United Women 5 Newcastle 0

The Reds were the dominant side from the first moments of the game, but the compact and determined defending by the Magpies made the breakthrough a difficult task.

The scoring was opened by Ella Toone midway through the first half, picking up the ball just inside the visitors penalty area before she found the angle to lift the ball beyond the Magpies' goalkeeper Grace Donnelly.

Toone was unstoppable throughout the first 45 minutes, with almost every attacking move seeming to go through our no.7, and she duly stepped up just over 10 minutes later to provide the assist for Nikita Parris' header to double our lead. Parris had a second ruled out just before the halfway point for offside, but made amends almost immediately on the other side of the interval to put United three ahead.

Following a quadruple switch by Marc Skinner, substitutes Rachel Williams and Melvine Malard topped off a textbook victory with two second-half goals to take United into the FA Cup fifth-round.

FIRST HALF

The Reds applied pressure to the visitors from the off, as Ella Toone whipped in a cross after just the third minute. It met Nikita Parris yards from goal in the centre but the header was ultimately glanced just over the bar.

Despite the gulf in divisions of the two sides, Newcastle began the game defending resolutely but they struggled to retain possession at times. The Magpies got their first chance in the 10th minute through a Georgia Gibson effort that just lacked some power.

It was Toone who popped up once again to almost break the deadlock, drilling a shot towards the bottom left of the visitor's goal, but Donnelly managed to tip the effort onto the inside of the woodwork and somehow prevented the ball from crossing the line.

Almost everything had been going through our no.7 throughout the first half, so it came as no shock that she clinched the opener in the 27th minute, looping a perfectly-placed shot over the visiting goalkeeper from the edge of the penalty area.

The England international then turned provider in the 36th minute to double our lead, delivering a cross from the left that sailed over the Newcastle shot-stopper and met Parris, who nodded it in from close range.

Our no.22 had a header in the back of the net for a second time minutes before the interval, but it was ruled out for offside, the Reds therefore entering the interval in the driving seat with a two-goal advantage.

SECOND HALF

The Reds emerged from the break with the same determination and domination displayed in the first 45 minutes, enjoying the majority of the possession and creating the best chances.

Jayde Riviere sent a high cross into the box 10 minutes into the half, causing problems for Donnelly who could only parry it into the path of Garcia. Controlling the ball with a deft tough, our no.17 cut back to Parris in the middle who got enough on it to direct her effort into the open goal.

Sensing his side were in a comfortable position not long after the third, Skinner opted to make a quadruple substitution, with a completely fresh attacking unit of Rachel Williams, Melvine Malard and Leah Galton entering the pitch alongside Irene Guerrero.

It proved a successful move, as not long later the three new forwards combined to create Rachel Williams' shot from outside the box. The initial effort cannoned off the woodwork but fell back into the path of our no.28, who hit the rebound beyond Donnelly and inside the far post to make it four.

The game lost some of its earlier bite in the final moments following Williams' contribution, but the Reds continued to try and add to their tally until the final minutes.

It wasn't until stoppage time that the we were rewarded for our late persistence, captain Katie Zelem delivering an expertly-placed corner to Malard who headed home the fifth goal, securing our fifth-round place in the FA Cup.

MATCH DETAILS

United: Earps; Riviere (Evans 70), Le Tissier, Turner, Blundell; Zelem, Ladd (Guerrero 64), Toone; Geyse (Williams 64), Parris (Malard 64), Garcia (Galton 64).

Unused substitutes: Tullis-Joyce.

Goals: Toone 27; Parris 36, 54; Williams 70; Malard 90+1.

Newcastle: Donnelly; Stobbs, Potts, Watt; Dodds (Elson 58), Boddy, Greenwood (Burt 86), Barker (McQuade 71); Gibson (Bedeau 58), Kelly; Galloway (Soulsby 86).

Unused substitutes: Reid, Milne-Redhead, Wilkinson, Boyes.