Manchester United had waited a long time for their moment in the sun.
After a weekend when the Northern Lights had lit up the London skyline, it was a northern team who shined brightest at Wembley.
This is United’s first major trophy since the club was re-formed in 2018 and after what has been a disappointing season in the Women’s Super League, this victory gives Marc Skinner something to celebrate.
Many United fans had insisted before kick-off that winning the FA Cup would not make up for their domestic performance and Skinner’s future at the club is still uncertain, with the manager yet to sign a new contract.
But regardless of how popular he is and how successful this season will be viewed, no one can take away that he is the first man to lift a significant piece of silverware with this club.
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It is also United’s first trophy of the INEOS era, but it was Avram Glazer, rather than Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who was present at Wembley.
On paper, United’s squad is better than Tottenham but given these two teams played out a 2-2 draw a matter of weeks ago, a closer affair was expected. Robert Vilahamn’s side seemed slightly overawed by their first Wembley appearance. They had stayed in the game until Ella Toone’s superb strike put United ahead just before half-time and from that moment onwards they crumbled.
In the first half this felt very much like the fifth and sixth best teams in the WSL, with Toone’s goal the only real bit of quality. United’s main threat came from set-pieces and they had a number of chances to break the deadlock in the opening stages.
Rachel Williams should have scored from two Katie Zelem corners but could only send both of her efforts over the bar.
Zelem’s deliveries continued to cause Spurs problems, with Lucia Garcia the next United player to head over from close range.
Spurs were living dangerously and needed Martha Thomas to make a vital clearance off the line to keep Millie Turner’s goalbound header out.
In the end it was not a set piece but a moment of quality that saw United open the scoring, seconds before half-time. Lisa Naalsund laid the ball off to Toone, who was given time and space to shoot from the edge of the box and the forward unleashed a phenomenal strike into the top right corner. Toone is a player for the big occasion and her strike was her fourth goal at Wembley in seven appearances.
Spurs tried to claim there was a foul in the build-up from Williams on Luana Buhler, who was blocked off from closing Toone down, but it was not deemed enough for VAR to get involved.
Spurs did not seem to learn from United’s threat from set-pieces and United finally made them pay from one in the 55th minute. Zelem’s free-kick picked out Williams and this time the forward headed the ball past Spencer and into the bottom right corner.
Spurs were already up against it at 2-0 and three minutes later it was game over. It was a horrible goal as Becky Spencer tried to play out from the back but passed the ball straight to Garcia, who fired into an empty net.
Tottenham could have pulled a goal back when Bethany England met Amanda Nilden’s cross, but the forward’s effort struck the crossbar.
United did not ease off and a fourth goal came in the 74th minute when Naalsund teed up Garcia, who fired a shot up over the head of a helpless Spencer.
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