today's landmark occasion, raising the stakes in an already tense encounter in the capital.
That tension was apparent throughout the first half, with United making the best case for breaking the deadlock but struggling to seal the deal in front of goal.
A dead-ball scenario looked the most likely route to an opener, but it was an individual moment of brilliance from Ella Toone that gave the Reds the lead in the final minute of stoppage-time in the opening half.
The late goal was enough to put the Reds in control and goals in the second half from Rachel Williams and Lucia Garcia (2) put the result beyond doubt, etching our name onto the Women's FA Cup trophy for the first time ever.
FIRST HALF
Both sides showed their proactive intentions early in the game, with efforts at either end registered before we had passed the two-minute mark.
Leah Galton earned the Reds a corner with her strike, which was dispatched to the head of Rachel Williams at the back post. She muscled her way to the ball, but nodded it marginally over the top of the bar.
The pace settled down in the 15 minutes following this early flurry, but the Reds still looked the most dangerous going forward.
With Williams on the pitch, United always looked a threat from corners, but it was Millie Turner who created United's best chance of the half when she nodded Zelem's delivery back across the goalmouth. It was begging to be scrambled in, but Lucia Garcia arrived on the scene just a fraction after Spurs' Eveliina Summanen, marginally missing out on what would have almost certainly been a goal.
Williams was naturally occupying a lot of the attention in the penalty area from set-pieces, so Turner rose above the crowd once again to meet the Reds' fourth corner of the half, this time taking the opportunity on herself. Her header had Tottenham's goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer rooted to the floor, but her team-mate - and former Red - Martha Thomas intervened at the last second to clear it off the line for the second time in the half.
The stalemate looked to be carrying through to the interval when Ella Toone collected the ball from Lisa Naalsund on the halfway line in the final minute of first-half stoppage time.
Our no.7 looked up and saw space opening up to charge forward, with the opposition vacating the midfield and she duly took the invitation. On arrival outside the Spurs box, she smoothly skipped past the sliding challenge of Eveliina Summanen before expertly curling an effort into the top-right corner, beyond the fingertips of a diving Spencer between the sticks.
The Red half of Wembley erupted and seconds later the referee blew the half-time whistle. Toone had struck a perfect effort at the perfect moment.
SECOND HALF
The Reds need to capitalise on that goal notched late in the first half and they did so less than 10 minutes into the second period using the blueprint created during the opening 45 minutes.
Zelem picked out Williams at the back post with a precision delivery from a long-distance free-kick, and this time, our no.28 directed the header back across the goalkeeper and into the right side of the goal, brushing the post on the way in to signify just how perfectly the nod was placed.
United smelled blood and made the most of an unsettled Tottenham rearguard three minutes after the second. Garcia energetically pressed the opposition high up the pitch and seized the ball following a fumbled pass from Thomas right in front of goal. With the hard work already done, our no.17 simply tapped the ball into the open goal for the third, placing United firmly in the driving seat.
United's onslaught was briefly interrupted by a venture forward for the Lilywhites, but ended with Beth England clattering a header off the crossbar and back into play to be cleared.
The Reds had one hand on the silverware but following that momentary scare were not putting anything to chance, relentlessly flying towards the opposition goal despite the comfortable three-goal margin.
That trio of goals would soon become a quartet when Lisa Naalsund picked up the ball in the Spurs box before spinning and laying it off to Garcia, who rocketed the ball into the top-left corner, giving Spencer no chance of limiting her side's arrears.
The remaining minutes were little more than a formality after the strong second-half showing and smiles began to break out early in the United dugout, but the true outpouring of joy from Marc Skinner and co came on the referee's final whistle, with a sea of red shirts flooding the Wembley pitch in celebration.
Another memorable milestone has been ticked off for United Women; the first piece of major silverware. The FA Cup is ours, and all those involved will now be forever etched into the Reds' history books.
MATCH DETAILS
United: Earps; Riviere (Mannion 78), Le Tissier, Turner, Blundell; Zelem, Naalsund; Garcia (Geyse 78), Toone (Miyazawa 78), Galton (Malard 50); Williams (Parris 58).
Unused substitutes: Tullis-Joyce, Evans, Guerrero, Ladd.
Bookings: Blundell.
Goals: Toone 45+3, Williams 54, Garcia 57, 74.
Spurs: Spencer; Neville, Buhler, James-Turner, Nilden (Grant 68); Spence, Summanen (Graham 68); Naz (Bizet 54), Thomas (Ayane 68), Vinberg (Wang 54); England.
Unused substitutes: Votikova, Bartrip, Petzelberger, Ahtinen.
TICKETS FOR OLD TRAFFORD
United Women have just one game left to play this season, as we host Emma Hayes's title-chasing Chelsea at the Theatre of Dreams next Saturday, 18 May, with kick-off slated for 15:00 BST.
Get your tickets for this historic occasion here!