Rachel lee cook Williams scores in the 87th minute to give Manchester United a 1-0 victory at Reading that put them top of the league on goal difference. Last modified on Sun 22 Jan 2023 21.

Rachel Williams revitalised Manchester United’s title charge by sending her team to the top of the Women’s Super League with an 87th-minute strike launched into the roof of the net to kill off a resilient Reading. United manager, Marc Skinner, said of the forward who began the game as a substitute. The Manchester side are level with second-placed Chelsea on 28 points but have a superior goal difference, and sit three points above Arsenal, having played one game more. He added that it would do as much for the confidence of his side as the team’s 3-2 win at the Emirates did. The reverse fixture may have ended 4-0 on the opening weekend of the season, with Reading four down inside 35 minutes, but the threat of an upset from a Kelly Chambers side is always high. In the opening 10 minutes it looked as if it could end up being one-way traffic at the Madejski as United strode forward in an increasingly familiar fashion, but Reading did well to stifle the threat. Having ridden the wave of pressure, Chambers’s side began to threaten themselves, with Sanne Troelsgaard’s flick-on allowing Emma Harries to lace a shot straight at goalkeeper Mary Earps.

Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps punches clear to thwart a Reading attack. It appeared as if the hard work would be undone when Diane Caldwell, who joined Reading from United last summer, upended Alessia Russo in the box. However the Reading goalkeeper Jackie Burns waited and dived low to her right to stop Katie Zelem’s tame spot-kick before collecting the rebound, ending a run of seven penalties scored by the England midfielder which began in 2019. Sign up to our weekly round-up of women’s football now. Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties.

For more information see our Privacy Policy. United’s resurgence late in the first half continued into the second with Lucía García meeting Nikita Parris’s cross from the left and sending the ball across the face of goal, but just ahead of Russo. Hayley Ladd had a shot blocked and Ella Toone’s effort was deflected behind by Emma Mukandi. It was all United, but Reading had chances to take the lead, most notably when Vanhaevermaet headed Lily Woodham’s free-kick towards Earps, who tipped it wide. With the hosts forced back, though, the inevitable was coming and it was Williams who boosted United’s title hopes, weaving in from the left, evading a few lacklustre challenges before finding space and firing into the roof of the net. I’m gutted for the girls, I’m gutted for everyone, they didn’t deserve that.

But when you get to 87 minutes against a team like Man United you’ve got to be a bit more savvy. We’ve got to play for the point, get the ball forward, keep the ball forward. It’s a hard one to take but the girls were magnificent. They had the energy and aggression that was needed.