Manchester United pushed to limit but beat Lewes in FA Cup classic

Manchester United fought hard for their progression to the semi-final stage of the FA Cup, earning a 3-1 win at Lewes. Victory came at a price, though, with United losing Lisa Naalsund and Maria Thorisdóttir to injury in a game where Scott Booth’s Championship side were battled valiantly in front of a buoyant record crowd of 2,801.

Marc Skinner put out a strong squad laced with international stars, displaying the respect worthy of any team that has reached a major cup quarter-final. Lewes may be a comparatively small club, but on the pitch they were far closer to the Women’s Super League title contenders than perhaps many would believe.

That played out in the first half down in East Sussex, with “little Lewes” well organised against United. The Rooks caused them problems too, with Nat Johnson’s cross met by Kirsty Barton at the back post but her shot was well blocked. Moments later and the ball fizzed around the United box before falling enticingly for Amelia Hazard who put her shot wide.

Those brief moments in the ascendancy were short lived and United punished Lewes’s profligacy a minute later. Ona Batlle sent a cross towards Alessia Russo but in a stroke of misfortune Rhian Cleverly’s attempted clearance squeezed past Sophie Whitehouse into her own net.

The Lewes captain fell to the floor clutching her face in frustration. Rather than collapse though, having conceded in the eighth minute, Lewes stood firm for the remainder of the half, doing well to limit the options of the forwards Lucía García, Martha Thomas and Russo.

The Dripping Pan was sold out for the visit of United and the atmosphere around the ground was electric. Visiting is a unique experience, with hospitality beach huts overlooking the pitch, banked