United secure victory in WSL

Bethany England was denied an early goal on her return to action as Manchester United pulled away to register a 4-0 win in the Women's Super League at the Gaughan Group Stadium (Brisbane Road) on Sunday evening.

Sidelined since undergoing a surgical procedure on her hip on the eve of the season, striker and captain England returned to lead the line in our first match back after the international break but saw a golden chance slip away inside seven minutes as her instinctive shot from eight yards out was blocked by Maya Le Tissier, in what turned out to be our best chance of the game.

After we controlled the first quarter-of-an-hour, United grew into the contest and after Melvine Malard gave them a 29th-minute lead, they scored three more goals after the break through Ella Toone, Malard and Hayley Ladd to leave us without a win in five WSL outings.

England made her comeback as one of five changes to the starting line-up from the heavy defeat at Manchester City last time out, as Robert Vilahamn shuffled his pack with four midfielders out - regular starter Grace Clinton was ineligible to face her parent club under the terms of her loan, joining the injured central midfield trio of Eveliina Summanen, Drew Spence and Olga Ahtinen on the sidelines. Defenders Shelina Zadorsky and Amy Turner - the latter facing her former club - came into a new-look back line for their first league starts of the season.

We made a bright start and after Celin Bizet tested Mary Earps from distance, we fashioned a great chance to take the lead on seven minutes as Martha Thomas - also facing her former employers - saw an angled shot parried by Earps, with England's attempts to turn the rebound into the net thwarted by a good block from Le Tissier in the six-yard box.

Nikita Parris was a threat in the box for United as they started to take control and after Leah Galton fizzed an angled shot over the bar, the visitors took the lead as Hannah Blundell's cross from the left saw Malard peel away behind Molly Bartrip and steer the ball beyond Becky Spencer just before the half-hour mark.

United doubled their lead six minutes after the break when Malard took a great touch midway inside our half and played the ball forward for Toone to clip it over Spencer, but we stuck to our principles and nearly fashioned a response on 57 minutes when Thomas' searching cross from the left almost found substitute Rosella Ayane bursting through the middle, but she couldn't quite get there ahead of Earps. Two minutes later, United effectively killed the game off when Ladd embarked on a good solo run, Turner produced a great tackle in the box to deny her but the ball ran kindly for Malard to produce a low finish from just outside the area and make it 3-0.

We still tried to push forward and Bizet found her way to the edge of the box down the left but with three players up in support, she elected to shoot, but it was a comfortable stop for Earps. And six minutes from time, our misery was compounded when Lucia Garcia squared for Ladd, who left Spencer rooted to the spot with her strike from a central position.

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Match data

Goals: Manchester United - Malard 29, 59, Toone 51, Ladd 84.

Yellow card: Spurs - Naz 49.

Referee: Kirsty Dowle.

Venue: Gaughan Group Stadium.

Weather: Partly cloudy, light breeze, 10 degrees.

Attendance: 2,152.