Brighton and Manchester United’s ninth meeting ended in a 2-2 draw with a late equaliser from super-sub Rachel Williams rescuing a point for the reds.
Embed from Getty ImagesFollowing her fourth goal when coming on as a substitute, Williams told Sky Sports “It’s becoming a bit of a habit for me. I’m itching to get off the bench and help the team.”
Despite a well fought draw, United boss Marc Skinner was frustrated, saying “we need to take three points. You create that amount of chances you have got to take them.”
He went on to say “They should be frustrated and I want to see that in action. I didn’t want to see sulky faces, I want a reaction.”
The Seagulls looked to have won it in the 89th minute when Guro Bergsvand got her head on the end of a corner, beating Mary Earps to give the Seagulls the lead.
Brighton took the lead after 30 minutes when Elisabeth Terland fired past Mary Earps, making it six goals in six matches for Brighton’s striker with Maisie Symonds getting her third assist of the season.
United equalised in the 78th minute with a fantastic shot from Ella Toone on the edge of Brighton’s box who placed it perfectly into the top right corner for her first goal of the 2023-24 campaign.
The match was evenly fought from start to finish with both sides creating good chances throughout, Brighton came close to taking the lead early on with a shot from Pauline Bremer bouncing off of Earps’ crossbar.
Moments later after a perfectly played through ball, Geyse Da Silva Ferreira came close to scoring the game’s first goal however being just hasty on her run resulted in an offside call.
Pressuring for an equaliser, United were denied by the woodwork off a shot from Geyse before a Leah Galton header flew just over the crossbar.
Having only beaten United once in previous meetings, Williams’ late heroics meant Brighton had to settle for a valuable point which puts an end to their three game losing streak in the Women’s Super League.
Though they were unable to hold on for the win, Brighton boss Melissa Phillips was positive post-match stating “In terms of growth and performances there’s a lot to build on.”
She went on to praise player of the match, and former red, Sophie Baggaley for showing “presence and leadership” and “another fantastic performance”.
