Manchester United risk making same mistakes as Mary Earps makes honest contract admission

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

As the clock ticked down at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon, the pocket of travelling Chelsea fans in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand opted to make Mary Earps the subject of their derision. "Mary, what's the score?" they crowed at the Manchester United goalkeeper, who cut a solitary, slightly despondent, figure in her 18-yard box.

The score, in fact, was 6-0 to Chelsea. It was United's heaviest defeat of the season and, just a week on from the Reds' FA Cup triumph at Wembley, it served as a chastening reminder of their deficiencies.

Twelve months ago, there was little to separate these two sides but, in the balmy Manchester sunshine, the gulf in quality looked every bit as large as the 20-point gap between them would suggest. READ MORE: Emma Hayes admits Sir Alex Ferguson wine wish after Chelsea's WSL title triumph at Old Trafford READ MORE: Sir Alex Ferguson makes classy Man United gesture after unpopular Sir Jim Ratcliffe decision At the full-time whistle, Earps joined her teammates in parading the FA Cup trophy around the stadium but it was not quite the euphoric homecoming the United players had surely been hoping for.

At the other end of the pitch, the away fans rubbed further salt into Earps' wound by striking up a chorus of 'England's No.1', directed at Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.