Super sub Rachel Williams predicted winner against Southampton before kick off – Man United News And Transfer News

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Manchester United Women beat Southampton 3-1 in the FA Cup yesterday with Rachel Williams coming off the bench to score twice for the Red Devils.

Speaking after the game, Williams told MUTV how she dreamt how the game would play out the night before.

She said: “I actually said to John on the bench, our kitman, I said, ‘Ah John, I had a dream last night that we’re drawing and I come on and I get a hat-trick in eight minutes,’ but I got the two goals.”

Ella Toone opened the scoring in the eighth minute after she received it on the edge of the area and calmly curled it past the keeper.

Southampton levelled things up in the second half as Lloyd-Smith found the bottom corner.

Williams came on and made an instant impact like she so often does.

She was there twice in the six yard box to make sure the ball was bundled over the line.

She said: “More important is the team today and how well they started and, again, it just shows that the girls that start the game, don’t always finish the game but they do their job, and I come on and do mine.”

Despite being in the league below United, the Championship, Southampton fielded a strong team that gave the Red Devils a scare in the second half.

Even after United’s third, the Saints kept on fighting and had a series of chances, including one which needed a goal line clearance from Millie Turner and a shot that hit the post.

“We’d done our homework on Southampton, but that’s the joys of the FA Cup, you get all sorts thrown at you. So we knew they were going to be resilient, they were going to come at us and not let up,” Williams said.

“I think for us today, we had to show patience, and professionalism, to get the job done and, yeah, we did. But credit to Southampton, they’ve been brilliant today, really took us to the end.”

United now face Brighton in the quarter finals on the ninth or 10th of March.

In the Championship, Southampton are sitting in fourth, just three points below first placed Charlton so the chance of promotion to the WSL is still a real possibility for the side who only turned full-time last season.

Williams continued: “For me, with these teams, they can be so unorthodox and, for them, it’s a really good chance to see the level they’re at for one day when they are competing [against teams] in the WSL so, to have this cup, it’s brilliant for the women’s game.”

United’s next game is on Saturday when they travel to Arsenal in the league.