Marc Skinner gave an insight into Manchester United’s midfield partnership of Hinata Miyazawa and Julia Zigiotti Olme after Sunday’s WSL win over Liverpool.

It is a pairing that has underpinned United’s fine start to the season – 10 points from a possible 12 in the league – and was on display once more during the 2-0 victory in St Helens.

Miyazawa scored our stunning opener from just outside the box a few minutes in, while Skinner says Zigiotti Olme has brought an extra layer of quality to the squad following her summer arrival.

“It’s a beautiful goal, right?” Skinner said of Hini’s strike.

“It’s one of those goals you really want to watch technically. She hit one against Brighton last year from the edge of the area, but for her to run and strike on her weaker foot, even though I don’t think she has that much of a weaker foot. It’s just beautiful. I want her to watch that back because we want more goals from her.”

Discussing how Hini and Zigi are working together just a few weeks into their first season playing alongside each other, the boss said the team is striving for near telepathic understanding.

“The relationship, we have to get to a point with our midfielders where it becomes instinctive and right now it’s verging on that because they’re playing together, they’re understanding each other’s habits, how they want the ball, how they want to move and how they defend and cover,” Skinner said.

“That is where I want to move that relationship to…where it’s almost instinct and they play off each other, because technically then you can be so much more creative [as a team].”

IMPACT OF FRIDO, ZIGI AND JESS

Fridolina Rolfo started the game at left-back and, alongside fellow new arrivals Zigiotti Olme and Jess Park, has brought something extra this season.

“A little insight: Anna [Sandberg] was in the matchday squad and playing today and she’s pulled out this morning ill,” Skinner explained. “And I asked Frido to go in at left-back and she was instant, ‘yeah, I’ll do it’. And it’s the same Zigi going to right-back. That is the level of professionalism.

“They bring just a calmness and a quality of an artist that knows exactly what they’re doing and that for us gives us that balance. Jess gives us something different, just that creativity, the space finding. She doesn’t have to be rigid in one position, she can move across the field. It makes us more fluid. So those are the key insights into those players.”

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  Skinner: We were electric first half

  Marc Skinner shares his assessment of the victory in St Helens, featuring an “electric” first half from his team…

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Standout stats from Liverpool 0 United Women 2

Manchester United head home from St Helens with three more Barclays Women’s Super League points, after a 2-0 victory away to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

First-half goals from Hinata Miyazawa and Ella Toone were the difference in front of a crowd of just over 3,000 at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

A satisfying result lent itself to several favourable statistics at full-time, the majority provided by our friends at Opta, so we’ve rounded up for you below.

The list includes a record that Maya Le Tissier matched and details of a landmark goal that was scored…

STRONG SEASON STARTERS

United are now four games into the new Women’s Super League season and four games unbeaten, with the success in St Helens a return to winning ways after last weekend’s goalless draw with Arsenal.

It means Marc Skinner’s side have now started every season as far back as 2022/23 without a defeat in our opening four league matches of a campaign, establishing a stable foundation on a consistent basis in recent history.

The Reds have been able to extend that run to five outings in each of the prior three terms, and will hope to do the same for 2025/26, when we host Chelsea in our next league fixture on Friday.

HAPPIEST WHILE AHEAD

Skinner’s side are alongside champions Chelsea in being one of two teams yet to trail for a single minute through four weeks of this Women’s Super League season.

Miyazawa’s fourth-minute opener, and the domination that followed before Toone extended the advantage, meant little danger of a blot on the copybook this afternoon, with a third clean sheet of the league term ensuring those first-half strikes went unanswered.

United are now unbeaten in each of our last 24 WSL encounters in which we’ve taken the lead (won 21, drawn three), a run dating back to a 1-2 defeat at home to Liverpool in December 2023.

SKINNER’S SCORING LANDMARK

As Toone wheeled away to celebrate her advantage-extender in front of the travelling United fans just before the break, our no.7 had just scored the team’s 300th goal under the management of head coach Skinner.

The Reds have already netted 11 goals so far this WSL campaign, behind only Manchester City in that regard (12) at full-time in St Helens.
 
Toone’s tidy finish was her second of 2025/26 after she opened our league account against Leicester three weeks ago, while Miyazawa’s earlier opener was the third strike of her United career to date.

Skinner: We were electric first half Video

Marc Skinner shares his assessment of the victory in St Helens, featuring an “electric” first half from his team…

MAYA MATCHES A RECORD

Captain Maya Le Tissier’s availability has been quite incredible since she joined the club from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022.

The defender recently celebrated her 100th appearance for the Reds in our victory away to London City and brought up another milestone in this latest away encounter.

Our no.4 made her 70th consecutive start for United in the WSL, equalling a competition record for the joint-longest run of starts by an outfield player for one club. That was previously set at 70 by her former team-mate Aileen Wheelan for Brighton between September 2018 and January 2022.

DEFYING FIXTURE’S RECENT HISTORY

It was a successful first trip to the Totally Wicked Stadium, which became the home of Liverpool Women last season.

The corresponding contest being at Anfield in the previous term meant we had to wait until this afternoon’s September clash for a trip to St Helens, but it was worth the wait as United defied the recent run of results between the sides in this fixture to take all three points home.

Liverpool had won three of the last four league meetings between the teams, proving a tricky opponent particularly in 2023/24 when they did the double over us on the way to finishing fourth and a position ahead of Skinner’s side in the final table. United have now won two of the last three though, and can be pleased with our latest victory over the Merseysiders.

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Manchester United enjoyed a convincing 2-0 win over Liverpool in the Women’s Super League on Sunday afternoon, taking all three points home from St Helens following a dominant performance.

Marc Skinner made two changes from the side that drew with Arsenal a week ago, with Jayde Riviere returning from the minor injury that had ruled her out, and Elisabeth Terland also back in as Celin Bizet Donnum moved to the bench and Anna Sandberg was absent through illness.

A stunning early strike from Hinata Miyazawa set the tone, while Ella Toone doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time – scoring the 300th United goal under Skinner in the process.

One other thing to note from the afternoon is that Maya Le Tissier has now equalled the WSL record for consecutive starts, with this her 70th in a row. She could now break that on Friday night when Chelsea come to visit in Leigh.

FIRST HALF

Liverpool enjoyed a 5-0 win in the Women’s League Cup in midweek but were winless in the WSL coming into the game and United immediately put the hosts under pressure. There was an early warning from Terland when Liverpool failed to clear a ball into the box, but only four minutes were on the clock when Miyazawa spectacularly fired United ahead.

Jess Park’s ball across the box from the right flank eventually found Hini on the edge of the box, unleashing a first-time left-footed shot that had goalkeeper Rafaela Borggrafe rooted to the spot.

The chances continued to freely flow for United, pinning Liverpool firmly into their own half. An opportunity saw Terland lift the ball over the top after being played in by Park, while Jayde Riviere blasted one wide from a similar position to her recent goal against London City Lionesses.

After Liverpool were forced into a 21st-minute injury substitution, United dominance persisted and Miyazawa almost got her second of the game when another powerful left-footed shot cannoned off the post. Julia Zigiotti Olme was also ruing a missed header, while Borggrafe saved low from Terland.

With United dominating the ball since the opening kick-off, Phallon Tullis-Joyce had been little more than a spectator for the first 44 minutes. But the delicate nature of a 1-0 lead was highlighted when Ceri Holland’s shot was tipped onto the post by our no.91.

The response was a crucial second goal going into the break, sparked by Terland outmuscling former United defender Gemma Evans deep in Liverpool territory. She squared for Toone, who calmly finished from near the penalty spot in stoppage time before the interval.

SECOND HALF

Liverpool emerged from half-time with more spark and might have done better when the ball fell to Kirsty Maclean in the middle of the box, unable to make clean contact and missing the target. United then had Riviere to thank at the hour mark for putting Cornelia Kapocs, through on goal after a long punt forward from the home side, under just enough pressure so that the finish flew wide.

United sought to try and reclaim control of the game as the second half progressed, with Skinner opting for fresh legs from the bench in Bizet Donnum and Gabby George on either side of the back four, and Rolfo pushing further forward.

Playing her part in securing a sixth clean sheet in eight games across all competitions so far this season, Tullis-Joyce was called into action with just over 10 minutes to go, getting down low to save from Liverpool substitute Mia Enderby.

The final result takes an unbeaten United onto 10 points for the league campaign after four games.

MATCH DETAILS

Liverpool: Borggrafe; Fisk (c), Bonner, Evans (Clark 59), Woodham (Shimizu 21); Nagano; Holland, Kerr, Maclean, Kapocs; Haug (Enderby 46).

Subs not used: Kirby, Parry, Lundgaard, Silcock, Szymczak, Olsson.

Booked: Kapocs, Haug.

United: Tullis-Joyce; Riviere (Bizet Donnum 67), Le Tissier (c), Janssen, Rolfo; Zigiotti, Miyazawa; Park (Naalsund 85), Toone, Malard (George 77); Terland (Williams 85).

Subs not used: Middleton-Patel.

Goals: Miyazawa 4, Toone 45+2.

Booked: Riviere.

Attendance: 3,022.

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