Maya Le Tissier is a rock for Manchester United, says boss Marc Skinner

Marc Skinner hailed captain Maya Le Tissier as Manchester United’s “rock” after her penalty secured the club’s first Champions League win on Wednesday.

The England defender struck after 31 minutes as United beat Norwegian side Valerenga 1-0 at Leigh Sports Village to launch their maiden campaign in Europe’s elite competition with a deserved success.

United manager Skinner said: “You see how much it means to her playing with the big dogs.

“She’s a great character and has a real calmness to take that penalty. She’s a rock for us and it’s fitting that she got the first goal.”

With some tough tests ahead in the league phase – against Atletico Madrid, Paris St Germain, Wolfsburg, Lyon and Juventus – Skinner felt it was crucial to get off to 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’ve got to pick up points, even if you don’t play well, but I thought we played well enough tonight to deserve the points.”

United dominated throughout and created numerous opportunities.

Skinner said: “We had enough chances to be really comfortable and probably haven’t been as clinical as we needed to but, overall, it’s our first night in Europe. It’s three points and a clean sheet, so we we’re happy with that.”

Valerenga coach Nils Lexerod was unhappy with the handball decision against Arna Eiriksdottir for the decisive penalty.

He said: “United created enough chances to score on other occasions but it was not a penalty because the ball hit the body before the hand. The rule is clear, it shouldn’t have been a penalty.”