“Played into their trap”: United Women catalyst pinpoints what side changed to grab vital victory on the road

Manchester United Women continued their impressive start to 2026. They have progressed to the final of the League Cup and have also safely advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup. They also won 4-1 away to Aston Villa yesterday, but were made to work for the result. Jess Park was a catalyst for the victory, as she so often has been this season, and spoke to the club’s website after the match. Jess Park Reflecting on the match to the club’s website, in which she added another goal and an assist, she stated, “yeah it was a tough game, we had to learn from the first half but we put it right in the second and we managed to get there.” She went into detail to explain what Villa did well to frustrate Marc Skinner’s side. She claimed, “they packed out the midfield and we played into their trap a little bit. We didn’t move the ball with intensity, or get up to the ball. They were winning a lot of second balls and I just think we needed more energy and tempo. We spoke about it at half time and managed to make it work.” Park asserted that her side worked much harder in the second half and were far more effective at increasing the tempo and playing around the solid Villa defence. She continued, “obviously Teri (Elisabeth Terland) coming on and getting her goal was helpful. She brought a lot of energy to the pitch and we needed that. The spaces in this game were out wide, I think I could get the ball more out there and take on a few players and get the goal.” Hanna Lundkvist The Swede signed in the January window and scored her first goal for her new club during the match. Commenting on her introduction to the match as a substitute, she claimed, “I got a pretty clear message to play with my teammates, use their strengths and combine and I feel like that they had been running up and down that sideline, the whole game before, so they were pretty tired. I feel like I got a lot of space and could get the ball forward.” She also highlighted how talented Park is and claimed, “Jess is a really good player and it is so easy to play with her. I feel like she understand everything around her so I knew that she would see me.” Lundkvist was also asked how she has found life at United so far, and she replied, “of course it is super easy and nice to come into such a positive team and the atmosphere is really good. We have things to work on as well but we have got the wins anyway. The points are crucial so yeah I am proud and happy to be here.” Jess Park stats vs Aston Villa StatisticValue Goals1 Assists1 Big chances created1 Key passes1 Crosses (accurate)1 (0) Accurate passes32/37 (86%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)18/22 (82%) Passes in own half (acc.)14/15 (93%) Long balls (accurate)1/2 (50%) Total shots2 Shots on target1 Shots blocked1 Touches54 Dribbles (successful)7 (5) Was fouled1 Possession lost11 Total carrying distance115.6 m Carries14 Progressive carries3 Total progression55.4 m Progressive carrying distance59 m Longest progressive carry25.5 m Def. contributions0 Tackles (won)0 (0) Interceptions0 Clearances0 Blocked shots0 Recoveries4 Ground duels (won)9 (6) Dribbled past0 Source: Sofascore Featured image Matt McNulty via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.