MANCHESTER UNITED WOMEN
v Liverpool Women
WOMEN’S LEAGUE CUP • WEDNESDAY 2 OCTOBER 2024 • 7PM
WATSON INTERVIEW THE OPPOSITION
REWIND TO... 2011
JUNIOR REDS STATS AT THE BACK ADDED-TIME QUIZ
MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL
Co-chairmen Joel Glazer, Avram Glazer
Directors Bryan Glazer, Kevin Glazer, Edward Glazer, Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, Michael Edelson, Sir Alex Ferguson, David Gill CBE, Omar Berrada, Sir Dave Brailsford, Jean-Claude Blanc Secretary Rebecca Britain Honorary president Martin Edwards
MATCH PROGRAMME TEAM
Editor Charlie Ghagan Contributors Mikey Partington, Helen Rowe-Willcocks, Steve Bartram, Sean Mullan, Harry Robinson, Jamie Spencer, Joe Ganley, Matthew Brown Photography Charlotte Tattersall, Ash Donelon, Getty, Alamy
Thanks to Ellie Decrop, John Shiel, Paul Davies
Marc
SKINNER
AS OUR GROUP STAGE BEGINS IN THE LEAGUE CUP, THE BOSS WANTS TO SEE AN ENERGETIC DISPLAY AGAINST ONE OF UNITED’S BIGGEST CLUB RIVALS
Welcome back to Leigh Sports Village. It’s good to be home. It’s always special taking to the pitch at LSV and we have all been looking forward to playing here for the first time since April. It will be great for our summer signings to finally see what the fuss is all about!
After the win at Old Trafford to start our season, we continued our good start with another three points at Everton on Sunday. I thought Everton were very good but we did enough to win the game, and we were pleased to get another clean sheet also.
Our latest opponents Liverpool are a difficult side to face, with Matt Beard setting up an organised team – we found that out ourselves last season. We are aiming to take everything we learnt, not just from last season but also over the summer and pre-season, to make sure we are at our best against them tonight.
We’d been preparing for a three-game week, so the postponement of the Chelsea league game this coming Sunday is frustrating, but it’s probably the right decision if it benefits players’ safety, and the decision was made in the best interests of players for both sides. We’d rather have a game to play at the weekend, of course, but we can work around
that. So while a three-game week has now become a two-game week, squad depth will remain key in tonight’s game. We have so many talented players in our squad and it’s important we use everyone to our best advantage without diminishing the importance of the competition.
Squad rotation is so important and the players are ready to shine, no matter which game they are needed in. Manchester United is a club that prides itself on winning trophies and the League Cup is our first opportunity of the season to fight for silverware so we’ll be doing all we can to go all the way, having reached the semi-finals three times since United were reformed in 2018.
I will be looking for a positive performance with high energy from my players tonight, and we want those on the pitch to have a chance to show their qualities. It’s about making sure we play our opponent, get the points and put ourselves in a strong position to progress from our group.
Sing loud and proud, and enjoy the game.
TEST numbers Run the
A STAT-BASED PREVIEW OF TONIGHT’S CUP
This evening’s outing will be the first of our seventh campaign in the League Cup, a competition that has provided us all with plenty of memories over the last six seasons. United Women’s first-ever match was at this stage of the tournament in 2018, a 1-0 win away to tonight’s opponents at Prenton Park, so the competition will always hold a special place in the team’s history. Our maiden victory over Manchester City also came in the League Cup during the following term, while we’ve enjoyed high-scoring triumphs since – notably against Leicester (11-1) and Everton (7-0) –as well as edging through some nail-biting encounters – against City again, and away at
Arsenal on our most recent run to the semi-finals, in 2021/22. The last-four stage is as far as United have got, three times in fact, so we’ll all be hoping for lucky appearance no.7 as the next chapter in our League Cup story begins.
For all of our home-and-away meetings with Liverpool, we’ve only faced them three times in the League Cup prior to tonight. A clash in this tournament every other year may seem quite regular but, by contrast, we’ve been drawn to play the visitors’ fellow Merseysiders Everton in each term to date. All three of our previous duels with Liverpool have been contested at their former Prenton Park home, including the aforementioned ’18/19 rendezvous, which secured Lizzie Arnot an instant spot in club folklore. Abbie McManus’s goal was in vain
when Liverpool ran out 3-1 victors in October 2020, but Nikita Parris’s sole strike in last season’s tie nudged us back in front in the head-to-head stakes for this cup. Tonight sees United take on hosting duties for the first time.
Lisa Naalsund was on target during our most recent League Cup win, in December last year
Phallon starred when we last met Liverpool in this cup
Words: Mikey Partington
It’s hard to believe that United Women last took to the Leigh Sports Village turf nearly six months ago... or 164 days, to be precise. That’s when our new captain Maya Le Tissier’s stoppage-time equaliser earned Marc Skinner’s Reds a WSL point against Tottenham. Quite a bit has happened since that Sunday afternoon in the April sunshine: the UK has a new prime minister, iconic Manchester band Oasis announced they’re getting back together after 15 years and, as you probably recall, United Women won the FA Cup in spectacular fashion at Wembley. Our two competitive home fixtures since that success under the iconic arch have been at Old Trafford, either side of the summer break, meaning this is the first time the Cup winners will be back in this particular corner of Greater Manchester. LSV is a place that has become home for the Reds over the last six years, and with so much hard work on the journey to lifting that first major trophy done at this stadium, it will be satisfying to see the team return tonight having achieved that. Bigger attendances than tonight are certain to come at LSV in the months ahead, with midweek League Cup games traditionally seeing a smaller crowd, but we’re certain those in the two open stands will be as pleased as we are to finally be back!
Quite a bit has happened since that Sunday afternoon in the April sunshine when we last played here
There is a familiar face in the opposition ranks tonight, as ex-United defender Gemma Evans could come up against her old team. The Wales international made the switch between the clubs over the summer, after a season with us that included 19 total appearances. Evans started all four of our League Cup matches last term and may be involved on the other side this evening, having recently made her Liverpool debut
against Leicester. As rare as transfers are between the two rivals in the men’s game (forward Phil Chisnall being the last... in 1964!) Gemma certainly isn’t the first woman to have made such a switch, with a number of players making the move from Merseyside to Manchester in the summer of 2018 when Manchester United Women was reformed.
Rewind to 21 April, when we drew 2-2 with Spurs in Leigh
Discover more
What’s crucial for your business?
For Manchester United, it’s crucial to stay connected. With the support of remote access from TeamViewer, the club transports the excitement of the stadium to its supporters around the world. With instant updates and uninterrupted broadcasting, fans stay connected with the team they love.
CHELSEA GAME OFF
Sunday’s WSL fixture with champions to be rearranged due to UWCL conflict
United’s upcoming Women’s Super League clash with Chelsea, scheduled to be played this coming Sunday at the Blues’ Kingsmeadow home, has been called off.
Our 14th meeting with the reigning WSL champions, which was set to be broadcast live on Sky Sports, has been postponed due to the Londoners’ involvement in the Women’s Champions League, with Sonia Bompastor’s side required to face Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge on the evening of Tuesday 8 October, less than 36 hours after their meeting with Marc Skinner’s Reds. A statement from the Women’s Professional Leagues Limited read: ‘Due to the scheduling of Chelsea’s first UWCL group-stage game, the
KICK-OFF CHANGE FOR GUNNERS VISIT
Our WSL fixture against Arsenal has been rescheduled for TV broadcast. The change means the game will now kick-off at 12.30pm on Sunday 3 November. This amendment comes because our clash with Jonas Eidevall’s side has been selected for live coverage on BBC Two. Our record LSV attendance of 8,312 came against the Gunners last season, with another large crowd expected for their latest visit – if you don’t yet have a ticket, visit tickets.manutd.com.
BWSL game between Chelsea and Manchester United, due to take place on Sunday 6 October, has been postponed. We apologise for any inconvenience to fans. In this instance, we have to put player welfare first and we will announce a new date for the fixture in due
course. We thank the clubs and Sky Sports for their understanding as we work on a resolution.”
Keep an eye on ManUtd.com, the club app and our match programmes for updates on the rescheduled date for this high-profile league fixture.
AMEX VISIT
Next up on the road for the Reds is an eye-catching trip to the Amex Stadium in Brighton on Saturday 19 October (12.30pm kick-off). We have received an allocation of 1,579 for this fixture, including 14 wheelchair pairs. Tickets are priced at £12 for adults and £6 for over-65s and under-18s. Groups of 10+ will be charged at £6 per ticket, plus there is a bundle of two adults + two under-18s for £24. Tickets are on sale to all supporters, but each supporter will need their own account. ● To buy or for the latest info, visit tickets.manutd.com.
Eidevall and his squad are back in Leigh in early November
Our last visit to Chelsea’s primary home ground came in March 2023
FAN-TASTIC SCENES
Taken: Saturday 21 September, Old Trafford, and Sunday 29 September, Walton Hall Park
What’s the story? How we love this photo (left), taken in the seconds after Geyse had fired home our opening goal of the new season. The sunglasses were as prevalent as the red shirts in the lower tier of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand that day, with the players so thankful to those who came out to cheer us on to a 3-0 win against West Ham. That love was evident out on the pitch (above, top) on a heartwarming afternoon in M16, and while the numbers in the stands were considerably lower for the trip to Everton’s 2,200-capacity Walton Hall Park eight days later, that appreciation for you loyal fans was once again clear to see from Marc Skinner and his squad (above).
UNITED TO DELIVER EXCELLENCE
MLT
HAVING MADE A PERFECT START AS SKIPPER IN THE WSL, MAYA WANTS TO EXPERIENCE THAT WINNING FEELING IN THE CUP THIS EVENING
Welcome back to LSV. This is a place we love playing at and I hope we can make it a fortress once again this season. The fans are always amazing wherever we go but LSV is special and we cannot wait to get back to playing here. The games are always tough, whether it’s the league or in the cups, but when the fans get behind us at our home, it gives us that extra push and boost we need.
It’s our first League Cup game of the season this evening. I think this competition is really exciting and a good challenge for us away from the league. We want to do well in any competition we are in and get to as many finals as we can. And if we want to go far in this competition we know we’ll need to kick off the group stage well. We want to be able to let players shine and show people what we can do as a squad. We have such a strong squad that every game, whatever the competition, is an opportunity for players to fight
for their place in the team and to utilise different partnerships. The talent is so high within the squad, so I cannot wait to see them all play their part, whether in the cups or the league. Liverpool always bring a challenge. We had some difficult games against them last season. They are a very well-drilled side and we know they will be hard to face. We know we’ll need to be at our best to get all three points in this first group game, but we’ll be ready to give our all in front of you loyal fans come kick-off.
TAKING THE FINAL STEP
Words: Mikey Partington
AFTER THREE SEMIFINAL EXITS, THE REDS’ CONTENTIOUS ELIMINATION FROM LAST SEASON’S GROUP STAGE LEFT A SOUR TASTE ––BUT THAT ONLY HEIGHTENS OUR DESIRE TO REACH THIS CUP’S SHOWPIECE FINAL IN MARCH...
United Women head coach Marc Skinner understandably walked into the auditorium at Manchester City’s Joie Stadium with mixed feelings following January’s loss to the Blues in the League Cup derby.
The boss, sitting down to reflect on the game with the assembled journalists, had just seen his Reds side come out on the wrong end of an eventually decisive group-stage clash, despite a battling performance that saw Gareth Taylor’s City edge a 2-1 victory.
“I can only commend them,” Skinner (below) said of his players, speaking to MUTV just before his press conference. “They’re devastated at the end of the game; they pushed City all the way. Barring a little bit of quality in that [defensive] box and us taking another chance, we can win the game ourselves.”
But still, having won each of our three previous Group B matches, United appeared to have done enough to progress to the quarter-finals regardless, as one of the two second-placed sides with the most points, despite defeat in our fourth
and final fixture of the group phase. However, as Skinner conducted his post-match media duties, news of a complication elsewhere began to surface. With Aston Villa fielding an ineligible player in their Group A victory over Sunderland on the same night, the outcome of that tie would eventually be reversed just under a week later, resulting in Sunderland going through as group winners – while Villa took the best runners-up spot that had previously been United’s, due to their superior goal difference.
Helplessly, the Reds exited the competition but would only have to wait until the end of the season to conclude our pursuit of a first major trophy elsewhere, by lifting the FA Cup at Wembley.
We’ll never know if going out of the League Cup before the knockout stages – unusual circumstances aside – was a driving factor in the silverware success four months down the line, but one thing is for sure: Skinner’s Reds will be fired up to right last season’s wrongs in the League Cup and add another new prize to the honours board as we enter the tournament again tonight.
This competition has seen many changes since its inception in 2011, and as such has had its critics (Chelsea’s departed boss Emma Hayes being one of them), but it is, of course, a major trophy, and there aren’t too many of them to compete for each season.
So what’s new for 2024/25? Well, for starters, the competition will now simply be known as the League Cup, as it will not be played under the name of previous mainstay sponsor Continental Tyres, or include the branding of the Football Association, following the takeover by the Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL).
Format-wise, it’s very much as you were, aside from the fact that it will run with 23 teams – one fewer than in the previous campaign – after Reading’s withdrawal from the Championship in June due to financial issues. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City have automatic passes to the quarter-finals on account of their participation in the main phase of the Champions League, while the remainder of the 20 clubs from English women’s football’s top two tiers have been split into regional sections for the group stage.
Opposite page – top row: Arsenal away (2018/19 semi-final); Chelsea home (2019/20 semi-final); Everton away (2020/21 group stage); Bottom row: Chelsea away (2021/22 semi-final); Sheffield United home (2022/23 group stage); Man City away (2023/24 group stage) →
There are five groups of four in total – two northern and three southern – with each
PLAY WITH STYLE
WHAT IS STYLE?
It’s Control. Creativity. And being prepared to cross that line. It’s the freedom to do your thing and play to your own whistle. It’s the ‘I’ in Individuality and the ‘You’ in UNITED. www.remington.co.uk/manutd
The visit of Newcastle for the final group game should make for the best atmosphere of Group A
table-topper at the end of three fixture rounds joining the aforementioned European clubs in the last eight.
No knockout spaces have been reserved for group runners-up this time around, as Arsenal and Manchester City both won their Champions League qualifying ties. (Had either team lost, they would have forfeited their provisional bye to the quarterfinals and been drawn into the group stage, with an extra last-eight spot then going to the best runners-up.) So while the clear-cut nature of qualification is good news for the organisers, it does mean that only top spot is good enough to proceed.
United form one quarter of Group A, alongside our most frequent League Cup adversaries, Everton, tonight’s opponents, Liverpool, and first-time entrants Newcastle United, following their maiden
Arsenal and Chelsea compete in last season’s final at Molineux, where the Gunners prevailed against the Blues for the second straight campaign
PREVIOUS
FINALS
2011 Arsenal 4-1 Birmingham City
2012 Arsenal 1-0 Birmingham City
2013 Arsenal 2-0 Lincoln
2014 Man City 1-0 Arsenal
2015 Arsenal 3-0 Notts County
2016 Man City 1-0+ Birmingham City
2017/18 Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City
2018/19 Man City 0-0* Arsenal
2019/20 Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal
2020/21 Chelsea 6-0 Bristol City
2021/22 Man City 3-1 Chelsea
2022/23 Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
2023/24 Arsenal 1-0+ Chelsea
+after extra-time *won on penalties
promotion to the second tier last season. While we’ve never had the chance to come up against Newcastle before in this competition, Skinner’s Reds did triumph 5-0 in January’s inaugural competitive meeting, in the FA Cup, before emerging 3-1 winners from a pre-season friendly in the summer. If the Geordies travel to Leigh in anything like the numbers they did for that FA Cup tie, it should make for the best atmosphere of the group stage. We do, however, have plenty of League Cup history with the two Merseyside clubs. Liverpool were memorably our women’s team’s first-ever opposition in August 2018 – when Lizzie Arnot’s
close-range finish was enough to take all three points in this competition on a historic day – and the clubs can claim a victory each from the two meetings that have followed since in the League Cup.
Tonight will be United’s first time as the home side against Liverpool in the tournament, although hosting duties have been shared over the years with Everton. Incredibly, we’ve faced the Toffees in every one of our six League Cup campaigns to date (twice at home, four times away), with this season’s clash set to take place at Walton Hall Park on 22 November.
Our previous record bodes well for Skinner’s Reds ahead of that encounter too, with five United wins outnumbering one loss from those head-to-heads of the past, including a walloping 7-0 triumph here at Leigh Sports Village last term.
A final-matchday showdown with Newcastle follows at LSV on 11 December – our penultimate fixture across all competitions before the mid-season winter break, which the Reds will hope to go into with League Cup football to look forward to in 2025.
Three group-stage wins in 90 minutes would make sure of that but is certainly easier said than done. Games drawn at the end of normal time will earn both teams a point, with an extra up for grabs by winning a subsequent penalty shoot-out. Penalties, if teams cannot be separated after extra-time, are also a feature of the knockout rounds, which will begin with the quarter-finals on 22/23 January. Last-four
REDS IN THE LEAGUE CUP
2018/19 Semi-final – lost 1-2 to Arsenal (A)
2019/20 Semi-final – lost 0-1 to Chelsea (H)
2020/21 Group stage exit (fourth place, two points from three games)
2021/22 Semi-final – lost 1-3 to Chelsea (A)
2022/23 Group stage exit (second place, eight points from four games)
2023/24 Group stage exit (second place, nine points from four games)
Tonight will be United’s first time as the home side against Liverpool in this competition
ties are in the schedule for two weeks later (5/6 February), while the final is pencilled for the weekend of 15/16 March, at a venue still to be confirmed at the time of publishing. The last five finals have been held at the City Ground, Vicarage Road, Plough Lane, Selhurst Park and Molineux.
Wherever that showpiece fixture is held in 2025, Skinner’s side will strive to be there and, if successful, will better our previous best runs to the semi-finals of the competition in 2019, 2020 and 2022.
But nothing is ever certain in knockout football; we need only to look back to last season to know that. Cup runs can be magical, but also cruel. Let’s see what our latest League Cup campaign has in store, starting right here against Matt Beard’s Merseysiders.
After Newcastle’s FA Cup visit last season, we look forward to facing them again in the League Cup
This is Grace and her friends celebrating Seran’s birthday on the weekend of the West Ham game.
Hello to Jess, Amelia, Keira and Iona –they’re from Birmingham, Blackpool, Cheltenham and Cheshire but meet up for United matches. Love to hear it!
Caoimhe’s name was in the West Ham programme, and we promised her a picture!
Scarlett turns 16 on 8 October, and she loves her football. This is her alongside her friend Polly.
‘Happy 22nd birthday Daisy –enjoy tonight’s match. Love Dad x’
Here’s Caitlin with her brilliant Leah artwork (and Leah herself!) She turned 13 on 1 October.
Congrats to Jamie and Amy on your recent marriage!
Helping our young people tell their stories.
FOLLOW ALONG
ENGAGE ● INSPIRE ● UNITE
ECO ENTHUSIASTS
United players and fans link up in support of youth-led environmental project
Two avid Reds from one of the Foundation’s partner schools had the opportunity to meet five of our women’s team in a recent Carrington get-together.
Georgia and Miley Rose, from Bolton St Catherine’s Academy, were overjoyed to spend time with Hayley Ladd, Aoife Mannion and Phallon Tullis-Joyce, who took part in activities to support the Foundation’s Eco Reds initiative. Jess Simpson and Safia Middleton-Patel were also on hand to pass on inspiration to the Foundation duo.
Eco Reds is a youth-led programme helping young people to embark on a sustainable journey
through education, youth voice and social action. Students from the Foundation’s partner school network who had shown a prior interest in environment and sustainability topics were nominated to become ‘Eco Reds’ last year, helping them to gain further knowledge about protecting the planet.
Georgia and Miley Rose are among the Foundation’s inspiring group of Eco Reds participants and were rewarded with the opportunity to visit Carrington for their exclusive meet-and-greet. “It meant a lot to meet the players because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they
inspire me so much,” said Georgia.
“The players helped us with different Eco Reds activities, one of them was planting seeds using recycled milk cartons.” Meanwhile, Miley Rose said: “I was really excited to meet the players and I got to ask them questions about their life and how they feel being a footballer.”
On their Eco Reds activity, she added: “We are going to start doing litter-picks and making kit bags, which is where we recycle old Manchester United kit to create drawstring bags.”
The Eco Reds initiative forms part of ‘Premier League Inspires’, a personal development programme supported by the PFA which uses the power of football to help young people develop personal skills and positive attitudes. Visit mufoundation.org for
Aoife meets the nominated ‘Eco Reds’, with Jess and Safia also spending time with the youngsters (right)
2024/25 POSTER HINATA MIYAZAWA
#34 Emma Watson
OUR TEENAGE SCOT IS USING HER ‘BRAVEHEART MENTALITY’ TO BELATEDLY KICKSTART HER REDS CAREER,
WHILE PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR OTHERS WHO HAVE SUSTAINED ACL SETBACKS...
Interview: Mikey Partington
Emma, first of all, it’s great to have you back with the team this season, how are you feeling at the moment?
I’m buzzing to be back with the girls, back training with them every day, back in the environment and actually feeling like a footballer again, not just a rehabber! So, it’s been great and I’m loving every minute of being back.
FACTFILE
DATE OF BIRTH
28 January 2006
POSITION Midfielder
PLACE OF BIRTH
Edinburgh, Scotland
YOUTH CAREER
Boroughmuir Thistle, Rangers
SENIOR CAREER
2021-23 Rangers
53 appearances, 8 goals
INTERNATIONAL CAREER
Scotland, 4 caps, 3 goals
HONOURS
SWPL winner: 2021/22
SWPL Cup winner: 2022/23
PFA Scotland Women’s Young Player of the Year, 2023
We’re speaking around a year after you suffered your anterior cruciate ligament injury. Can you summarise what the last 12 months have been like for you? They have been extremely difficult. Obviously, it’s a major injury and a long process. Throughout that process brings lots of highs and lows, so it’s about navigating that. It’s been hard at times – we had two other ACL injuries at the same time, to Jess [Simpson] and Gabs [George] and they were a massive help, as people I could lean on. It’s been a tough journey but, at the same time, I’ve kind of enjoyed that challenge of: ‘Okay, this is where I’m at, I’ve had surgery, I need to rebuild myself and apply myself every day in the gym to get better, to get stronger.’ Yes, I didn’t play for 12 months, but I was getting better in other areas of my game that needed improving so I don’t see that time as time lost, I see that time as full of growth that’s going to help me in my career, mentally as well.
Sounds like you’ve learned lots about yourself...
I’ve learned loads. When you take away football from anyone who loves the game, it can feel like a loss of identity at times, because that’s all we’ve been used to, but it was a massive time for me to discover things about myself that I didn’t know before. I started reading different books and I really enjoyed going out doing activities, spending time with friends and trying to fill that time when I didn’t have football with things that are different. I definitely discovered lots about myself.
We saw you posted on Instagram a few days ago that you wanted to share more about the injury – you said it’s something that ‘haunts the women’s game’... I think it’s massive for future young girls who may also go →
through this injury. If I can share my story and give a wee insight into my experiences, hopefully I can help the next young girl who unfortunately goes through it. So, I’m really excited to be sharing my story. I’m fortunate that I’m able to do that and I just hope people that watch it can get a wee bit of understanding about it, and hopefully help others.
Tell us a bit more about the story you are to share?
It will just be looking at some of the highs and the lows, starting at signing my first professional contract with United and then, within six weeks, rupturing my ACL. It’s a bit behind-the-scenes... the surgery, the recovery process, getting back on the pitch with the team, and just capturing and documenting that whole journey. I think it’s important to not just look at all the highs and achievements throughout rehab, but to talk about emotions, feelings and setbacks, because every setback is a set-up for a comeback. So, I really just want to share my story and I hope that people will appreciate it and maybe learn a few things about me and the ACL injury as a whole.
We’ll look forward to seeing that. You’ve mentioned Gabby and Jess – can you give us a bit of an insight into what that support network was like for you?
My bond with Jess and Gabby is really strong. When you’re working in the same environment every day together, you grow close really quickly. We’ve been quite vulnerable and open with each other which also helps build connections. The support as well at United has been huge, I can’t fault anything. The physios have been great, Marc’s been great, the coaching staff... every single person has been there for us to lean on. I’m really grateful I’m at a club that offers that much support. I don’t think I could have got through the injury without everyone having my back. My team-mates have been massive, always checking in on us,
always making sure we’re okay, keeping us included even though we’re not going out to train and play matches with them. I still felt like a vital part of the squad. I felt valued.
Talk to us a little bit about the emotions you felt stepping back on the pitch for the first time during the run of pre-season friendlies…
I was a bit nervous in the morning of the game but when I got to the warm-up, just before I went out onto the pitch, I felt calm, confident, excited, up for the game. I had a buzz about me, waiting for that first challenge. I was so excited to play that game and I just wanted to embrace every minute of the 45 I played. It was a really special day.
Can you recall who you spoke to first after the game?
My mum had come down from Scotland to watch and after I came off the pitch at half-time I’m pretty sure I went right over to her and gave her a big hug. I was just so, so happy. You could see the big smile on her face because it’s been a tough journey for myself but it’s also impacted my family. They want me to do well in football, they want to see me succeed and they don’t want me to go through this hurt, they want to protect me. It’s been hard for them as well so seeing how happy it made my mum made me even happier. It was a great moment to share with her and I’m so grateful she came down to see my first game back.
A few pre-season nerves on the pitch at St George’s Park, but Emma did herself proud
Emma and Gabby – along with Jess – have been a huge support for each other over the past year
That must have been so fulfilling for you all... Yeah, definitely – there were a lot of emotions that day, we were a wee bit teary-eyed! I went back home to Scotland after the game and got to see my dad and my two brothers – I was so buzzing and they were so buzzing for me. I was telling them about the game and that was just a really high moment for me. I hadn’t felt a high like that in a wee while. Every footballer would say they love training but it’s playing the games that you train for, that you live for. So, being back in that environment, being back on the pitch and experiencing the emotions, the feistiness, the big tackles, scoring the goals, defending, it’s what I’ve missed.
In terms of your family from Scotland, have you moved down to Manchester on your own and if so, do you get to see much of them? I moved down last year by myself, I live with a host family.
“After I came off the pitch for my first game back I went over to my mum and gave her a big hug”
My family come down once every month or two. Having my injury, I was able to get home quite frequently. I don’t think it’ll be the same this season, but I see them as much as I can.
How have you found that personal challenge of being away from home, seeing as you’re still only 18?
At the start it maybe took me a wee bit to settle in, living
CALEDONIAN GIRLS
Kirsty Smith 2018-22
United: 58 apps/1 goal
Scotland: 49 caps/0 goals
Current club: West Ham
Lizzie Arnot 2018-20
United: 34 apps/9 goals
Scotland: 39 caps/3 goals
Current club: Rangers
Kirsty Hanson 2018-22
United: 90 apps/16 goals
Scotland: 32 caps/4 goals
Current club: Aston Villa
Jane Ross 2019-21
United: 34 apps/7 goals
Scotland: 147 caps/62 goals
Current club: Rangers
Martha Thomas 2021-23
United: 53 apps/8 goals
Scotland: 38 caps/19 goals
Current club: Tottenham
Having picked up UWCL experience with Rangers, Emma wants a return to the competition with United
The box-to-box midfielder has an eye for goal, as we’ve seen on the training ground!
Five senior Scottish Reds, whose footsteps young midfielder Emma hopes to follow in very soon...
with new people in a new city at a new club with new team-mates – there was a lot of change happening, and then six weeks later I did my ACL. So, it was a time with a lot of change and discomfort and all new things, but I think I settled pretty well. My host family have been great, they’ve been a massive support. I’ve built great relationships with them – and they’re very big United fans!
Good to hear. With pre-season, aside from the personal milestone of being back on the pitch, what did you enjoy most about that time?
Just being back training every day with the girls, pushing each other, being back in that competitive environment. We’ve had a lot of change with players leaving, players joining, so it’s been nice to really get to know the new girls and build those relationships. It’s felt like a fresh start in a way for myself which I really enjoyed. It was tough, we were definitely put through our paces, but that challenge, those hard runs that are difficult at the time but you feel great after, I’ve loved every single bit of that.
Having been a new signing this time last year, have you been able to help the new players from experience?
I try and help them where I can and I like to think I’m a friendly person, someone who is approachable that they can talk to. I’ve integrated into the team but I hadn’t really trained for long last season before I got injured and hadn’t played many games, so in a way I still felt like a new signing myself, and trying to find my feet like the new girls that have come in. But I’ve been there to help and try and guide them too.
What would a competitive debut mean?
It would mean the world to me. When something’s taken away from you so quick and having to go through a process to get back to that... all that hard work getting back, all those long hours in the gym, the early mornings, the late nights, everything I’ve been through, it would all be worth it for that one moment to make my debut for Manchester United. It’s every young girl’s dream so, I’m just going to keep working hard and hopefully make it happen.
So that’s an initial target for you but what would you say are your aims, and the team’s aims, for the campaign overall? Team targets are to win. Playing for a club like
Our Edinburgh-born no.34 has enjoyed teaming up with our new summer signings in recent weeks
Manchester United, that is our goal: to dominate. We want to push for Champions League next season, we want to win the league, we want to win a cup, but we also want to perform well and be able to put on a show for our fans every week as well, which I think is massive. Individually, I think my targets are to just get as much game time as I can, try and gain some experience in the WSL, make my debut and just keep training, playing and learning with some of the best players in the world.
For our fans that maybe haven’t seen you play yet, what can you tell us about the player United are getting back?
I’m a bit of a mix. In an attacking sense, I offer creativity in the final third, trying to produce assists, goals, shots on target. But defensively, I like a good tackle as well. It gives me just as big of a buzz going in for a big slide tackle as it does scoring a goal, so I’m quite a box-to-box player. I’ll run hard, I’ll defend, I’ll attack, I like to bring energy. I’ve got that from Scotland, that braveheart mentality in a way. I like to play with a lot of passion and excitement really.
Having sustained a similar injury this summer, Evie Rabjohn (pictured with Emma after our FA Cup triumph) will look at Watson’s journey for inspiration
Ella, Grace, Hayley, Lisa... all these top internationals who have played on the biggest stages and won trophies. They have so much experience and knowledge that, as a young player like myself, coming into the team I can just learn so much from them. I try to be a sponge every day, soak up as much as I can from them and go to them for advice.
If you had to pick one player to watch from the squad this year, as a breakout star, who would it be? I think after the performance against West Ham, a goal on debut, Player of the Match, I think Grace Clinton is definitely one to watch. I think she’ll achieve a lot with us.
“All those hours in the gym, everything I’ve been through, it would all be worth it for that moment to make my debut”
Ahead of starting our League Cup campaign, how much hunger for silverware can you sense in the squad off the back of last season’s FA Cup success? Winning the FA Cup was that taster of us being able to go on and achieve great things. It put a lot of belief in us. We fell short in the WSL last campaign but we’ll use that to push us on this season. We want to be pushing for titles, we’re hungry, there’s this feeling and energy in the squad and we all have belief in ourselves and in each other that we can achieve greatness, and I really do believe that.
You’re part of a supremely talented midfield core. You must be learning all the time… It’s a massive privilege being able to train with the likes of
Tell us what it’s been like working with Grace... I didn’t really know her last season because she was [on loan] at Spurs, but she’s a great person off the pitch and on the pitch she’s a hard worker – very skilful, great at finding pockets in midfield and, again, someone I can learn from, who has a bit more experience than me. So, it’s been great having her back in the squad.
We wanted to quickly ask you about Scotland – how much of a driving factor is getting back into the national-team set-up as well? You earned four senior caps before the time on the sidelines… It’s massive for me to get back playing for Scotland. There’s nothing quite like putting on that Scotland jersey and representing your country on a world stage, so it’s a very big aim of mine coming back from this injury.
Final question: it’s been a challenging last 12 months for you, but if we were to speak again a year from now, what do you want to achieve by then?
It’s a great question. I’d like to think I’ve made my debut, won the WSL, won the League Cup, got assists, got goals... [smiles] But no, just to start to get into the team and hopefully showcase my talent in the WSL, to show what I’m all about. That’s the aim. ●
ENGAGE ● INSPIRE ● UNITE
RARING TO GO!
After last season’s trophy triumphs, United’s girls have enjoyed more success over summer, and are
eager
for the real games to begin again...
PRE-SEASON positives
Pre-season offered a balance of competitive on-pitch tests and new experiences at home and abroad for United Women’s Academy players. The U21s were pitted against several well-established and experienced third-tier sides who compete in the Women’s National League. “These fixtures helped the girls find solutions and build their game understanding as they faced different playing styles and a variety of formations,” reflected Amanda Goodwin, Women’s Academy Manager. “They learned how to play without the ball for long periods, how to respond to going a goal behind or leading early on in games. The girls really enjoyed the physical battle.”
As well as their own fixture schedule, several Academy players trained with the senior side, with two selected to go on tour to Marbella with Marc Skinner’s squad.
The U16s, meanwhile, enjoyed two particular successes over the summer. The Girls’ Academy marked
its first-ever appearance in SuperCupNI by winning the historic competition, defeating the Northern Ireland side in the final after topping our group. Formerly known as the Milk Cup, United have had boys’ representation at the Northern Ireland tournament for more than three decades. “It was an amazing experience for the players, competing in front of a crowd and beating the holders on home soil,” Goodwin said. “The girls have made lots of memories and taken away learnings on and off the pitch.”
But the U16s didn’t stop there, also lifting the Junior Premier League (JPL) National Tournament trophy. The girls won all three group-stage games without conceding a goal, beating Tottenham (2-0), Southampton (3-0) and Durham (4-0). They showed resilience and quality to gain a semi-final spot after a hard-fought contest with Sheffield United (2-1) and then came out on top in a mini-Manchester derby (1-0) to reach the final. There, the young Reds took on Arsenal in a high-quality fixture which was decided by a single goal. “The players showed excellent game intelligence in seeing out the game with some excellent defending,” explained Goodwin. Congratulations, girls!
WHAT’S AHEAD
The U16s and U21s won three trophies between them last season
and the Academy is keen to emulate that success. “We are very proud of last season’s successes, but we want to continue this success moving into the new season,” says Goodwin.
“Our aim as an Academy is to be consistently competing for and winning trophies. Our key priorities are to create a talent programme that fulfils individual potential and team effectiveness, one which supports players holistically in gaining a career in football and provides them with lifelong memories and experiences which they will look back on and talk about in years to come. We want to impact every player’s life in a positive way.”
As well as a variety of off-pitch experiences to achieve that aim, the U16s will compete in the FA Youth Cup, the JPL Professional Game Academy Champions’ Cup, and will contest JPL boys’ league fixtures. The U21s will also compete in the FA Youth Cup, as well as the PGA League – in which they won both the northern and national titles last year – and the Women’s National League competition.
Summer silverware in the pre-season JPL tournament
SuperCupNI is a competition with plenty of prestige
Tonight’s visitors:
LIVERPOOL
About our opponents...
Nickname: The Reds
Founded: 1989 (as Newton LFC)
Ground: Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens (18,000 capacity)
Last season: WSL 4th, FA Cup QF, League Cup group stage
Top scorer last season (all competitions): Sophie Roman Haug (9)
Best achievements: WSL champions, 2013, 2014
Many more eyes are on Liverpool this season after what they achieved in 2023/24. Only two years into their return to the top flight, Matt Beard’s team finished fourth to mark their best league campaign since winning successive WSL titles a decade earlier.
With higher expectations, being pegged back and held to 1-1 draws by both Leicester and West Ham in their two opening WSL games this time around has been frustrating, but there’s no doubting the Merseysiders’ quality as they aim to build on last term’s impressive finish.
Against Leicester, Liverpool took the lead through dangerous Norwegian forward Sophie Roman Haug. They enjoyed the majority of possession and created more, only for Jutta Rantala to strike back via one of the Foxes’ few chances. Debutant Olivia Smith shared the team’s disappointment at full-time, saying: “We just need to stay switched on at all times.”
Beard was left ruing what he considered to be “two points dropped”, and he’d have had similar feelings after Sunday’s draw at West Ham, when Riko Ueki’s late header earned the hosts a point after Smith had opened her Liverpool account.
Pre-season saw narrow defeats behind closed doors at Melwood for Beard’s side, v Manchester City and Aston Villa, with a subsequent friendly
RECORD V THE REDS
Played: 8
Liverpool wins: 3
United wins: 5
Draws: 0 Liverpool goals: 6
United goals: 13
Left: Liverpool celebrate after taking the lead through £210,000 club-record signing Olivia Smith at West Ham’s Chigwell Construction Stadium on Sunday – but the hosts would hit back to share the spoils in the WSL contest
LAST LINE-UP:
v WEST HAM UNITED, WSL, 29.09.24
HOBINGER NAGANO
SUBS USED: DANIELS, KIERNAN, ENDERBY, LUNDGAARD, FAHEY
with United being cancelled due to several Liverpool injuries. The Reds of Merseyside concluded the summer with a 0-0 derby against Everton at Liverpool’s 18,000-capacity Totally Wicked Stadium (previously known as Langtree Park), home to St Helens rugby league team.
As well as Smith, there’s been a bedding-in period for fellow arrivals Gemma Evans, who moved from United, and Cornelia Kapocs. There’s also been an adjustment following departures of key players Missy Bo Kearns and Emma Koivisto.
Beard has tended to rotate his squad quite a bit for previous League Cup groups. In a tough all-WSL group alongside United last term, an early exit was confirmed after three initial losses, before a dead-rubber derby win over Everton. That being said, Liverpool still ran Manchester City close in a 4-3 defeat, while Phallon Tullis-Joyce made a huge save to preserve our clean sheet in a 1-0 United win last November.
Matt Beard is nothing short of a Liverpool Women legend for his record with the club. He delivered back-to-back WSL titles in 2013 and 2014 during a first spell in charge, before later bringing the Merseysiders back to the top flight in 2022. The 46-year-old, who has also managed Chelsea, West Ham and Bristol City at this level, was named 2023/24 WSL Manager of the Season in May.
HEAD COACH POTY WINNER
Last season couldn’t have gone better for Austrian Marie Hobinger following a transfer from FC Zurich. She featured in 29 games, scoring five from midfield, and scooped Liverpool’s Player of the Season award. She’s also a set-piece expert and became the first player in WSL history to manage a hat-trick of assists from corners during May’s 4-3 win v Chelsea.
NEW SIGNING
Olivia Smith arrived in July with a reputation as one of the world’s brightest young forwards.
An international team-mate of Jayde Riviere and Simi Awujo, the 20-year-old is Canada’s youngest senior international, and last season with Sporting CP, where she scored 16 goals, was her first as a pro. She’d have been delighted to get off the mark for Liverpool on Sunday.
Rewind to...
25 SEPTEMBER 2011 ● PIRELLI STADIUM
It’s been 13 years (almost to the day) since the inaugural final of tonight’s competition, with the Continental Cup – as it would be known from then until the recent name change to simply ‘League Cup’ – introduced at the same time as the formation of the Women’s Super League. There was no group stage then, with the straight knockout format concluding at Pirelli Stadium in Burton-upon-Trent, and 2,167 fans watched on as treble-chasing Arsenal faced Birmingham. A spiky affair saw Arsenal’s Jayne Ludlow in the thick of the action, not only bossing midfield by all means possible (see above), but then putting her side 2-0 up before half-time. Rachel Yankey scored two more for the Londoners after the break, including a worldie of a finish, in an eventual 4-1 win.
United wouldn’t have been competing that season, of course, with our reformation not coming until 2018, but as ever with archive pictures such as this, there’s always a Reds link! Rachel Williams was in the Birmingham line-up, and having already been booked for a challenge on Ludlow, Rach was sent off late on following a clash with Gilly Flaherty. Future Red Jade Moore (left) was also in the Birmingham XI, and their consolation came from Izzy Christiansen, who was a previously a youth-team star at United. Despite the loss, it was a famous season for Birmingham, as they also finished runners-up to Arsenal in the WSL to reach the Champions League, with the energetic displays and goals of current Red Williams central to their success.
Arsenal captain Ludlow makes her feelings known to the Blues during a hot-tempered first final of tonight’s competition
8-LETTER LEGENDS!
WHICH THREE REDS –ALL WITH EIGHT-LETTER SURNAMES! – COMPLETED THE TEAM FOR OUR LEAGUE CUP OPENER LAST YEAR, A 7-0 WIN V EVERTON?
CAN YOU NAME OUR OPPONENTS FROM LONDON WHEN THE REDS LAST PLAYED AT LEIGH SPORTS VILLAGE, IN APRIL? MAYA AND MEL BOTH HAD GOOD REASON TO CELEBRATE THAT AFTERNOON!
UNSCRAMBLE THE LETTERS TO FIND THREE PLAYERS WHO’VE PLAYED FOR BOTH UNITED AND LIVERPOOL… USE THE PICTURES TO HELP YOU OUT!
HARSH TRAM AIR
EEK LIZ MATE
CUP QUERY
WE’VE PLAYED FOUR OF THESE TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE CUP... AND THEN THERE ARE FOUR WE’VE NEVER FACED IN THE LEAGUE CUP! CAN YOU PUT THEM IN THE CORRECT COLUMNS?
1. Hannah Blundell; 2. Lisa Naalsund; 3. Rachel Williams. Last time at LSV: Tottenham
Reveal the Reds: 1. Martha Harris; 2. Amy Turner; 3. Katie Zelem. Cup query: Played – Birmingham City, Brighton, Manchester City, Sheffield United; Not played – Bristol City, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Tottenham
Stats AT THE BACK
7
8
A CLOSER LOOK...
WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE
preview
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN THE WSL ACTION RETURNS THIS WEEKEND
After a compelling start to the new WSL season, the games keep coming this weekend following the midweek cup ties, with 10 of the 12 teams in league action across Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday’s solitary WSL encounter pits Brighton against Aston Villa. Both sides raised eyebrows with their performances on matchday one, as the Seagulls stormed to the top of the table by virtue of a 4-0 rout against Everton, thanks to a hat-trick from debutant Kiko Seike.
Villa, while beaten 1-0 by Chelsea to start their season, pushed the champions all the way and will take heart from a sterling performance in which they repeatedly came close to a leveller. Brighton followed up their strong start with a narrow 1-0 loss at Manchester City, while the Villans drew 2-2 with Spurs – the always dangerous Rachel Daly claiming a goal and an assist (for former Red Adriana Leon) in the entertaining draw on Sunday afternoon.
The only outlier to battles between
sides from the north-west and the capital on Sunday takes place at the King Power Stadium
ACROSS THE WSL
New Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor has been enjoying life at her new club, with the reigning champions following up their narrow win over Villa with a 7-0 demolition of Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last Friday night.
The next challenge for Bompastor’s side in the WSL was due to be United on Sunday, only for the game to be postponed last weekend (see p9). Neverthless, Sunday remains an intriguing day of action, as West Ham – conquered by the Reds on opening day but buoyed by a battling
1-1 draw with Liverpool in their second league outing– head north again to face last Manchester City. That’s sure to prove a tough test for Rehanne Skinner’s Hammers in the 1pm kick-off, while fellow WSL heavyweights Arsenal host Everton at 2pm, 15 minutes before Liverpool travel to Tottenham.
The only outlier to Sunday’s themed battles between sides from the north-west and the capital takes place at the King Power Stadium, where promoted Leicester host Crystal Palace at 3pm. The Foxes opened 2024/25 with a creditable draw at Liverpool, and will be looking to kick on against a Palace team left reeling by their 4-0 opening-day loss to Spurs, followed by another crushing defeat to Chelsea.
Robert de Pauw’s Villa are back in action on Saturday at Broadfield Stadium
FIXTURES + RESULTS
ADDED-TIME QUIZ
Liverpool and League Cup links to test your knowledge...
After Ella Toone, name any of the next highest scorers for the Reds in the League Cup among the current squad, with two goals each.
How many of the eight previous meetings between United and Liverpool have been played in the League Cup: one, two or three?
True or false: United and Liverpool have met in every top-level women’s domestic competition.
Who is the only player to score for United against Liverpool in two different competitive games? Hint: she left Marc Skinner’s squad this summer.
Which two former Reds played in last season’s League Cup final? 2. 1. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 9. 8. 10.
Who were the Reds’ last League Cup opponents in the knockout stage, in February 2022?
Liverpool defender Gemma Evans joined United from which club – Bristol City, Reading or Yeovil Town?
True or false: United’s only home defeat in regular time of a League Cup group game was the club’s very first such fixture, against Reading in 2018.
Which now-departed Brazilian forward scored the first League Cup goal for United under Marc Skinner, away to Durham in October 2021?
Who was United’s top scorer in the League Cup last season, netting five goals in four games?
ANSWERS: 1. Leah Galton, Hayley Ladd and Rachel Williams; 2. Three; 3. False – never in the FA Cup; 4. Lucia Garcia; 5. Reading; 6. True; 7. Ivana Ferreira Fuso; 8. Chelsea; 9. Nikita Parris; 10. Alessia Russo and Lauren James
Simi Awujo
Jayde Riviere
Celin Bizet
Lisa Naalsund
Dominique Janssen
Elisabeth
Hinata Miyazawa
Millie
Evie
Rachael Laws (GK) Lucy
Grace Fisk
Niamh Fahey
Jasmine Matthews
Cornelia Kapocs
Fuka Nagano
Leanne Kiernan
Sophie Roman Haug
Olivia Smith
Taylor Hinds
Mia Enderby
Marie Hobinger
Sofie Lundgaard
Teagan Micah (GK)
Jenna Clark
Ceri Holland
Yana Daniels
Faye Kirby (GK)
Gemma Bonner
Hannah Silcock
Zara Shaw
Spencer (GK)