Liverpool 0-1 Man Utd: Player ratings as Red Devils settle for second in WSL
Lucia Garcia came off the bench to score the only goal for Manchester United in a narrow 1-0 victory away to Liverpool but it was not enough to claim the Women's Super League title on Saturday afternoon.
Marc Skinner admitted that it would take "two great swings" for United to leapfrog Chelsea at the summit of the WSL on the final day of the season. The first domino United needed to fall was a Chelsea loss to rock-bottom Reading but Emma Hayes' side showed no sign of toppling, racing into a 2-0 half-time lead to quickly cast events at Prenton Park in a shade of irrelevance.
Nevertheless, United limped through a flat opening hour against an organised Liverpool side. Matt Beard lined up his seventh-placed outfit in a compact back-five, clogging up their defensive third to stifle and stymy the sluggish visitors.
Until Nikita Parris hared onto a long ball over the top, looping an effort towards the far corner which Rachael Laws tipped onto the post on the cusp of the interval, the loudest cheer of the first half came when a spectator won a header in the stands.
Despite dominating possession and racking up a double-digit shot count, United had created few clear-cut chances. Skinner turned to his familiar weapon off the bench to combat his side's toothlessness. Garcia waited until stoppage time before snatching the winner against Manchester City last weekend yet needed less than three minutes to put the Red Devils up on Saturday.
Garcia scurried onto Maya Le Tissier's lofted pass in the 71st minute, flicking the ball over Gemma Bonner's head before cocking her left boot. The first swing only caught fresh air but Garcia reacted faster than anyone in Red, ripping a crisp strike beyond the dive of Laws.
United may have missed out on the title - Chelsea sent Reading into the Championship with a 3-0 win eventually - but second place represents the club's best-ever finish in the English top flight. Although, that may serve as little consolation on Saturday.
Liverpool player ratings (3-4-1-2)
GK: Rachael Laws - 6/10 - Spread a sense of uncertainty when coming to claim high balls but demonstrated sharp reflexes.
CB: Niamh Fahey - 6/10 - Liverpool's skipper had no hesitation in booting the ball as far away from her box as possible whenever the opportunity arose.
CB: Gemma Bonner - 6/10 - Got away with a nasty tackle on Parris in the first half as she chased after a heavy touch.
CB: Jasmine Matthews - 5/10 - Adopted a decidedly no-nonsense approach, even if that came at the physical cost of her teammates.
RWB: Emma Koivisto - 7/10 - Took a battering on and off the ball but ploughed through the evident pain determinedly.
CM: Fuka Nagano - 4/10 - Didn't see anywhere enough of the ball to influence the outcome.
CM: Missy Bo Kearns - 7/10 - Strode around Prenton Park with a straight back and her head on a swivel, slicing through United's white shirts with multiple passes.
LWB: Taylor Hinds - 6/10 - Locked in an intriguing battle with Parris, curbing her attacking instincts to try and keep a close eye on the tricky forward.
AM: Ceri Holland - 5/10 - More successful in disrupting United's attacks rather than constructing any for Liverpool.
ST: Shanice van de Sanden - 6/10 - Constantly perched on the shoulder of the deepest defender, desperate to hare into space.
ST: Katie Stengel - 6/10 - Deceptively nimble, effortlessly contorting her tall frame away from snapping studs.
Substitutes
SUB: Natasha Dowie (66' for Van de Sanden) - 6/10
SUB: Rhiannon Roberts (66' for Fahey) - 5/10
SUB: Leighanne Robe (75' for Koivisto) - 5/10
SUB: Carla Humphrey (75' for Kearns) - 5/10
SUB: Yana Daniels (86' for Hinds) - 5/10
Manager
Matt Beard - 6/10 - Marshalled his side into an impressively obdurate shape but will be disappointed at their susceptibility to straight long balls.
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Man Utd player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Mary Earps - 5/10 - Alert to what little she had to do.
RB: Ona Batlle - 6/10 - Scuttled up and down the right wing with the sort of energy that will be mightily missed if she does join Barcelona.
CB: Maya Le Tissier - 7/10 - The ever-present Le Tissier scarcely put a foot wrong in a typically measured display.
CB: Millie Turner - 5/10 - Guilty of some stray distribution on the edge of her own box when put under pressure.
LB: Hannah Blundell - 6/10 - Managed to limit the number of direct sprints between herself and the fleet-footed Van de Sanden.
CM: Vilde Boe Risa - 6/10 - Quitely orchestrated play from the base of midfield.
CM: Katie Zelem - 7/10 - Every meaningful phase of possession was funnelled through United's unflappable captain.
AM: Ella Toone - 3/10 - Given licence to laterally roam in search of the ball but didn't do much when in possession.
RW: Nikita Parris - 6/10 - A nippy nuisance throughout, throwing whatever part of her body she could towards any ball into the box.
ST: Alessia Russo - 5/10 - Only showed her silk and strength in sporadic flashes.
LW: Leah Galton - 4/10 - The most trouble Galton caused Koivisto was when she barged the wingback into the ill-placed brick wall which lines the perimeter of the playing surface in the first half.
Substitutes
Lucia Garcia (69' for Parris) - 8/10 - For the sixth time this season, Garcia rapidly caught up to the speed of the contest and scored as a substitute.
Rachel Williams (70' for Toone) - 6/10 - Unsettled Liverpool's backline with her aerial presence.
Martha Thomas (75' for Galton) - 5/10
Lisa Naalsund (87' for Russo) - N/A
Manager
Marc Skinner - 6/10 - Belatedly found a route to goal by tossing on Garcia but could have spotted the joy his side had from a long ball earlier.