The England forward cannot stop scoring, following up her brace versus Aston Villa last week with another against the Seagulls
Nikita Parris kept her name firmly in contention for a Lionesses recall as her brace fired Manchester United to a 2-0 win over Brighton and allowed them to at least temporarily close the gap on the Women's Super League's top three to five points. The England forward is in some form, having now bagged six goals in her last five outings.
The Seagulls came into the game in a vulnerable place following the shock news of head coach Mel Phillips' sacking and that much was evident from the off as United took control of the game, breaking the deadlock after just nine minutes when Parris profited from some excellent work by Geyse.
Brighton forward Elisabeth Terland did pose problems for the hosts and forced Mary Earps into an excellent save in the first half but United rarely looked in trouble in this game, Geyse and Parris linking up again just after the hour to double the lead and put the game to bed as the Red Devils secured back-to-back wins in the WSL.
GOAL rates Man Utd's players from Leigh Sports Village…
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Mary Earps (7/10):
Made a superb stop to deny Terland an equaliser midway through the first half. Didn't have anything else to do.
Jayde Riviere (N/A):
Went off injured after half an hour.
Maya Le Tissier (7/10):
Great on the ball, as always. Hardly troubled defensively.
Millie Turner (5/10):
Out-muscled far too easily by Terland for Brighton's biggest chance. It wasn't the only occasion on which she struggled to contain the lively Norwegian, despite the Seagulls lacking in threat.
Hannah Blundell (7/10):
More effective when she swapped to the right to link-up with the lively Geyse. Won the ball back more than any other player.
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Katie Zelem (6/10):
Delivered dangerous set pieces and kept the ball well, albeit without injecting much tempo into the game.
Lisa Naalsund (6/10):
Always looked to stretch Brighton's defence and break the lines with the positions she took up.
Ella Toone (6/10):
Made some nice passes to keep moves ticking over in the final third. Had a good chance at the end of the first half but just scuffed her shot.
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Geyse (8/10):
Lively throughout, teeing up Parris to break the deadlock early on after some good work down the right before repeating the trick in the second half.
Nikita Parris (8/10):
Took up a great position and finished well to open the scoring, then did the exact same for her second. In flying form and an England recall cannot be far away.
Lucia Garcia (5/10):
Struggled to get involved and was subbed off before the hour.
GettySubs & Manager
Gemma Evans (7/10):
Replaced the injured Riviere in the first half and settled well. Got forward effectively and did her defensive duties comfortably, too.
Leah Galton (5/10):
Had plenty of time to make an impact, coming on before the hour, but struggled to do so in a game that often lacked energy.
Irene Guerrero (N/A):
Part of a triple change towards the end of the game as Man Utd looked to see it out.
Rachel Williams (N/A):
Attacks of note were few and far between in the short time she was on the pitch.
Melvine Malard (N/A):
Had a decent look at goal in the few minutes she got, but headed right at the goalkeeper from Zelem's corner.
Marc Skinner (6/10):
Playing Parris through the middle and Geyse out wide continues to produce great results. Lack of recruitment in the January window will come under the microscope after Riviere's injury, though, as it leaves United seriously lacking in the full-back department.