Having sacked Mel Phillips just nine months into her tenure on the South Coast, Brighton and Hove Albion headed to Manchester United’s Leigh Sports Village. Interim boss Mikey Harris would be hoping to stun a struggling Red Devils side, with United’s Marc Skinner also facing heightening scrutiny surrounding his position.
MUN: Earps; Blundell, Turner, Le Tissier, Riviere; Zelem, Naalsund; García, Toone, Geyse; Parris
BHA: Baggaley; Pattinson, Thorisdóttir, Bergsvand, Kullberg; Sarri, Losada, Olme, Robinson; Terland, Lee
Mel Phillips’ sacking came as a shock to those who avidly watch the Barclays Women’s Super League – and when temporary boss Mikey Harris admitted on Friday that he was yet to meet all of his staff, alarm bells were certainly ringing for Seagulls fans as they prepared for a tough trip north.
Those concerns looked to be well-founded when Nikita Parris turned home after just nine minutes at Leigh Sports Village, with her first-touch effort crashing past Sophie Baggaley after an assist from Geyse.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut Brighton did well to limit the damage and put in a strong performance for the remainder of the half, with Manchester United failing to record another shot on target before the interval.
Positive signs weren’t to be enough for the Seagulls though, as Geyse and Parris combined once again shortly after the hour mark to double the Red Devils’ advantage – just as the visitors looked to settle into the match once again.
Despite falling to defeat in Leigh, there were certainly plenty of positives for Mikey Harris’ side to take ahead of their midweek Conti Cup tie against Aston Villa on Wednesday. They’re back on the road again next weekend though, visiting the FAWNL Northern Premier Division’s Wolves.
As for Manchester United, they have already controversially bowed out of the Conti Cup and will enjoy a break from competitive action in midweek before travelling to Southampton’s Silverlake Stadium next Sunday in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup.
