Manchester United cruised to a dominant 3-0 victory over Tottenham in the Women’s Super League, with Elisabeth Terland scoring twice to lead her side to a comfortable win at Leigh Sports Village.
Terland, who joined United from Brighton in July, netted her first two goals for the club in quick succession. The opener came when she met a cross from former Spurs forward Celin Bizet and powered the ball off the underside of the crossbar. Just a minute later, the Norwegian duo combined again, with Terland heading home Bizet’s precise delivery to double United’s advantage before halftime.
United captain Maya Le Tissier rounded off the scoring from the penalty spot after Tottenham’s Ashleigh Neville was penalized for handling the ball in the box.
Terland came close to completing a hat-trick, but her low strike was brilliantly tipped onto the post by Spurs goalkeeper Becky Spencer. The 23-year-old received a standing ovation when she was substituted for Rachel Williams after 76 minutes.
The victory maintains Marc Skinner’s side’s perfect start to the season, with United now having won all three of their WSL matches. Despite the comfortable result, Tottenham made a lively start, with Martha Thomas forcing an early save from United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce. Clare Hunt and Bethany England both had efforts narrowly miss the target, while Drew Spence’s powerful shot from the edge of the area was tipped over by Tullis-Joyce.
However, Spurs struggled to create chances after Terland’s double put United in control, and the visitors were left chasing the game in the second half.
Terland, who was Brighton’s top scorer last season with 15 goals in 28 appearances, has quickly found her form at her new club. Her clinical finishing and strong hold-up play have made her an important asset for United, and manager Marc Skinner will hope she can continue her goalscoring form as the season progresses.
Celin Bizet, who played for Tottenham last season, also impressed in a new role at right-back for United, providing two inch-perfect assists for Terland’s goals. Grace Clinton, who spent last season on loan at Spurs, was another key figure for United, testing Spencer with a spectacular first-half effort and coming close with a clever lob late in the match.
It has been an encouraging start to the season for Manchester United, with their new signings quickly making an impact as they aim to improve on last season’s fifth-place finish in the WSL.