Red Devils win opening game 4-0 in front of record crowd.

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An impressive first half helped the Red Devils to a 5-0 win over Reading in front of 7,217 supporters. Maya Le Tissier scored twice on her debut, Katie Zelem scored from the penalty spot, and Euros hero Alessia Russo scored her first of many WSL goals this season with a header.

Man Utd took the lead early on thanks to a goal from rookie forward Le Tissier, and they never looked back. A Zelem corner kick was headed toward goal by Grace Moloney, but the former Brighton & Hove Albion player had the nerve to flip it over her and into the net.

Just a few minutes later, after Euros champion Russo was hauled down by Moloney in the penalty area, Zelem scored from the penalty spot to make it 2-0 for the team. The decision to impose such a severe punishment appeared to be rather cruel.

Le Tissier scored twice on her debut for Manchester United, the second coming in the 25th minute when she headed in a corner kick by Zelem. Red Devils’ season success seemed certain with the Zelem-Le Tissier combo on set pieces.

After 35 minutes, Russo added her name on the scoreboard, bringing the total to four. The striker got up high to head home a wonderful cross from the right wing by newcomer Lucia Garcia.

Reading, who had played poorly in the first half, improved significantly in the second and even managed to get into the attacking third on a few times. Man Utd aided this, though, by letting off on the throttle when they realised they had the game well in hand.

Next weekend, Manchester United will travel to play West Ham at the Chigwell Construction Stadium in the south, where they might face a more challenging test throughout the course of the whole 90 minutes.