Skinner laments Man Utd's lack of bravery in FA Cup final defeat

Marc Skinner expressed his disappointment with Manchester United's performance in the FA Cup final as they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.

Sandy Baltimore inspired the Blues to their third trophy of the season on Sunday with a brilliant performance.

Baltimore found the net either side of Catarina Macario's bullet header to crown a dream debut campaign for Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor. 

Indeed, Chelsea became the first Women's Super League team to complete a domestic treble on two separate occasions, having also done so in the 2020-21 campaign. 

The Blues won the WSL, League Cup and FA Cup crowns without losing a single match. 

United worked hard to impose themselves early on but struggled to keep pace with the WSL champions as the game progressed.

They fell behind on the stroke of half-time as Baltimore slotted home from 12 yards out after Celin Bizet felled Erin Cuthbert inside the box.

Baltimore then set up Macario in the 84th minute before adding her second of the game in the first minute of second-half stoppage time. 

Reflecting on his side's performance, Skinner acknowledged that they kept pace physically but felt they lacked bravery with the ball.

"We started well. We matched them physically, but I wanted us to be braver with the ball," he said in a post-match press conference.

"But credit to Chelsea and congratulations to them on the season they've had."

He also pointed out areas where United must improve to compete at the top level, adding: "The game has swung on set pieces. We've got a lot of work to do."

Skinner also revealed that Ella Toone, who started the final on the bench, was nursing a knock, and he had to be selective about when to introduce his star player.

"Chelsea try to physically dominate in midfield. I felt if we started the game without physically matching them, we wouldn't have a foothold in the game," he said. 

"[Introducing Toone] was just about balancing for the right time and the opportunity to change the game."

Toone's introduction sparked a brief flurry of chances for United, with her and Elisabeth Terland creating opportunities in the second half, but it was ultimately a comfortable victory for Chelsea.

This was the third Women's FA Cup meeting between these two sides, with the Blues winning the 2023 final before the Red Devils got revenge in last season's semi-final en route to claiming the title.

And in what was his fourth FA Cup final, Skinner ultimately fell short, with the United boss having now lost three times in the showpiece match, once with Birmingham City in 2017 and twice with United, in 2023 and 2025.