Manchester United and Aston Villa Play to Goalless Draw; Managers Reflect

Following a goalless draw on Sunday, Manchester United maintained their unbeaten record in the Women’s Super League, while Aston Villa continued their quest for a first victory of the season. Both team managers subsequently provided their comments to Sky Sports. Manchester United manager Marc Skinner stated: “We weren’t good enough in the first half. We weren’t tight enough so then in transition Villa were able to pick up the spaces. We couldn’t get enough pressure on. We needed to be way more compact, vertically and horizontally, so we could apply more pressure.” He added: “We are still a new team believe it or not. We have a brand new midfield, brand new forward, lots of different changes to adapt to. But, we are still unbeaten.” Addressing the high expectations surrounding his team, Skinner remarked: “I’ve never once been in a game where there wasn’t pressure at Man Utd, never once. Everybody expects this, this, this and this, but sometimes you fall short.” Regarding his team’s unbeaten status, he commented: “And another clean sheet. Villa’s results and position in the table are false, they have improved over the summer. We did not find the level tonight but in future games we will.” Aston Villa manager Robert de Pauw expressed his frustration, stating: “I am a little bit sick of good performances without the three points. That frustrates me still. But I am proud of the way the girls played, they showed fire and determination from the beginning.” Addressing the increasing pressure on his role, de Pauw said: “We are doing everything. We leave no stone unturned each week but still it doesn’t happen. We have to keep believing, keep the faith as Jurgen Klopp once said. We showed against Chelsea, City and here at United that we can do something, we can fight and play good football. It is time to reward ourselves.”