Manchester United cruised to a 6-0 victory against a brave Wolves team to reach the quarterfinals of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup. Elisabeth Terland, Leah Galton, Ella Toone and Aoife Mannion all found the next before 17-year-old Mared Griffiths marked her debut with a brace.
The Action
A record crowd descended on the New Bucks Head Stadium as Wolves hosted Manchester United in a classic David and Goliath FA Cup encounter. Wolves, currently fighting for promotion in the FAWNL Northern Premier, would have known the monumental task that faced them in the shape of a Manchester United side that have been in superb form in 2025.
Dan McNamara named a strong team to try and nullify the threats of the WSL visitors. Captain Anna Morphet sat at the heart of the defence with Beth Merrick – a player who had scored in every round of the cup to this point – in at left-back. Current top scorer Amber Hughes led the line, supported by the attacking talents of Charlotte Greengrass and Destiney Toussaint.
Marc Skinner, meanwhile, made several changes to the side that had edged past Tottenham the week before. Aoife Mannion, Anna Sandberg, Melvine Malard and Grace Clinton were all given rare starts, an opportunity to make an impression.
Manchester United were predictably dominant from the start, controlling the ball and creating opportunities. Wolves defended valiantly – Morphet produced some perfectly-timed last-minute blocks while Bec Thomas made several smart saves – but it felt like a question of when rather than if the visitors would find a breakthrough. The opener came after 26 minutes when Terland fired home before Galton was afforded plenty of space to double the score.
Aoife Mannion added a third shortly after the break – her first goal in a Manchester United shirt – before Ella Toone fired home from distance to continue her fine goal-scoring form.
As Wolves tired, United brought on more reinforcements, including a first appearence for 17-year-old Mared Griffiths. It soon turned into a dream debut for the Welsh international as she notched a seven-minute brace to round off the scoring.
Stand Out Moment
The moment of the evening belonged to young Mared Griffiths. The Welsh forward joined the Manchester United Professional Game Academy in 2024 and made came on to make her senior debut in the 81st minutes. Just seven minutes later, she added the icing to the cake when she scored her first goal for the club. When Bec Thomas parried Millie Turner’s header, the 17-year-old reacted quickest in the box to poke the rebound home.
Mared Griffiths has a goal for @ManUtdWomen less than five minutes after coming on for her debut 🥹#AdobeWomensFACup pic.twitter.com/be87cPKSG5
— Adobe Women’s FA Cup (@AdobeWFACup) February 8, 2025
Stand Out Performance
Ella Toone has been in flying form since making her return from injury at the start of the year. She added a sixth goal in five games on this occasion and played an instrumental role throughout. All of United’s creative play came through her as she pulled the strings sitting in the pocket behind Terland.
Quote of the Day
We know people would expect us to win this game but for us it’s about attitude. We want to get back to the final. We know we have tougher tasks coming ahead but tonight we acquitted ourselves fantastically.
Marc Skinner, Manchester United
Teams
WOLVES
Bec Thomas; Abbi Jenner, Katie Johnson, Anna Morphet (c), Beth Merrick; Tammi George, Becky Anderson, Beth Roberts; Destiney Toussaint, Amber Hughes, Charlotte Greengrass
Subs: Charlotte Clarke; Jade Cross; Hannah Fryer; Summer Holmes; Ania Denham; Abi Loydon; Racheal Quigley; Lili Simkin; Josie Smith
Manager: Dan McNamara
MANCHESTER UNITED
Phallon Tullis-Joyce; Aoife Mannion, Maya Le Tissier (c), Millie Turner, Anna Sandberg; Hinata Miyazawa; Grace Clinton, Ella Toone; Melvine Malard, Elisabeth Terland, Leah Galton
Subs: Safia Middleton-Patel; Simi Awujo; Gabby George; Mared Griffiths; Scarlett Hill; Dominique Janssen; Jayde Riviere; Rachel Williams; Geyse
Manager: Marc Skinner
