Parris and Williams lead Manchester United to dominant WSL win at Everton

A confident 5-0 defeat of Everton helped Manchester United steady the ship domestically after their crushing Champions League exit in midweek.

Goals from Melvine Malard and two each from Nikita Parris and the substitute Rachel Williams earned them their second win of the season after draws with Leicester and Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Everton sit 10th, with a worrying three defeats in four, yet to find their feet this season.

With the pressure on after United’s European dream died and back-to-back draws in the league, Marc Skinner made three changes to the side that suffered a 3-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night. The forwards Geyse and Leah Galton missed out entirely due to a reported sickness bug, while Lisa Naalsund, who scored United’s goal in Paris, dropped to the bench with the World Cup top scorer Hinata Miyazawa coming in.

For Brian Sørensen, there were two changes to the team which earned a first win of the season, against Liverpool, last weekend, Lucy Hope absent from the squad due to an ankle injury and Emma Bissell dropping to the bench with Clare Wheeler and Katja Snoeijs starting in their stead.

Skinner had said United had “to be more ruthless at both ends” after a disappointing defeat to PSG where they had a goal incorrectly disallowed for a perceived foul on the goalkeeper and enough chances to have been able to win the game.

They began brightly at a sunny and warm Walton Hall Park, a happy hunting ground for the visiting side, with Megan Finnigan blocking Malard’s effort before Miyazawa fired over. Everton have yet to beat Manchester United following the latter’s promotion to the WSL, with two draws and eight losses.

They had the chance to take the lead decidedly against the run of play in front of a sold-out crowd, when Nicoline Sørensen was played in behind but fired over from eight yards out. Perhaps buoyed by a desire to not have to come from behind again, United hit back instantly to take the lead and punish Everton’s profligacy. Katie Zelem’s corner was headed into the air and the goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan rose to claim it but Malard got there first and nodded in from close range.

Hanna Bennison should have levelled shortly after, forcing Mary Earps to tip her strike over the bar after she had struck it from distance when there were better options either side of her. Both keepers were called into action before the break, Earps saving a Sørensen effort and Brosnan clasping the ball after a glancing header from close range from the former Everton striker Parris.

Parris would make no mistake in the second half though, doubling United’s lead to ease nerves just before the hour mark – Zelem’s cross in was powerfully headed goalward by Parris, Brosnan got her hands to it but the force of the strike meant she could only push it into the the side netting.

It was disaster for Everton for the third. Katrine Veje attempted to twist and turn away from Parris but the United forward dispossessed the defender and sent a cross in for the substitute Williams to head home from close range. Brosnan was there but unable to stop the ball from travelling over the line.

The fourth was similar, this time Williams nodding Jayde Riviere’s ball over the top in from close range with Brosnan flapping.

It was too routine for United in the end, with Everton folding defensively. Brosnan’s save stopped Miyazwa’s effort but moments later Parris made it five, calmly clipping the ball over the goalkeeper. It was Parris’s eighth goal in nine games against Everton (for United and her former side Manchester City).