‘I was really proud of the players’ – Skinner reflects on Manchester United’s draw with Arsenal | OneFootball

Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner said that he was proud of his players after they battled out a goalless draw with Arsenal at Leigh Sports Village on Sunday afternoon.

It has been a tough week for The Red Devils. They faced the European champions less than 72 hours after qualifying for the UEFA Women’s Champions League’s all-new league phase with a 3-1 aggregate victory over SK Brann.

Speaking to the media after his side’s stalemate with Arsenal, Manchester United head coach Skinner said that he couldn’t be prouder of his team.

“We’ve had a very heavy week, but I was really proud of the players,” Skinner said. “We’ve not got to the level of investment that Arsenal have, but I think it shows just how far we’ve come and how far we’ve travelled.

“A point shared, barring that [Olivia Smith] chance maybe, it was understandable. I’m really happy with the players. I’ve just given them two days off because I think they deserve it.”

While Manchester United came away with a point, Skinner admitted that he expected a greater threat from opponents Arsenal.

He said “Arsenal had one shot on target. I don’t remember either keeper really having too much to do, but that triple chance, for me, is the one we have to take really. It’s probably the best chance in the game.

“All-in-all, points shared. I probably expected a little bit more from Arsenal because they’ve had a fresh week to come into it, but sometimes, that can be detrimental too because we’re off and running, playing games. What I said to Renée [Slegers] at the end was that they’re used to doing those games in midweek and that’ll be them back up to speed when they get back into doing it.”

The world of football was shocked to learn of Matt Beard’s passing on Saturday evening and Skinner paid tribute to the former Liverpool boss.

He said “Beardy is an incredible human. 
He has and will continue to leave a legacy in our game. I’ll keep his legacy alive by talking about him all of the time. I think he’s iconic in our game, I’ll go as far as saying iconic.

“He’s worked all the way off at the lowest of the lowest levels, all the way up to the very highest at the top. 
For me, it’s a very sad day, but there’s some solace in knowing that his memory will always live on. I think as sad as it is, it’s really important that we share the [good moments]; he was a larger than life character and it’s really important that we share that so that people don’t forget about that.”

Manchester United are next in action against Liverpool at The Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens on Sunday afternoon.