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Wednesday 20 August 2025 21:43
Ella Toone scored a 90th-minute equaliser as Manchester United Women came from behind to draw 2-2 in our pre-season closer at home to Liverpool.
Simi Awujo put Marc Skinner’s Reds ahead inside five minutes after winning the ball high up the pitch and finishing, before Ceri Holland levelled the scores later in the first half.
After the interval, it was the visitors to Leigh Sports Village who got the next goal through Cornelia Kapocs and that looked to be a winner before Toone, making her second appearance since helping England win this summer’s Euros, netted late on.
That strike ensures United finish pre-season unbeaten after four matches, ahead of next Wednesday’s campaign opener against PSV Eindhoven in the semi-final of our Champions League second qualifying round mini-tournament, which will be contested in Sweden.
FIRST HALF
United made the perfect start in Leigh, going ahead with less than five minutes on the clock. Awujo, who won the Breakout Star award at the World Sevens tournament that rounded up the previous season, nipped in front of Kirsty Maclean to intercept goalkeeper Rafaela Borggrafe’s short pass into midfield, before steadying herself and finishing the one-on-one opportunity on her right foot.
That opening strike came as a result of a high United press that was a feature of an intense start off the ball from the Reds. Liverpool, meanwhile, were restricted to set-pieces for their best early chances, the pick being a Sam Kerr header from a Lily Woodham free-kick that may have been creeping inside the right-hand post but was ably tipped behind by Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
At the other end, well-timed blocks from the visitors denied Elisabeth Terland and Hinata Miyazawa adding to the lead with snapshots from the edge of the 18-yard box, before a neat interchange in the final third between our three Norwegians – Celin Bizet Donnum, Lisa Naalsund and Terland – worked a shooting opportunity that the former saw charged down at close range.
Having weathered a mini-wave of attacks from our home side, Liverpool took advantage to level the scores on 27 minutes through Holland. A long ball forward from former Red Gemma Evans found her Wales team-mate on the right flank, who chopped back by the byline and curled a left-footed shot into the far top corner.
United’s running and work ethic off the ball meant a scoring response nearly followed soon after. This time it was Miyazawa and Bizet Donnum – now Bizet Donnum after getting married this summer – who combined to win possession and feed Terland who was denied by a brilliant low save from Borggrafe, getting down to her left to push the ball behind
Borggrafe, a summer arrival at Liverpool after leaving German side Freiburg, was in top form between the sticks and produced another commendable stop from the resulting corner to deny Julia Zigiotti heading home a first United goal, before the goalkeeper came up trumps again to deny a low left-footed effort from Terland with her own left foot, just before the break.
Terland was first over to embrace Awujo after our opener.
SECOND HALF
Despite United’s dominance in the first half, the Reds were behind less than five minutes into the second 45. This time it was Liverpool who were the quick starters with Mia Enderby the architect, driving down the left touchline before rolling the ball inside to Kapocs, who controlled before bending a curling shot from the edge of the area beyond Tullis-Joyce and into the back of the net.
The Reds had been yet to concede in pre-season before this clash, so the challenge of coming from behind was something fresh for Skinner’s side to tackle ahead of the competitive action getting under way next week. Toone was on the pitch to help with that equaliser search, having come on at half-time, and it was our no.7’s corner from the left that mustered up our next chance.
Ella’s searching delivery into a crowded penalty area was diverted to Terland by the head of Awujo, before our Norwegian striker saw her goalbound attempt cleared off the line by a well-placed Lily Woodham.
Zigiotti was voted our Player of the Match by MUTV’s Siobhan Chamberlain, on her home debut for the club.
Terland had already gone close to netting on multiple occasions before then, of course, and was left wondering what more she could have done to score when her next effort – a header on a floated Miyazawa cross from the left – came back off the crossbar.
While United’s pursuit of the contest’s fourth goal continued, there was a real positive in terms of our personnel with 15 minutes to go. Centre-back Millie Turner, who suffered a foot fracture at the end of last season, was introduced for her first minutes of the summer – a welcome sight seven days before our season opener.
As far as the action was concerned, Liverpool had kept clear-cut chances down to a minimum in the closing stages, but there was just about time for the Reds to strike before the close. It was two subs combining, as Keira Barry swung in a cross from the right which Toone met at the back post, producing an impressive acrobatic volley to steer home, delighting the majority of the healthy crowd that enjoyed the action from inside Leigh Sports Village.
Our late leveller was the latest moment of Ella Toone brilliance in a United shirt!
MATCH DETAILS
United: Tullis-Joyce; Riviere, Le Tissier (c), Janssen (Turner 75), George; Hinata, Zigiotti; Naalsund (Toone 46), Awujo (Barry 84), Bizet Donnum; Terland.
Unused subs: Middleton-Patel, Rendell, Hill, Rabjohn, Anderson.
Goals: Awujo 5, Toone 90.
Liverpool: Borggrafe; Fisk (c) (Parry 79), Bonner, Evans (Clark 63), Woodham; Kerr, Maclean; Enderby (Maddocks 87), Hobinger (Kiernan 79), Holland (Andrews 79); Kapocs.
Unused subs: Kirby, Stephens, Silcock, McHugh, Burgess, Cartmell, Duffy.
Goals: Holland 27, Kapocs 49.
Booking: Kiernan.
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Wednesday 20 August 2025 21:43
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