Ella Toone scored a hat-trick on her return to WSL action as Manchester United Women punished Manchester City Women's sloppy mistakes with a 4-2 win in a pulsating Manchester derby.
Toone missed games in November and December with a calf injury and continued his return to form with a remarkable hat-trick at the Etihad Stadium.
“I've been through a lot and when I got injured it was a blessing in disguise,” Toone told Sky Sports after the game.
“Looking back now, I needed it, not only physically but also mentally. I used my time wisely to come back fitter and stronger, but more importantly, to take care of myself.
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Ella Toone previously favored Manchester United over Man City
“I let the girls know – 'girls, I've never scored in a Manchester derby, I've never scored against City', and for a girl who supports Manchester United, I know what these derbies mean. I want to go into every game and do something on the pitch and put on a shift for the girls.
But today I wanted a goal and I managed to get three, so it was a special day for me and I couldn't have done it without the players and the staff.
Man Utd were sharper from the start and Toone made it count with their 14th minute opener. Elisabeth Terland miscued her shot but the England midfielder pounced to head home. Leah Galton (21) then doubled the lead soon after, turning home from close range as Man City failed to clear a corner.
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Manchester City failed to clear a corner and Leah Galton headed home from two yards
Gareth Taylor's side continued to fight back, with a poorly placed pass from the back – just seconds after another saw Terland almost score – allowing Toone to score her second (36). She latched on to a loose pass before slotting home past England team-mate Khiara Keating.
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Ella Toone scored her second goal of the game after some sloppy play from Manchester City
But it looked like the recovery was at the end of the first half as Man City struck twice to make it 3-2. Vivianne Miedema (40) – herself returning to the league from injury – nodded home Mary Fowler's cross, before Rebecca Knaak (45+3) scored her first WSL goal since joining the club a few weeks ago.
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Vivianne Miedema nodded Mary Fowler over Phallon Tullis-Joyce
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Rebecca Knaak beat both Manchester United players to the ball and headed into the far corner
However, 10 seconds after the restart, another forgettable moment for Keating allowed Toone to complete his hat-trick. The keeper hung on to the ball too long from the spot-kick, with the deflection falling into Toone's path. She won the race against Keating and slotted into the open net.
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Ella Toone completed her Manchester derby hat-trick straight from the kick-off in the second half
For all their mistakes at one end, Man City mustered the shots and chances in a dominant second half. However, some inspired moments from Phallon Tullis-Joyce prevented them from making a real comeback.
It's Manchester's first away win in a Manchester derby, and it sends them above Manchester City into third place in the WSL table. Taylor's side – who have now lost back-to-back games in the WSL – drop to fourth place, two points off a Champions League spot.
Analysis: Man City's flawed Man City lack a plan B
Sky Sports' Laura Hunter:
Is this the moment Manchester United enter the title race? A statement derby win that all but ended City's hopes of a second WSL crown will make it all the sweeter.
Gareth Taylor's side started the day in second and finished in fourth. The numerous mistakes they made were completely out of character, but equally reflective of Man United's brash approach.
Fortune favors the brave.
They pressed high from the first minute, forcing mistakes, and capitalizing on every City kick.
Marc Skinner's side suffocated their hosts, yet City enjoyed 74 percent of the ball. The fact that United scored four goals with such a meager share of possession makes the result all the more significant.
Too often, City relied on their ability to overpower their opponents by working them into submission and in the absence of any plan B, they were beaten by a smarter game plan.
Praise for Toone: She is an inspiration
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Ella Toone and Phallon Tullis-Joyce reflect on Man Utd's win over Man City at the Etihad as Toone brings home a hat-trick
Man Utd goal scorer Ella Toone that Sky Sports:
“And we're speechless. It's a derby, so it means a lot. We made a big change and a great performance. I think we deserved it.
“We are doing well. Sometimes people write us off, but we know what kind of team we have. We have personality, we have attitude, we have work rate and we give our best every time we step on the pitch and we enjoy playing together.”
Man Utd goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce that Sky Sports:
“We've got a really tight squad and women who are just willing to put themselves out there and that's what we certainly saw today, especially Toonie.
“She was just an absolute inspiration. Watching her from the sidelines, she was the first one on the range and the last one to leave. She deserved every second of this moment as she worked so hard to come back.”
Man Utd the manager Marc Skinner that Sky Sports:
“Sometimes you can get a message from above. The reality was that Ella has played a hell of a lot of football in the last two or three years, grown up and gained so much experience. For me, we need a Toonie who loves football, we need that kind of player for England and Manchester United.
“At the end of the game, I asked her if she was enjoying herself and she said yes. I'll take that away, as well as the three points, because it's all about the people at Manchester United.”
Taylor: We were wrong
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Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor reflects on Manchester derby defeat and says his team made a mistake tonight and conceded easy goals against their rivals
Man City boss Gareth Taylor that Sky Sports:
“Our build-up game is usually a really strong part of our game. It's the way I like to play because it allows us to get there as a team, but we made a few mistakes tonight.
“The goals we scored killed the momentum. Between the box we were pretty good, but we gave away too many chances.
“They were easy goals. Sometimes when you play like that, when the decision is wrong, it's frustrating to give away what we did that way. The fourth was hard to accept because it's a situation we don't have to be in.”
Speaking about Khiare Keating's series of mistakeshe added: “It's difficult for her, she's a young goalkeeper, but she was very good for us. It's not the first time, it happened last season and all goalkeepers go through it. What we want to see is the strength of character to come back.”
Skinner: We made Man City make mistakes
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Manchester United head coach Mark Skinner says his side forced Manchester City to make mistakes, leading them to victory at the Etihad
Man Utd the manager Marc Skinner that Sky Sports:
“My satisfaction comes from the team enjoying their football and we gave a really good account of ourselves. I know we will talk about the mistakes Man City made, but we made them make mistakes.
“We've had a bit of criticism in the bigger games this season where we've been a bit passive, but tonight we were 'right, let's go to Man City'. We forced mistakes and got our rewards tonight.
“I've been here before. Two seasons ago, we won at the Emirates. We took games away from teams and our team is new and young again. They've had to learn these big stage environments. Tonight is a great learning curve for them.
“I think the thing that overcomes lack of experience is personality and fearlessness. I felt we had plenty of that tonight.
“This is a big win for our whole club. We go on to play them on Wednesday (in the League Cup), which will be interesting.
“We will rest, recover and be ready for another performance against them.”