On a blustery Sunday evening in Leigh, Manchester United became the first team this season to deny Manchester City a league victory, after a late Elisabeth Terland equaliser secured a point for Eva Olid’s side.
It was a much improved performance from United, having struggled in earlier games against London City, Chelsea and Arsenal so far this season.
Here are five things United fans can take away from the game.
Confidence on the ball
One of the biggest takeaways from the derby was how confident and comfortable United looked on the ball. There was criticism of Olid and the new system in the opening two games against London City and Chelsea, with many players looking uncomfortable in possession. The game against City showed what Olid is trying to build with this team. Every player looked to be confident receiving the ball under pressure, including goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, who had received plenty of early criticism for her ball-playing skills.
The midfield of Julia Zigiotti Olme, Hinata Miyazawa and Ella Toone were all moving into spaces to create passing options when United had the ball with the back four. Some of United’s in-possession football was one- and two-touch, especially in the second half, and it drove them up the pitch.
Terland: right place, right time
Terland’s equalising goal felt deserved after United’s earlier chances went astray. Terland herself had a great chance in the first half and a one-on-one in the second half that weren’t converted. Her role in the game may have gone unnoticed by some, but her constant runs in behind and her work chasing down City defenders on the ball were the hard graft you need from players in big games like this.
The finish for the goal was a proper striker’s finish. Terland found herself in the right place at the right time, anticipating where the ball would drop. With little time to react, she struck the ball on the half-volley, low and hard past Yamashita. A goal for Terland felt like a fitting end to what was a solid all-round performance from United’s number 10.
Learning from early mistakes
One of the main criticisms of this United side in their opening games was a lack of confidence on the ball and a lack of movement off the ball. Players’ body language looked down and the team were living off moments. None of those things can be said about this performance. Players were fighting for each other, there was movement on and off the ball and the confidence to play one- and two-touch football was a big improvement.
The performance felt like a coming of age for United as Olid tries to build a side that can contend for silverware. She has also quickly adapted to the players she currently has and United are now unafraid to play direct football when they need to, rather than the dogmatic build-up we saw against London City on the opening weekend.
United look far more mentally resilient, too. In the game against Chelsea, you could see the players’ heads drop as the first Chelsea goal went in. In the derby, United responded well when City took the lead, fighting to create opportunities and getting their late equaliser. That was another big improvement and a key quality this United side have shown in years gone by: fighting until the end.
Olid said post-match: “It was a hard week after Chelsea. Sometimes you need a difficult moment to react and see where the problems were we had to solve as a team. It had to happen to now be the team we are. We need to have our feet on the floor. This season is long and with really good teams. We need to keep improving and learning. If we have the desire and fight we had today, not a lot of things can stop us. There were moments I could see how we want to play. It’s a process and we need to keep working. It’s a good point today and to build from here.”
Lack of cutting edge in attack
One area United still need to improve is their cutting edge in attack. United got into the final third enough times to create big opportunities on the balance of the game. However, the lack of composure in key moments stopped them from becoming clear-cut chances. In the first half, Jess Park and Ella Toone both had chances around the edge of the box, but the final decision led to United losing possession when better passing options were available.
In the second half, the ball fell to Zigiotti Olme inside the box. It was a chance that almost certainly should have hit the target, but she rushed it and the ball flew over the bar. The lack of composure in the final third has been an issue for this United team for a number of seasons now and will likely be Olid’s biggest challenge to resolve. In the post-match press conference she said: “It’s more about us and that we didn’t score more of our chances. We didn’t put the ball in the net apart from that one. I think we deserved to win the game.”
Hinata Miyazawa
It’s fair to say Miyazawa hasn’t hit the ground running this season after an exceptional season for United last term. She was a huge part of United’s successful periods last season, controlling the midfield alongside Zigiotti Olme.
Against City, the performance looked like the Miyazawa of last season. She covered ground exceptionally well off the ball, cutting off the passing lanes. That was especially important through midfield and forced City to play the ball out wide, rather than through the middle to Shaw. Defensively, she won all four of her ground duels, made three interceptions, two tackles and four ball recoveries.
On the ball, she always offered an option to the back line. She came deep to create space through the middle for the United defenders to push forward. Miyazawa had a 90% pass completion rate in the game, which was the highest of any United player who wasn’t part of the back four. If United are going to be successful this season, this is the Miyazawa they need to provide stability and composure in the middle of the pitch.
