Everton 0-3 Manchester United: Nikita Parris scores against former club
- Published
Nikita Parris scored against her former club Everton to help send Manchester United to the top of the Women's Super League.
Parris slotted past Courtney Brosnan after Leah Galton headed the ball into her path inside the six-yard box.
Galton made it 2-0 before Hayley Ladd found the top corner from 18 yards.
United, who were commanding, are the first team since Manchester City in 2016 to win their first five WSL games without conceding a goal.
United are level on 15 points with Arsenal after five games but have a superior goal difference over the Gunners. Chelsea, who are third, also have 15 points but have played one game more.
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Man Utd mean business
A lack of depth cost Manchester United towards the end of last season as they missed out on a place in Europe.
But Marc Skinner's side look genuine challengers for a Champions League spot this time after a strong start to their fourth season in the WSL.
They did not look back once Everton's defence was exposed in the 13th minute by Parris, who scored for the second successive league game.
Everton's defending was again suspect as Galton was allowed to move forward unchallenged from 30 yards out before picking her spot from inside the box to double the lead.
Ladd scored the goal of the game, a clinical finish which found the top corner of the net. In doing so, the Wales international became United's 10th different scorer in the WSL this season.
"The players were magnificent," Skinner told BBC Sport. "We were ruthless when we needed to be."
Tougher challenges await Skinner's team in the next few weeks. They host Chelsea on 6 November (18:45 GMT) before facing Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on 19 November (17:30).
"We want to pitch ourselves against the best," added Skinner. "We know how tough it will be but that's what we're here for.
"That's where we aspire to be and we'll give everything to try and get the results from them."
If United's 100% winning record remains intact after Chelsea and Arsenal, they will have reason to aim for more than just Champions League qualification.
Everton's home woes continue
Everton have now lost eight of their past 14 home games in the WSL and have taken just 12 points from a possible 42 in front of their own fans.
There is no doubt they are moving in the right direction under Brian Sorensen - but with a chance to produce a statement win under their new manager, they contributed to their own downfall with some sloppy defending.
Gabby George, Aggie Beever-Jones and Karen Holmgaard tested visiting goalkeeper Mary Earps but it was far too comfortable for United in the end.
Everton finished the match with 10 players on the pitch, with Katrine Veje forced off with an injury after they had made all their substitutions.
"We showed in small patches what we can do. But we need to put more than 25 minutes of good football to be a strong team like Manchester United," said Sorensen.
"It's probably where we are right now. We need to still learn and the players need to learn from one other when we get into bad periods and how we stay on top of that."