Man Utd women player ratings vs Bristol City: Lionesses newcomer Mille Turner impresses as Lisa Naalsund double seals victory for dreary Red Devils over WSL strugglers

After winning her first England cap in February, the centre-back put in a display that Sarina Wiegman will have enjoyed in a close victory

Manchester United quietly crept to within six points of Arsenal, with six Women’s Super League games to go, in the hunt for the European places on Sunday thanks to a rather uneventful 2-0 win over bottom club Bristol City. Lisa Naalsund gave the Red Devils the lead with a nice finish after just nine minutes, and though her team created little in a bid to extend that lead, she doubled the lead deep into stoppage-time to secure a first WSL win since early February.

Bristol showed glimpses of quality in the first half and they came close to an equaliser early in the second period when Shania Gayles struck the post from close-range. However, any chance of them getting something from the game to aid their fight for survival disappeared when Jamie-Lee Napier received a second yellow card with fewer than 10 minutes remaining.

United made that advantage count late on when Naalsund produced a lovely finish from Katie Zelem’s corner, confirming a victory that closes the admittedly large gap to Arsenal, following the Gunners’ defeat at Chelsea on Friday night.

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  Goalkeeper & Defence
  
  Mary Earps (6/10):
  
  Had very little to do as she racked up a sixth clean sheet of the season.
  
  Jayde Riviere (6/10):
  
  Didn’t do much wrong defensively, but had couple of loose touches and passes here and there. Not her usually electric self.
  
  Maya Le Tissier (7/10):
  
  Played some nice, quarterback-esque passes from the back line and was defensively sound.
  
  Millie Turner (8/10):
  
  Thwarted almost every promising moment Bristol had on the attack. Solid as a rock.
  
  Hannah Blundell (6/10):
  
  Like Riviere, didn’t make many errors but couldn’t really get going down the wing like usual.

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Midfield

Katie Zelem (6/10):

Not her best day for set-pieces, but she delivered a fantastic corner for Naalsund’s second of the day.

Lisa Naalsund (8/10):

Lovely bit of skill and a confident finish for her first goal. Her second was wonderfully taken, too. Great performance.

Ella Toone (6/10):

Got on the ball plenty, around the box and in deeper positions, to keep possession ticking and tried to make things happen.
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Attack

Lucia Garcia (7/10):

Some bright moments down the right, including the link-up with Naalsund for the first goal. Pressed brilliantly.

Nikita Parris (5/10):

Received very little service.

Melvine Malard (5/10):

Evidently frustrated that she didn’t get the ball more often.
Subs & Manager

Geyse (5/10):

Had a good half an hour to make an impact but was regularly stopped in her tracks by Napier down Bristol’s left.

Rachel Williams (N/A):

Only on for the final 15 minutes.

Marc Skinner (6/10):

Rewarded Naalsund with a league start after her goal-scoring performance against Brighton in the FA Cup, and it paid dividends. But his team were lacklustre despite her early strike and he struggled to get them going or make an impact with his subs.