Manchester United leave it late to rescue a point against Brighton & Hove Albion as Lea Schuller spares hosts' blushes in WSL

Brighton & Hove Albion were minutes away from a third successive league win for the first time since 2021 as Lea Schuller's late strike earned Manchester United a draw.

The home side started brightly but Hinata Miyazawa and Ella Toone saw early efforts blocked.

United failed to make home advantage count and went into the break one-goal down after Jelena Cankovic capitalised on a Phallon Tullis-Joyce mistake to put the south coast side ahead in the 39th minute.

Marc Skinner's side pushed to go level shortly after the restart as Jess Park dragged an effort just wide before Miyazawa failed to convert a short Jess Park corner.

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At the other end, both Madison Haley and Fran Kirby had chances to double Brighton's advantage, the former missing from close range while the latter rifled over from distance.

It took until second-half stoppage time for United to finally break the Brighton resolve, as substitute Schuller picked the perfect time to score her first league goal of the campaign, netting past Chiamaka Nnadozie from close range.

The result saw United miss the chance to leapfrog Arsenal into third place and all but end their hopes of qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League, while Brighton remain sixth with a draw that extended their unbeaten run to four matches.

Jelena Cankovic in action for Brighton & Hove Albion against Manchester United

Image credit: Getty Images

Skinner praised super sub Schuller after the match following the 28-year-old's 94th-minute leveller at the Progress with Unity Stadium.

"Congratulations to Lea Schuller because if we serve her in that box, she’ll score goals. If we serve her in that area, she’ll score goals," Skinner told the official Manchester United website.

"We need to do better at that. As a collective, you take the resilience, the bounce-back to take a point."

The United boss added that he felt his side were the better of the two teams on Saturday, adding: "Overall, I’ll say we were probably the better team, but we weren’t ruthless enough."

The draw will likely pile pressure on head coach Skinner, who insisted he has "no doubts" he remains the best person to continue in charge despite facing criticism from fans recently.

Skinner defiant over United position

A proportion of supporters have questioned Skinner's future in charge, and Saturday's draw, a result that extended their winless run to three matches to hinder their Champions League chances, will do little to quieten dissenters.

When asked last week whether he still felt he was the right person for the job, Skinner said: "Oh, absolutely, absolutely, no doubts. You've seen the growth of our team.

"If you look at the job we have done, there have been highs and lows. Of course there is. That is natural in any season.

Marc Skinner is under pressure at Manchester United

Image credit: Getty Images

"We are fully focused on getting this team to where we want it to be and we haven't finished the job yet.

"I am wholeheartedly in it to put our team in a position we want to be in, which is where we can win titles going forward."

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Skinner added that he is "fully aligned" with the board's ambitions, continuing: "Whatever people say about me, I have to focus on performances. I have always done that - I'm always honest and truthful.

"I would put myself back into that position to make sure we get this team back to winning ways. That is what I'm here to do and what I will continue to do."

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