Manchester United boss Skinner ready to dig deep for solutions after FA Cup final defeat | OneFootball

Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner says that he is ready to dig deep for solutions to close the gap between his side and domestic treble winners Chelsea.

The Red Devils went down 3-0 to The Blues in the 2024/2025 Adobe Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley this afternoon. Manchester United started the game brightly but Chelsea’s qualities eventually shone through as they reclaimed the trophy.

Reflecting on the defeat in the post-match press conference, Manchester United boss Skinner said that his side need to improve in-possession whilst being stronger as individuals without the ball.

“I thought we started well and I thought we matched them physically,” Skinner said. “There’s been a lot of talk tactically about their rotations in midfield but we just need to be a little bit braver and jump. They pulled us in to go over us in one v ones on the halfway line.

“All-in-all, I wanted us to be braver with the ball. They dribbled and duelled better than us which they pay for. Credit to them, congratulations to them on the season that they’ve had.

“We could have been better in those moments but again, the game has swung on set-pieces. The penalty and set-piece is poor from us. I’m not blaming the set-piece, it’s concentration and player individuality within that. We’ve got work to do.”

Four of the five goals that Manchester United have conceded against Chelsea this season have come from set-pieces and Skinner believes that his side will learn from their errors for next term.

He said “They’re pretty good at them, they’ve got monsters in there. If you give up something, they attack a different zone, they’ve got quality on delivery, it’s not easy. When you deliver [training on] set-pieces, you can do them for days and days then they find a different space. In the moment, you’ve just got to take responsibility.

“In the young team that I’ve got, I think their experience will grow from this moment; there are loads of learning opportunities.

“We’ve had a fantastic season. To do what we’ve done and to qualify for Champions League again, we’ve had a fantastic season. I have no doubt that we will fix those moments next year. In big moments, we have to make sure that we take individual responsibility.”

At this moment, it is difficult to see how Manchester United will close the gap between themselves and Chelsea but Skinner says that he will dig deep to find answers.

He said “I’ve got to find Manchester United’s way [of closing the gap] in the summer. Right now, we’ve had a long season, we’ve got to a third FA Cup final, we’ve got back into Champions League qualification. If you saw me at the end, I’m staring into space thinking about how I close that gap. I’m not going to have the finances that maybe an Arsenal or Manchester City have.

“It sounds crazy but in some games this year, you could have got at Chelsea and I don’t think teams have maximised that. They’re only going to invest, so I’ve really got to dig deep in my thoughts and see where I can close that gap. I will do that for sure.”

Manchester United contested their third consecutive Adobe Women’s FA Cup final this afternoon. They have won one and lost two of those ties.