Marc Skinner insists Manchester United’s history-making win against Everton at Old Trafford is just one small step towards propelling women’s football to the profile it deserves.
In United's first women’s game at Old Trafford in front of fans, Alessia Russo’s double and captain Katie Zelem’s penalty hauled United to a comfortable 3-1 win against the Toffees. Claire Emslie had given the visitors a shock lead in the fourth minute but Russo’s strikes either side of half-time, coupled with Zelem’s goal from the spot, ensured United moved three points ahead of rivals Manchester City in third.
A bumper crowd of 20,241 flocked to the Theatre of Dreams and United chief Skinner wants to seize on the window of opportunity.
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The former Birmingham boss, 39, said: "What we have to make sure is that we capture this moment.
“We have to use it as a projection point to continue the growth of it.
“This is not a one-off, and our club is going to be a really key part in helping to develop and push women's football forwards.
"More importantly, I think women's football won today. I think it shows the growth and the magnitude and the impact that this club can have in growing the game. That for me is a wonderful thing.”
It took just four minutes for Everton to crash United’s Old Trafford party as Emslie fired them into the lead after good work from Kenda Dali.
But the Toffees’ lead proved short-lived as with 10 minutes left to go in the first half, childhood United fan Russo climbed the highest in the box to meet Ona Batlle's cross and loop a header past Everton goalkeeper Sandy MacIver.
And after the break, it was another diehard red who stepped up to give United the advantage, with skipper Zelem coolly converting her penalty after Martha Thomas was fouled in the box.
Russo then added the third with just over five minutes remaining with a bullet header from a Zelem corner.
City still have a game in hand on United – their weekend clash against Birmingham was postponed after a Covid outbreak in the Blues’ camp – and Skinner added: "Almost the best thing Everton did was to score because it kind of kick-started us.
"I tried to speak to [Katie Zelem] afterwards.
“For her to score a penalty in the Stretford End and then for [Alessia Russo] to score as well when she's probably got a million dreams of that happening - what a wonderful way to seal a dream.”
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