Toone's dream derby but nightmare for Keating

Ella Toone could not person dreamed for a amended evening astatine Etihad Stadium arsenic she celebrated a hat-trick and came disconnected to a lasting ovation successful the Manchester derby.

The England planetary has had a pugnacious fewer months, dealing with the decease of her begetter successful September, past missing 2 months with a calf injury.

But Toone returned to Women's Super League enactment with a bang, stealing the amusement arsenic she and Manchester United stunned Manchester City to win 4-2 connected their rivals' turf.

Fans were chanting her sanction portion enjoying post-match celebrations and the 25-year-old described it arsenic a "special" evening.

"I've been done a lot," Toone told Sky Sports. "When I got injured it was a blessing successful disguise. Looking backmost now, I needed it - not conscionable physically but mentally arsenic well.

"I've utilized my clip wisely to get backmost fitter and stronger, and much importantly, to look aft myself.

"For each my family, it was bully to person a small interruption away. We evidently miss dada a batch truthful it's been tough, but I couldn't person done it without [my team-mates] truthful I'm buzzing."

Lifelong United instrumentality Toone had ne'er scored successful a Manchester derby anterior to Sunday's hat-trick truthful she could hardly judge it erstwhile she enactment her broadside up wrong 14 minutes.

Latching connected to a Hinata Miyazawa flick and a scuffed effort from striker Elisabeth Terland, Toone dinked a decorativeness implicit goalkeeper Khiara Keating.

Her team-mates flooded astir her during the solemnisation arsenic they stood looking up to the sky, gesturing emotion hearts with their hands, presumably successful tribute to her father.

Two errors from Keating either broadside of half-time allowed Toone to adhd to her tally and she raced implicit to the United fans with her treble sealed, sliding connected her knees with her arms outstretched and a beaming grin connected her face.

"We each cognize what she's been through. What's much important close present is that Ella Toone - for Manchester United and England - enjoys football," said manager Marc Skinner.

"There is truthful overmuch much maturation inactive to travel with Tooney. She volition instrumentality the headlines but the full squad was excellent.

"She gets a batch of plaudits due to the fact that of the idiosyncratic worldly she has been through. Sometimes you request that interruption and she got that done an injury.

"I person to marque definite she has that headspace and clarity. We request to support her for the close moments."

As United fans seranaded Toone astatine 1 extremity of the pitch, City striker Vivianne Miedema consoled goalkeeper Keating astatine the different arsenic the full-time whistle went.

A derby defeat, different dent to City's faltering WSL rubric situation and respective costly idiosyncratic errors meant a nightmare evening for 20-year-old Keating.

The England goalkeeper roared successful vexation throughout. First, erstwhile her abbreviated walk to Leila Ouahabi led to Toone's 2nd extremity to marque it 3-0, and past erstwhile her clearance was blocked by Terland for Toone to marque it 4-2, it was crucially conscionable seconds aft the restart with City looking to property connected aft ending the archetypal fractional successful the ascendancy.

Throwing her arms successful the aerial and shouting to the sky, it appeared Keating's evening could not get immoderate worse but the United fans taunted her down her extremity for the entirety of the 2nd half.

"Time is simply a healer. She volition beryllium OK, she volition consciousness sore similar we each do," said City brag Gareth Taylor.

"We win, suffer and gully unneurotic arsenic a team. There is nary idiosyncratic blame. She volition beryllium feeling worse I imagine."

It is not the archetypal clip Keating has made mistakes but the young goalkeeper has bounced backmost earlier - reclaiming her fig 1 garment and earning enactment for England.

She near Meadow Park successful tears erstwhile her precocious mistake helped Arsenal triumph 2-1 successful November 2023 and determination was a costly mix-up successful their FA Cup quarter-final decision by Tottenham past year.

But Taylor believes Keating volition travel backmost again, contempt contention for her spot from summertime signing Ayaka Yamashita undoubtedly expanding pressure.

"She's proven earlier [she tin bounce back] and she volition bash it again. We ne'er propulsion the blasted successful immoderate 1 absorption truthful I deliberation she volition beryllium OK wrong a mates of days," added the City boss.

"As overmuch arsenic United were aggressive, we played into their hands and we request to beryllium better.

"We are not going to become, nether my reign, a squad that volition smash the shot agelong oregon play long. There were times contiguous wherever determination were spaces and we exploited it - but we request to beryllium amended successful the execution of our extremity kicks."