Marc Skinner hopes ‘hurt’ of first Women’s FA Cup final loss for Manchester United can fuel their bid to beat Tottenham
MARC SKINNER believes Manchester United can use the pain of their Women’s FA Cup final loss to Chelsea to propel them to glory.
And the Red Devils chief expects his side may need deploy a mixture of styles to overcome Tottenham in this year’s final.
The Wembley showdown which kicks off at 2:30pm today will be the first time the sides have faced each other in a battle to lift the trophy.
And Cup history will be made with both teams vying to win the competition for the first time in its 54-year history
Skinner hopes it will be a case of second time lucky following Man United falling to a 1-0 loss to the Blues last May.
But while his side are seen as slight favourites he warns they cannot underestimate the threat posed by Tottenham.
Reflecting on last year’s decider ahead of this year’s game, the United boss said: “We got to a final and we lost to Chelsea and it was a bad moment for us because we wanted to win it.
“You’d be a fool to go in super, super confident that you’re going to walk this final because Tottenham are a very, very good team, especially on their day.
“They can beat anyone within the Women’s Super League.
“From my perspective, it’s about living in that space in between where you’re confident and where you know what you can do.
“But you also have the hurt of last year that you have to push through and you have to go and make sure that Tottenham feel.
“If we put that mindset into place in this game, then I feel we can go on to be successful and that’s all we can plan for.
“We can plan for that performance and then hope in that moment that we’ve learned from all of our experiences together.
“And if we do that hopefully we’ll have that little edge on Tottenham in this game.”
This season Man United have gone unbeaten in the league against Spurs with results including a 4-0 victory last December.
However Tottenham have gone undefeated in their last five games across all competitions which include a 2-2 away draw against the Red Devils last month.
Skinner expects today’s game will involve his deploying a mixed approach to their play on the pitch.
He adds: “There’ll be times in the final down where if you’re losing, you’ve got to throw caution to the wind and if you’re winning you might have to be more reserved.
“I think this game is going to have a bit of everything for both teams.
“What we’ve been trying to do over the past season is build to a crescendo of understanding of the players.
“Hopefully we’ll be in a position where we can attack, but I think we’re going have to have a mixture of styles.”
Today’s match will see a host of past FA Cup winners in action including Tottenham skipper Bethany England.
The former Chelsea striker has lifted the trophy twice with the Blues in 2021 and 2022.
And she has been in clinical form for Tottenham netting a goal in five of their last seven games across all competitions.
Spurs head coach Robert Vilahamn believes England’s influence and adaptability could play a crucial role for his side in today’s game.
The Tottenham boss said: “Bethany has scored for a few games in a row now.
“And she’s getting better and better at performing on the pitch and in different roles as well, sometimes as a winger, sometimes as a nine.
“Then there’s the leadership team, she can bring to this team to help people, to make sure they stay present and make sure they continue to do what we are supposed to do.
“She’s very important in that way and it shows that’s the reason she gives us some stuff in the game when we need it most.”