This year's Adobe Women’s FA Cup final saw Manchester United pick up their first major women’s title in a one-sided win against Tottenham Hotspur. Game Insights analysts Luke Saunders and Katie Sorenson look at where the game was won and lost and shine a spotlight on an influential, future England star.
The previous fixture between the two teams took place in the Women’s Super League only three weeks ago. United took the lead in the 13th minute before Spurs pulled themselves ahead 2-1 with two goals in two minutes later in the first half. United equalised late in stoppage time at the end of the second half thanks to Maya Le Tissier’s quick, strong reactions to a shot from a corner hitting the bar.
With Jessica Naz being a key outlet for Spurs and a thorn in the side of the United defence, this was an area for the Manchester United oppositional analysis to focus on – limiting the impact of her agility and restricting Tottenham Hotspur in their defence to attack transition. Spurs, however, conceded both of their goals from set plays so knew this was a strength of United, who have created the third most chances from set plays in the 2023/24 Women’s Super League (60) and lead the league with goals from set plays (10).
Set plays - United's dominance in the air
“ Any young player needs to look at (Rachel) Williams – she uses her body so well to get the leverage, timing of run, positioning ”
Rachel Brown-Finnis, former England goalkeeper, BBC pundit
United continued their dominance at set plays from the last match into the FA Cup final with the first corner of the game occurring in only the fourth minute – Katie Zelem delivered an inswinger to the back post which Rachel Williams met well and was unfortunate not to see the ball hit the back of the net. In fact, of the five corners that United won, they managed to get a 1st contact shot with the first four. Sending runners to attack the front post was an effective tactic for Manchester United and data has previously shown that the chances of getting a shot from a corner and scoring a goal from a corner increase when attackers move into the front post zone.
(Video shows Manchester United attacking corners and the free-kick they scored their 2nd goal from. In-game observations from the players gave them opportunities to exploit Tottenham Hotspur’s defensive tactics)
The combination of Zelem mixing up her delivery technique with inswingers and outswingers, and United attacking the 18-yard box with creative movement, caused Spurs’ mix of zonal and player-to-player marking real problems. The leaders of the attacking group were Millie Turner - two shots from corners - and Rachel Williams - two shots from corners and one goal scored from a free-kick cross. The chaos and traffic caused by the attacking movement allowed United to have their most capable players winning the aerial duels – they observed Spurs’ defensive strategy and used it to their benefit. The Spurs defence was seemingly further disorganised when they made two substitutions just before defending a free-kick in the second half which led to Williams making it 2-0.
Player spotlight – Maya Le Tissier: England’s star defender
"As a young player, I remember Maya having good technical traits, both in and out of possession, which would support her development in 1v1 situations"
Adrian Penrose, FA Women's High Performance Centre, Coach Development Officer
On the back of signing a contract extension at Manchester United, Maya Le Tissier became the first Guernsey footballer to win the FA cup since 1959 in her second FA Cup final in a row. Described as “dedicated” and “very disciplined”, Maya’s journey from grassroots to professional football has been far from simple and her performances on the pitch reflect her determination and talent.
Ranked third for passes into the final third (11 per match) in the 2023/24 Women’s Super League and ninth for total number of possessions won in the defensive third (69), Le Tissier once again showed her ability in and out of possession and the importance to have a varied skillset, regardless of position.
(Player spotlight on Maya Le Tissier showing the locations of her actions and the passing relationships she made during the game. Note the spread across the pitch where Le Tissier was engaged in and out of possession, and the varied teammates she was passing to.)
Le Tissier was comfortable in possession, often stepping up to form a box midfield with three defenders behind her, causing Spurs to narrow their defensive shape to stop forward passes being played from United’s defenders straight through the middle of the pitch. This gave United’s wide attackers space to isolate the Spurs fullbacks. She showed confidence in her abilities by combining with team-mates to build and create the attack and winning set pieces
(Highlight of Maya Le Tissier’s ability in possession and then awareness to be ready to defend in transition)
In defence, Le Tissier was purposeful with her movements, tracking the Spurs strikers when they dropped off into midfield, forcing them to play backwards. She was then able to observe weaknesses in the defensive shape after this movement, reacting well to cover space in behind. Her ability to defend in 1v1s stood out as she was up to the great challenge of stopping the dangerous Jessica Naz, notably showing examples of strong defending out wide, when she had moved out from her usual central position.
(Highlight of Maya Le Tissier’s ability out of possession showing her confidence across the width of the pitch and in the opponent’s half)
" It's important we help develop our young players to understand that although you may be a ‘centre back’, it's important to have skill sets that lend themselves to multiple positions ”
Adrian Penrose, FA Women's High Performance Centre, Coach Development Officer
Coaching considerations
- What can we prepare pre-game and in-game to support our players to use their observation skills to react to situations where teams are exploiting vulnerabilities? E.g. United overloading the midfield to then attack the wide areas.
- How can we encourage the development of relationships and understanding of specific roles and responsibilities to best impact our game? E.g. United’s effectiveness when attacking corners.
- Why should we develop our players’ knowledge of how to be ready to defend and ready to attack? Which areas of the pitch might certain players occupy and why? E.g. Maya Le Tissier’s confidence in possession led her to be high up the pitch, allowing her to defend in the final third and quickly respond to transitions.
- How can we develop our players to be effective in smaller numbers in certain locations on the pitch and in certain game phases? E.g. United’s wingers isolating the Spurs fullbacks and combining with their teammates.
Further learning
If you are interested in more, check out these resources:
Player story - Maya Le Tissier: from Guernsey to England squad
Insights blog - Corner delivery zones – insights into effective corners
Insights blog – Centre backs stepping out to defend in midfield areas
Coaching session & session plan - Overloaded session: 3v3 with target players (goalscoring opportunities, creating space, develop relationships)
England Football Learning webinar – How to use observation skills as a grassroots coach