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Let’s take a look at this goal from Batlle. Nothing like a strike coming in under the bar, right? One of football’s greatest aesthetic joys.
Updated at 14.31 GMT
Full time, Manchester United 5-0 Aston Villa
It’s an emphatic win for United, who have their biggest win in the WSL at Old Trafford. Villa showed some glimmers of promise here and there, but were ultimately emphatic in front of goal where their opponents were crisp. Batlle was lethal prowling forwards, Toone showed all his skills as a playmaker and Russo was a commanding presence up top. All in all, United can be satisfied with a job well done.
Updated at 14.27 GMT
GOAL! Manchester United 5-0 Aston Villa (Williams 90)
He’s barely been on the pitch for five minutes, but Williams has a goal. Batlle, who has a strong claim for man of the match alongside Toone and Russo, gets in behind on the right and tees up the substitute to take the ball into the back of the net.
Rachel Williams (right) headed home barely 5 minutes after entering the pitch. Photograph: Simon Davies/ProSports/Shutterstock Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly (right) and Emily Gielnik look dejected after Manchester United scored their fifth goal. Photo: Tim Goode/PA
Updated at 14.33 GMT
90 + 1 min. A sharp pass ends with Zelem lining one up on the edge of the box, but he can’t get the necessary power behind the shot and Hampton gathers.
86 min It’s a double change for United, with Toone and Galton leaving the field and being replaced by Rachel Williams and Vilde Bøe Risa.
84 min Ward makes another substitution, Laura Blindkilde replacing Olivia McLoughlin.
Record attendance has been confirmed
There are 30,196 at Old Trafford today, which, as predicted, is a new record for Manchester United Women.
82 min Blundell plays a great ball to Galton, who is brought down by Anna Patten on the edge of the box. Galton jumps and shoots Hampton, but the referee, Louise Saunders, has already blown the foul. He shows Patten a yellow card, holding up his hands to the United players in apology.
78 min Skinner makes another change with Lucía García replacing Russo, who has been excellent.
GOAL! Manchester United 4-0 Aston Villa (Battle 76)
This is the goal of the match. Zelem, Thomas and Batlle combine outside on the right, and the latter ends up with the ball inside the area. From a tight angle, he shoots off the underside of the crossbar. This will do it.
Pick this one up from old onion bag Hannah Hampton! Photograph: Simon Davies/ProSports/ShutterstockOna Batlle (centre) celebrates scoring Manchester United’s fourth goal. Photograph: Ed Sykes/Action Images/Reuters
Updated at 14.36 GMT
73 min After a slightly irregular period in defence, United slow down. Lehmann and Daly continue to try to make something happen at Villa, but to no avail.
68 min Great chance! Toone flicks a ball over Thomas. He crosses to Galton at the far post, but he overshoots him and tries to put the ball back with the goal at his mercy. Thomas recovers it and gets a late shot on goal, but Hampton gets down and makes the save.
Updated at 13.59 GMT
65 min Suddenly, Villa has come alive. Pacheco is the last player to approach, sending a volley that spins wide.
63 min. Skinner turns to his bench and leaves Parris to Martha Thomas.
62 min Daly has a pass from distance but Earps makes the save. Lehmann then strips Zelem high up the pitch and takes a crack, but Earps repeats the trick and pushes him wide.
Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly shoots at goal. Photo: Tim Goode/PA
Updated at 14.07 GMT
69 min Russo moves forward and releases Hannah Blundell to his left. She plays Zelem, but is forced to back off. She recycles the ball and United are back on the front foot. Parris breaks into a gap in the Villa defense and sends a cross into the box, but Hampton clears it out of the air.
57 min Ward makes his first substitution, bringing Gregory off for Emily Gielnik.
55 minutes Villa’s forwards buzz around the box, but United simply pick them off. Russo drops deep to help with the team’s defensive duties, grazing a loose ball out of play.
GOAL! Manchester United – Aston Villa 3-0 (Russo 51)
Now it’s all over. Parris plays Toone, who plays Russo with a perfectly weighted pass. Strokes the ball home with ease.
Manchester United’s Alessia Russo walks away in celebration after scoring the home team’s third goal. Photograph: Ed Sykes/Action Images/Reuters Manchester United fans join in the celebrations. Photo: Tim Goode/PA
Updated at 14.20 GMT
48 min Zelem plays in Toone with a lovely fade pass but it’s narrowly offside.
46 min What an opportunity! Toone gets behind and tries to square with Russo, but the pass runs right behind her teammate.
The second part begins
Back to the action at Old Trafford. Will United see victory?
Updated at 13.36 GMT
Here’s Zelem’s goal, in case you missed it. United’s build-up play has generally been excellent, with Batlle excelling in his attacking role at right-back and Russo disrupting Villa’s defense with his aerial threat. Toone has also been excellent as United’s creative brain in attacking midfield.
Updated at 13.39 GMT
Half time
Although United deserved their lead, Villa improved a lot in the 15 minutes before the break. It would take a heroic effort for them to get back on track, but they are not completely out of this game.
44 min United win a free-kick wide and Russo gets on the end, forcing Hampton into a save. The ball falls to Hayley Ladd and is tackled by Gregory, who appears to catch his opponent in the box. There is no penalty and amid a chaotic scramble, United have a couple more shots blocked. Maya Le Tissier goes for goal from the edge of the box, but Hampton saves again.
42 min No goal! Dalí puts a beautiful ball over Gregory, who finishes at goal. Earps can only parry the ball into the path of Lehmann, who crashes in from close range. To his frustration, however, the flag goes up for offside.
41 min Russo has a running battle with Danielle Turner and they both end up in a heap on the edge of the box, but the free-kick goes to Villa.
38 min Lehmann shrugs off Parris shoulder-to-shoulder, gets into the box and lines one up, but his shot is blocked and spins harmlessly.
34 min Villa win a corner but Earps shoots over. Back to United for the visitors, Lehmann sends a dangerous ball into the box past Gregory. She takes a shot on goal, but Earps pushes it against the post.
In the 30th minute Russo sees a header just wide of the post. United are on the rise now.
GOAL! Manchester United – Aston Villa 2-0 (Galton 28)
Oosh! Russo collects Batlle’s serve and then passes through Toone. She, in turn, sends Galton clear, with her teammate lobbing a shot past Hampton and into the back of the net.
Leah Galton (left) scores Manchester United’s second goal. Picture: Naomi Baker/Getty Images Leah Galton (No.11) celebrates with teammates Nikita Parris and Alessia Russo (right) after doubling Manchester United’s lead. Photograph: Naomi Baker/Getty Images
Updated at 13.55 GMT
Adam K writes. “There are a lot of great players on the show, but I have to say I love watching Alessia Russo. She has an almost Haaland inevitability and self-confidence that makes her equally attractive to watch and, I imagine, terrifying to play against.”
24 min Dali dives into a pocket of space and has a crack at goal, but his shot is deflected for a corner. United clears its lines with relative ease.
22 min Lehmann has another try, rounding a Parris cross before cutting inside and sending a curling shot into the waiting arms of Mary Earps. This is Villa’s first shot of the game.
19 min Alisha Lehmann tears down the left flank but is stripped by an inch-perfect sliding tackle from Batlle.
16 minutes Galton takes a tackle outside and then gallops downfield. He spreads the ball to Parris, whose shot is blocked.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Aston Villa (Zelem 13)
United open the scoring with an excellent team goal. Toone moves forward into midfield, releasing Batlle into the overlap to his right. His cross falls to Alessia Russo, who bundles it towards the goal. Hampton makes the initial save and Villa almost clears, only for Zelem to apply the finishing touch from close range.
Manchester United’s Katie Zelem heads the ball past Hannah Hampton to give the home side the lead. Photo: Simon Davies/ProSports/Shutterstock Zelem (centre) celebrates with his teammates. Photo: Tim Goode/PA
Updated at 13.24 GMT
10 min decent opportunity! Leah Galton gets down the left and crosses a cross into the center of the box that Nikita Parris almost falls to, only for Pacheco to get a crucial touch and send it over.
In the 8th minute, United won a free-kick down the right and Katie Zelem stepped up, but her shot into the box failed to get past the first defence.
6 min Villa have their first period sustained in the final third. Freya Gregory gets a cross into the box, which is cleared. Mayumi Pacheco wins the ball up the pitch and returns it to Gregory, but once again her cross is belted.
Updated at 12.39 GMT
3 min Ella Toone makes inroads down the left, Ona Batlle makes a foray forward down the right, but Villa’s defense holds firm.
Begin!
We are underway in Manchester. Daly gets things started.
Five minutes until kick-off. The atmosphere at Old Trafford is building nicely.
Fans arrived at Old Trafford well over an hour before kick-off. Photograph: Ed Sykes/Action Images/Reuters And there are quite a few inside the stadium as the players take to the pitch. Photograph: Simon Davies/ProSports/Shutterstock
Updated at 12.49 GMT
Our first correspondence…