Manchester United ushered in the new Women’s Super League season and manager Marc Skinner’s tenure with a 2-0 victory over Reading in Leigh. Goals from forward Kirsty Hanson and left-back Ona Batlle gave a crowd heaving with anticipation and nerves something to celebrate in either half, with England’s Ella Toone providing assists for both. Reading were unlucky not to have drawn level early in the second half but Brooke Chaplen’s effort was ruled not to have crossed the line after it deflected down off the crossbar. “The two goals gave me goosebumps for different reasons,” said Skinner. “We had the interchange and what we’re trying to work on within connected lines for the first one and then we had obviously the outstanding ability to finish like that [for the second].” It is fair to say that United fans have not known quite what to expect from their new manager and his team. The former Birmingham manager impressed in the Midlands, arguably helping the team to punch above their weight. He struggled in the United States, though, Orlando Pride finishing with their lowest ever points tally in his first season and rock bottom of the table. However, by the time United moved in, with former England international Casey Stoney having departed because of frustrations with the team’s facilities, Skinner’s Orlando had picked up 15 points in their opening seven games of the season, a club record. Skinner has his work cut out at United too. There have been concerns about this summer’s recruitment. Much of the club’s business was set up before Skinner’s arrival but United have failed to match the quality of departing US World Cup-winning duo Christen Press and Tobin Heath and young starlet Lauren James, who has joined Chelsea. Signing like-for-like without Champions League football is hard, but United have not been able to bring in the numbers to compensate for that with five incoming and 10 outgoing, three on loan. It was Reading who dominated for the first half an hour to add to the fears of United fans but the visiting team struggled to capitalise on their quick start. Without former Milan forward Natasha Dowie, who had a knock, and young Belgium striker Justine Vanhaevermaet, it was left to the 19-year-old Emma Harries to lead the line. In the 39th minute last season’s breakout player Toone, who scored nine times, found the key to unlocking the resilient Reading defence, as she threaded the ball through to winger Hanson, who waited for goalkeeper Grace Moloney to make a move before stroking the ball round her and in. It was United’s first attempt on target of the evening and against the run of play, but you could almost feel the pressure lift off red shoulders. In the second half United survived a scare when Chaplen’s blistering effort from distance crashed down off the crossbar and looked to have crossed the line before bouncing away but with no goalline technology in the WSL, Reading protests were fruitless. “I’ve just watched it back on Sky Sports and they slowed it down for me, to make it even more painful,” said the Reading manager, Kelly Chambers. “It’s over the line. The top level of the men’s game is so much further advanced and I would say that would be picked up in a Premier League game without goalline technology because at the end of the day the officials are well rehearsed in moments like that and we’re just not quite as far along with our officials, and unfortunately we lose out.” United’s 2020-21 player of the season, the Spanish full-back Ona Batlle, eased tensions again in the 55th minute though, doubling United’s lead. After a neat one-two with Toone she lashed the ball in after coming inside from the left. United will for sure face sterner tests. As well as being without two of their new recruits up front, Reading are having to come to terms with the retirement of England’s most-capped player, Fara Williams. Meanwhile, forward Deanne Rose, an Olympic gold medallist with Canada in the summer, was not deemed ready to enter the fray from the bench. Promoted Leicester are up next for United but then they play Chelsea, who they held to a draw on the opening day last year and suffered a tight 2-1 defeat to in the away fixture. That will undeniably offer more of a measure of just how much Skinner has been able to do with his new-look United team.