Marc Skinner has said Manchester United are "hungry for success" after his side comfortably dispatched Everton to maintain their flawless start to the season.
United came into Sunday's clash having never lost a Women's Super League game against the Blues, and looked to extend their winning run to five league games, having kept a clean sheet in their first four. However, Everton posed a more ominous prospect than last term, with Brian Sorensen's revitalised side having won three of their last four league matches; as many wins as they managed across their previous 19 games in the WSL.
It was United who has the first chance to go in front; Ella Toone denied from getting her seventh career goal against the Blues after her shot was tipped behind by Courtney Brosnan. And it wasn't long before the Red Devils capitalised on their early dominance, with former Everton striker Nikita Parris putting her old club to the sword after a defensive mix up in the penalty area between Brosnan and Megan Finnigan.
While Everton's battling display ensured there was only a one goal deficit heading into the break, United's quality shone through in the second half, and the visitors nearly doubled their lead just after the restart as Toone's shot was blocked by Finnigan.
The visitors did double their advantage after 55 minutes courtesy of a fine finish from Leah Galton. The 28-year-old picked up the ball in midfield and exhibited some brilliant footwork to outfox Finnigan and put the ball past Brosnan.
United quickly put the result beyond any doubt; Ladd rifling the ball into the top corner on 68 minutes to ensure the visitors preserved their flawless start to the season.
It looked like it could become a demolition job for Skinner's side, with Alessia Russo spurning a golden chance to make it 4-0 on her return from injury. Karen Holmgaard almost secured a consolation goal for Everton after breaking down the left-hand side, but Earps denied her at the near post to keep her 47th clean sheet in the WSL; four more than any other goalkeeper in the competition.
Reflecting on the win, Skinner said: “The result is great but it’s the team togetherness that I’m so pleased with. I feel like this team is the most together team I’ve ever coached.
"I’ve picked up a really good bunch of people. They’re very honest, there’s obviously stardust sprinkled in there, there’s a lot of quality but I think they’re good people who are ready to fight for each other.”
United now face a tricky run of games, with last season's champions Chelsea to come next Sunday before a visit to title hopefuls Arsenal after the international break.
Speaking about his team's difficult fixture list, Skinner said: "As a coach I'm hungry, I want success, our players want success so we're trying to build that together. We know its not going to be this smooth for the whole season... we're learning with every game we play this season."
