Maya Le Tissier heads Manchester United to easy WSL win over Reading

It took new recruit Maya Le Tissier only four minutes to make her mark in a Manchester United shirt, scoring the first of two goals that would help her side to a 4-0 win over Reading.

Le Tissier – no relation of Matt, although they both come from Guernsey – made a formidable debut after joining United from Brighton in the summer. First, she sent Katie Zelem’s corner looping over Reading goalkeeper Grace Moloney, who seemed to misread the dip on the clipped effort, then she rose to head another Zelem corner past the keeper.

Those goals sandwiched a Zelem penalty, after the referee ruled that Moloney had caught Alessia Russo.

It was a dream start for Le Tissier, and a wholly unexpected one given she is a centre-back. The 20-year-old’s impact from set pieces will come as no surprise to those that have watched the England youth player before, but her increased potency in and around the box thanks to the accuracy of Zelem’s crosses will send a warning through the league that United’s threat is not limited to Russo and Ella Toone.

Of Marc Skinner’s seven new recruits, two were chosen in the starting lineup to face Reading in what was only the second game of the WSL season, as a result of last weekend’s opening round being postponed after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Le Tissier was joined by the Spanish forward Lucía García, who scored 59 goals in 148 games for Athletic Bilbao before joining, in making her debut in front of a lively crowd of more than 5,000 at Leigh Sports Village. García’s first game in England may have been overshadowed by Le Tissier, but the Spaniard also made an impact, sending the full-back Ona Batlle racing down the line to cross for Russo, who headed in.

It was United’s fourth goal in 35 minutes and