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Mark Skinner praises captain Maya Le Tissier Manchester UnitedThe “Rock” secured the club’s first Champions League win on Wednesday after a penalty.
The England defender scored after 31 minutes as United began their first campaign in Europe’s elite competition with the expected success by beating Norwegian side Vålerenga 1-0 at the Leigh Sports Village.
United manager Skinner said: “You can see how much playing with the big dogs means to him.
“He’s a great character and he really had the calmness to take that penalty. He’s a rock for us and it’s fitting that he got the first goal.”
With some tough tests in the league stage – against Atlético Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Wolfsburg, Lyon and Juventus – Skinner felt it was important to make a winning start.
He said: “I think we need about nine to 12 points to get into that pack.
“Of course we would like more but we are playing some incredible teams, so it was important to get three points to start the campaign, especially at home.
“You have to get points, even if you don’t play well, but I thought we played well enough tonight to get points.”
United dominated throughout and created many chances.
Skinner said: “We had enough chances to get really comfortable and perhaps we weren’t as clinical as we needed to be, but overall, it’s our first night in Europe. It’s three points and a clean sheet, so we’re happy with that.”
Vålerenga coach Nils Lexrod was unhappy with the handball decision against Erna Eriksdottir for the decisive penalty.
“United created enough chances to score on other occasions but it was not a penalty because the ball hit the body before the hands. The rules are clear, it should not have been a penalty,” he said.