Newcastle United Women exit the FA Cup to Manchester United - but it wasn't about the result

Newcastle United exited the FA Cup at the hands of Women’s Super League side Manchester United but the 5-0 scoreline did nothing to dampen the Lady Magpies’ spirits on a historic afternoon.

The Lasses were backed by a staggering 1,700 away supporters – accounting for 25% of the attendance at Leigh Sports Village – as Becky Langley’s side put in a ginormous shift against a team full of international superstars.

Man United, who are two divisions above Newcastle, showed their visitors huge respect by fielding their strongest team possible. The Lasses couldn’t quite test England No.1 Mary Earps but Langley was delighted with her side's effort.

A frantic opening 15 minutes saw Grace Donnelly tip a fierce Ella Toone effort onto the bar before Georgia Gibson tried her luck from distance but didn’t trouble Earps. Newcastle United Women wasted no time getting stuck into the WSL outfit with tackles flying in, much to the delight of the 1,200 travelling fans.

Indeed, The Lasses were more than a match for Man United in the opening half an hour but were undone by a world-class effort from Toone.

Man United’s No.7 collected a loose ball and took a touch onto her left foot before cannoning a strike into the top corner leaving Donnelly with no chance.

Just 10 minutes before half-time, Man United knocked the stuffing out of the Lasses by scoring a second, this time through Nikita Parris. The Lioness was picked out superbly by Toone at the back post and nodded home unmarked.

Despite putting Man United under some second-half pressure, a mistake at the back allowed the hosts to kill off the tie. Parris was picked out in the six-yard box unmarked and tapped home into an open net.

It was game over when substitutes Rachel Williams and Melvine Malard scored late on to make it a comfortable afternoon for Man United.

The Lasses can’t be faulted for their effort and endeavour but the gulf in class was obvious, although Newcastle will be even more eager to reach the level of Man United in the coming years.