NEWLY-CAPPED REPUBLIC OF Ireland defender Aoife Mannion has rounded off a memorable few days with her competitive return for Manchester United in the FA Cup.
Mannion, who made her Ireland debut in last Wednesday’s 0-0 international friendly draw with China PR in Spain, came off the bench to help United to a 5-0 win over Durham — and into the quarter-finals of the competition.
She’s one of 12 Irish internationals who sealed their progression to the FA Cup last eight yesterday, Mannion playing her first competitive game for her club since sustaining a second ACL injury in February 2022.
While the former England youth international came in for high praise after her impressive Girls In Green debut, United manager Mark Skinner also spoke highly of the returning centre-half at Leigh Sports Village yesterday.
“There’s no doubt Aoife Mannion is a wonderful footballer,” he said. “It’s been a long time in waiting for her to be back, but we welcome her back as a valued member of our team and someone that can help us to continue the success that we’re building.”
It was SO good to see you back out there, @AoifeMannion_ 🫶@TeamViewer ↔️ #BringingYouCloser #MUWomen || #WomensFACup pic.twitter.com/dpZXxOmFDa
— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) February 26, 2023
Naoisha McAloon and Saoirse Noonan were the Irish faces on the losing Durham side.
Katie McCabe was restored to the Arsenal XI, but the Gunners fell to a disappointing 2-0 loss to rivals and reigning champions Chelsea.
The Irish captain was moved around the pitch by manager Jonas Eidevall throughout, starting on the right side of a front three and finishing at left-back, while her World Cup Group B rival Sam Kerr stole the show for the Blues.
Australia superstar Kerr marked her 100th appearance for the club with her 82nd goal; the Chelsea fans singing, ‘Even with jet lag, she’s better than you’ afterwards. (She played three international friendlies Down Under last week).
Once again, Grace Moloney was Reading’s penalty shootout hero. Moloney kept a clean sheet and helped the Royals win 5-4 on spot kicks, the WSL strugglers enjoying a big result over Tottenham. Diane Caldwell also featured as a substitute.
Brighton & Hove Albion, one point above them in their league, also toasted FA Cup success with a comfortable 5-0 win over Coventry City. Megan Connolly excelled in midfield for the Seagulls, though goalkeeper Megan Walsh was held in reserve once again with Australian shot-stopper Lydia Williams preferred. Eleanor Ryan-Doyle was absent from the Coventry matchday squad, cup-tied on loan from Birmingham.
Louise Quinn, Jamie Finn, Harriet Scott and Lucy Quinn all played as the Blues dug out a 1-0 extra-time win away to Charlton, while Izzy Atkinson made her impact felt for West Ham as the substitute created their equaliser against Aston Villa but the Hammers fell agonisingly short. They lost 7-6 on penalties.
Elsewhere, Chloe Mustaki remained sidelined as her Bristol City side fell to an 8-1 defeat to Manchester City, while Irish-eligible goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse — as reported by the Irish Examiner — helped Lewes into the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history. Lewes were 6-1 winners over Cardiff, with Emily Kraft ruled out.
Another great performance between the sticks! 💯 pic.twitter.com/fiQC4LHTPo
— Reading FC Women (@ReadingFCWomen) February 26, 2023
In Scotland, Claire Walsh and Emily Whelan started as Glasgow City ran out 7-0 winners against Aberdeen and moved three points clear of Celtic at the top of the table. Claire O’Riordan helped the Hoops to a 3-0 victory over Rangers, while in the Capital Cup, Ciara Grant scored a penalty in the shootout win and popped up with an assist off a corner as Hearts downed Hibernian.
Further afield, Amber Barrett was a second-half substitute in Potsdam’s 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the Frauen-Bundesliga, while Niamh Farrelly was a bright spark in Parma’s 2-1 defeat to heavyweights Juventus. The Dubliner provided the assist to the consolation goal.
The return to club action comes after a hectic international window, preparations for the 2023 World Cup ramping up. While Vera Pauw’s Ireland capped a 10-day training camp in Spain with a friendly draw against China, there were mixed results for their Group B rivals.
Australia won their three February games. They beat Czech Republic 4-0 first, then held off a Spain fightback to win 3-2 (they were 3-0 up at half time) and finished off with a 3-0 victory over Jamaica. Kerr, Hayley Rasso and Caitlin Foord were among the Matildas’ goal-scorers, and they play European Champions England next in an April friendly.
Canada had a rollercoaster window, embroiled in a dispute over pay equity and experiencing contrasting results at the SheBelieves Cup. They opened with a 2-0 defeat to World Cup holders USA — Ireland’s next opponents — before beating Brazil 2-0 and losing 3-0 to Japan. Vanessa Gilles and Evelyne Viens were their goal-scorers against Brazil.
And Nigeria were on the right and wrong sides of 1-0 results: losing to Mexico and Colombia, before Esther Okoronkwo helped them past Costa Rica.
