Man Utd left 'speechless' after 'deserved' derby win, says Toone

Ella Toone says Manchester United were left "speechless" after getting a 4-2 win over Manchester City in the derby on Sunday.

Toone, on her return from injury, scored twice in the first half, with Leah Galton's goal sandwiched in between, profiting from City mistakes to take a commanding lead.

Vivianne Miedema and Rebecca Knack pulled two goals back before the break, but Toone secured the points just nine seconds into the second half after capitalising on another lapse in defence to complete her hat-trick.

It is a win that took United above their rivals in the Women's Super League table and into third, level on points with second-place Arsenal, and seven points behind leaders Chelsea.

United had never won at City in the WSL, only registering one victory against them at home in May 2023, and Toone was overjoyed with the result.

"We're speechless as well. It's a derby, so it means so much," Toone told Sky Sports. "I thought we put in a massive shift and a great performance. I think we deserved it.

"I was letting the girls know - 'girls, I've never scored in a Manchester derby, never scored against City', and for a girl who supports Manchester United, I know what these derbies mean.

"I want to come into every game making something happen on the pitch and putting in a shift for the girls.

"But today, I wanted a goal and managed to get three, so a special day for me and I couldn't have done it without the players and staff.

"I've been through a lot, and when I got injured, it was a blessing in disguise. Looking back now, I needed it, not just physically but mentally as well. I've used my time wisely to get back fitter and stronger, but more importantly, look after myself."

City had won their first match in each of the last five calendar years before this match, but instead, fell to a third defeat in four games, having also lost to Everton before the winter break.

It was an out-of-character defensive performance for City, but they also struggled in attack. Despite having 22 shots, 10 more than their counterparts, they only created 1.84 expected goals (xG) compared to United's 2.78.

Taylor, however, is confident they can bounce back after dropping two places in the table on Sunday after Arsenal also leapfrogged them after their commanding win.

"We are all upset," Taylor told City's media channels.

"But we stick together, and we keep working because we know we can execute better than that.

"It's good we've got games coming thick and fast. Of course, when you have that sort of result, the best thing is to be able to bounce back as quick as you possibly can."