Manchester United won their first Women’s FA Cup trophy in style as they comfortably beat first-time finalists Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium.
England international Ella Toone scored a stunning goal on the stroke of half-time and Spurs never recovered, with Rachel Williams and Lucia Garcia extending United’s lead after the break.
It was a second successive final appearance for United but they shrugged off last year’s disappointing defeat by Chelsea to pick up a first major women’s trophy.
Having received a personal message before kick-off from Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of Ineos – who have a minority shareholding in Manchester United – this is a significant piece of silverware which kick-starts a new era for the club.
Marc Skinner’s side played with confidence from the start and imposed their dominance on set-pieces, missing several chances, before Toone eventually produced an unstoppable strike.
Clutching the badge on her shirt and sprinting back to celebrate in front of family watching on in the stands, United academy graduate Toone capped off a fairytale afternoon in London.
Former Spurs forward Williams, 36, played her part and now has her hands on the trophy 12 years after glory with Birmingham City in 2012 – the last time a club outside of the Women’s Super League’s current top three had won the competition before this season.
But it was Garcia’s ruthless double in the second half that put United out of sight and Tottenham, who have shown immense progress in manager Robert Vilahamn’s first season, were always second best.
It was a disappointing display from Spurs, who beat Manchester City and Leicester City en route to the final, but their appearance at Wembley was a statement of intent for their f uture ambitions.
