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Manchester United were held to a goalless draw by West Ham at Dagenham, missing an opportunity to cut the gap at the top of the WSL table to three points.
United dominated large spells of the game and created a number of clear-cut chances but they couldn’t quite find the back of the net.
Marc Skinner’s side remain in third place, two points behind Arsenal and five adrift of table leaders Chelsea, who have a game in hand.
First half
West Ham were the first to have an attempt at goal as Viviane Asseyi aimed a free-kick into the middle, but Eva Nystom couldn’t direct her header past Phallon Tullis-Joyce. The hosts initially channelled most of their attacks down the right side but Gabby George was equal to the task.
George then embarked on the attack from the left and looked to fire in a cross but Katrina Gorry got in the way.
Leah Galton briefly went down and required treatment, but she was able to continue. United gradually settled into the game and began to find their rhythm. Twenty minutes in, they were handed their first real opportunity when West Ham failed to clear their lines. The ball dropped to Elisabeth Terland, who attempted a shot but couldn’t make a clean connection. It then fell to Celin Bizet, whose effort struck the woodwork.
That chance seemingly gave United impetus and they kicked up one or two extra gears. They dominated possession and played on the front foot.
West Ham put together a slick move, but fortunately for United, it came to nothing. Riko Ueki darted down the right flank, skillfully weaving past captain Maya Le Tissier, but her cross just evaded Asseyi.
Terland had another chance to score after Bizet found her with a clipped cross but the striker dragged her effort wide. Grace Clinton and Galton also had half-chances but they couldn’t make any of them stick during a windy afternoon at Dagenham.
George whipped in a corner that curled dangerously toward the West Ham goal, clipping the crossbar before going out of play. To be fair, the wind could’ve taken it anywhere.
Second half
The Hammers looked to break early as Shekiera Martinez drove into the United box, but her run was well tracked and she was halted before she could pose any real threat.
But it was Terland who nearly broke the deadlock after the restart as Terland’s header forced Kinga Szemik into a save.
As the game started to open up, George conceded a free kick. Aided by the wind, it was swung deep into the box, but Tullis-Joyce showed great composure, rising above Nystrom to claim the ball before she could make contact with her head.
West Ham applied slightly more pressure than they had in the first half, but Jayde Riviere proved to be a brilliant outlet for United. She was impressive in taking on defenders and delivering dangerous crosses into the box.
Marc Skinner brought in Melvine Malard and Anna Sandberg to try and make a difference. The pair replaced Galton and George.
Tullis-Joyce was called into action when Seraina Piubel’s cross-cum-shot flew towards her, but she handled it expertly, bringing the ball under control with ease.
Clinton had been kept quiet for most of the match, but she found a couple of openings in the second half, most notably a powerful first-time strike from 20 yards out that whistled just over the crossbar. The closing minutes were frantic, with both sides pressing hard for a winner, but in the end, they had to settle for a share of the spoils.
United are back in action on Wednesday when they host Chelsea at Leigh Sports Village.
Feature image Ben Roberts via Getty Images
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