Manchester United Women v Liverpool Women match programme, Women's Super League, 08.12.24
BARCLAYS WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE • SUN 8 DEC 2024 • 12PM
REWIND
JUNIOR REDS
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 Zoe Hodges, Helen Rowe-Willcocks, Mikey Partington, Joe Ganley, Sean Mullan, Steve Bartram, Jamie Spencer, Matthew Brown Photography Charlotte Tattersall, Ash Donelon, Getty Images, Alamy
Thanks to Ellie Decrop, John Shiel, Paul Davies, Nicola Wellington, Ian Nolan, Marc Henry
AS WE GET SET TO HOST LIVERPOOL FOR THE SECOND TIME ALREADY THIS TERM, THE BOSS WANTS TO SEE 90 MINUTES OF COMMITMENT AND ATTACKING INTENT
Welcome back to Leigh Sports Village. It’s good to be back after the international break – Carrington was very quiet!
I’m really proud that we had close to 20 players representing their countries in the break. What makes it even more exciting is that it spans from Lucy Newell in the England Under-19s and Anna Sandberg in the Sweden Under-23s to our more experienced players such as Hayley Ladd, who was recently named vice-captain for Wales.
We have a lot of ambition to bring players through at United and we want to build on their fantastic performances so far this season. It is important to us that we grow the talent here, whether through the Academy or by bringing in players young, to nurture and grow.
We are incredibly proud to see that the work we’ve done in the first half of the season has also seen Phallon Tullis-Joyce called up for the USA senior team for the first time. It shows how much we are building and long may it continue.
We faced today’s opponents Liverpool earlier in the season in our opening League Cup game and we knew then they’d be a tough opponent.
The 2-0 win was vital for us as we wanted to kick off our cup campaign with a strong performance and result. But we have seen Matt Beard’s side adapt this season so we must make sure we can adapt too and be fluid throughout this WSL match. We need to use our energy to read the game. It’s really important that we concentrate on what we can control. If we concentrate on our energy and commitment then we will be able to control the game.
Our defensive record is one of the best in Europe and that is a whole team effort, not just the goalkeeper and defenders. We have only conceded three goals so far in the league, which shows our hard work on the training pitch is paying off. We are so proud of that and it gives us a really solid base for being able to push forwards. Now, as we step it up another notch, we want to dial up the attacking strategy and push for more goals. The team always wants to give more and improve, as individuals and as a collective, and we’re all fully on board with that. Enjoy the game.
numbers Run the
A STAT-BASED
PREVIEW OF TODAY’S WSL GAME
As was the case in 2023, our final home league game of the calendar year means a Leigh-based bout with big North West rivals Liverpool. Today’s visitors will have fonder memories of that previous festive meeting however, coming from behind to win 2-1, so rest assured United will plan on doing whatever it takes to avoid a repeat. Marc Skinner’s Reds have not lost in the eight WSL matches played at this venue since and will be determined to keep that run going into 2025. Having said that, our Merseyside opponents have claimed seven of their nine WSL points on the road this season
Maya Le Tissier has been a mainstay in our backline since arriving from Brighton in July 2022 and our super skipper is set to make her 75th United consecutive appearance today. It would be a remarkable feat achieved by the defender, who has not missed a single match across all competitions since arriving at the club. Our no.4 has started all but two of our fixtures across that time, with sub cameos in League Cup wins over Everton and Sheffield United in 2022 the only exceptions. Speaking at the end
and will be out to close the six-point gap that currently separates the sides. With Matt Beard’s team finishing one place above us last term, extending that margin to nine points with a win is an extra incentive that would establish some important momentum at the start of a big week before the winter break. Clashes with Newcastle (League Cup) and Palace (WSL) are to come between now and next Sunday, as we look to end 2024 in top form…
of last term, Skinner underlined Maya’s importance, saying: “Wherever she dips a tiny per cent in her performance, she wants to get better and better and better, so every day at training she stays out and does extras. That’s the type of person that develops a culture.” Love it, Maya – here’s to the next 75!
We last met Liverpool in the League Cup in October
C for captain. C for consistency.
Le Tissier has certainly played her part in our strong start to the season from a defensive point of view, which has seen United keep seven clean sheets in our first 10 matches across all competitions. That run includes October’s 2-0 victory over today’s opponents in the League Cup – plus further shut-outs against West Ham, Everton (twice), Spurs, Aston Villa and Leicester – and is a tally that our players will want to extend today. Curiously, the only goals we’ve conceded from open play all season have come from former Reds Nikita Parris (Brighton) and Alessia Russo (Arsenal) –alongside Guro Reiten’s penalty for Chelsea last time out – providing a solid foundation for the Reds to build on over the coming months. An all-time WSL high of 14 clean sheets was memorably the backbone of our most successful top-flight campaign to date in 2022/23 –a runners-up finish with more points (56) than ever before for the team finishing second – and, while it remains to be seen what can be achieved come May this time around, there is no doubting that a strong defence will go a long way towards any future success.
Phallon has an exceptional record between the sticks so far this season
After the recent internationals, the next such break from the domestic action isn’t for another 10 weeks
Today’s fixture is our first since the recent international break, in which we had impressive 17 players called up to represent their nations across senior, U23 and U19 levels. France forward Melvine Malard (left) was among the first-team contingent rewarded for an impressive start to the club campaign with a call-up for the final national-team window of the calendar year. Phallon Tullis-Joyce was fully
deserving of her maiden full selection in the USA squad, while Gabby George proudly returned to the England set-up for the first time since 2022. Neither featured in the friendly between two highly talented line-ups as the European and Olympic champions drew 0-0 in front of 78,346 fans at Wembley, but it was great to see the pair recognised for their strong starts to the season. As much as we enjoy these international games, we also like the fact that the next such break isn’t for another 10 weeks. Nice!
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MUWSC HITS A THOUSAND
Our official supporters’ club proudly reaches landmark
Six years since its formation, United Women supporters’ club (MUWSC) recently hit a huge milestone, becoming a 1,000-strong community. Founded within the stands here at LSV in 2018, when it was self-styled as the ‘MUWFC Barmy Army’, MUWSC became an official supporters’ club in October 2022.
MUWSC is part of the global family of 321 supporters’ clubs affiliated to United, which enables fans to meet like-minded people, as well as getting closer to the club in a number of ways: be it supporter socials such as the pre-match Warm-Up events, player meet-and-greets, while MUWSC even followed the team
figure for members
to our winter training camp in Malta at the start of this year!
“We couldn’t have imagined that what started out as a group of fans congregating at the back of West Stand would grow into what we have become today,” said Shane Higgs, MUWSC treasurer. “A thousand members is testament to the hard work put
5,000-capacity
PALACE AWAY IN WSL
Tickets for our first-ever WSL game against Crystal Palace, to be played on Sunday 15 December, are now on sale to all supporters. We have received 1,500 tickets in a standing terrace for this away game, to be played at VBS
Community Stadium (Gander Green Lane) in Sutton. Tickets for the 2pm kick-off are £10 for adults, £5 for under-16, with a £25 promo for two adult plus two under-16 tickets. To buy, visit ManUtd.com/tickets.
in by all those involved over the past six years. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered, to the club staff who have engaged with us and supported our growth, and most importantly to our 1,000+ members for six years of trust, support and allowing us to represent you.”
NEW TIME FOR DERBY
CLASH
Our WSL fixture away to Manchester City away has been picked for TV, meaning a later kick-off time of 6.45pm on Sunday 19 January at the Blues’ Etihad Stadium. Sales arrangements are yet to be confirmed at the time of print – check ManUtd.com/ tickets for updates. For those watching from home, it’ll be live on Sky Sports.
The
VBS Community Stadium will host our final 2024 fixture
Looking to join our ever-growing supporters’ club? Visit muwsc.co.uk
EMBRACING THEIR DEBUTS
Taken: Sunday 17 November, King Power Stadium; Wednesday 20 November, Walton Hall Park
What’s the story? We’ve had three debutants since our last home fixture, which has meant big, victorious smiles from Anna Sandberg, Emma Watson and Jess Simpson – along with their proud squad mates! (main image) – in our away wins at Leicester and Everton. Swedish full-back Anna led the way, replacing Gabby George on 64 minutes at the King Power, and she was soon on hand to help Celin Bizet celebrate her WSL goal (above). Three days later, Emma (top) started in midfield and played the full 90 against the Toffees in the League Cup – a night that also saw Jess Simpson play half-hour at the back, as she replaced the starting Sandberg. Having been through our Academy since the age of 11, no wonder 19-year-old Jess described it as “a massive dream come true”. Congratulations to you all.
UNITED TO DELIVER EXCELLENCE
Captain’s column
MLT
MAYA’S MADE SOME MEMORIES TO LAST A LIFETIME IN 2024, AND SHE’S NOT DONE YET AS DECEMBER BEGINS
It’s always good to be at home after an international break, and we come straight back into it with a tough fixture against one of our biggest rivals. The games at Leigh Sports Village are so important to us because you fans make it so special. The numbers we get, no matter who we play or when we play, never fail to amaze us, and we really appreciate that support.
With this being our last WSL home game of the year, it feels like a good time to reflect. Looking back on 2024, my favourite moment is when we won the Women’s FA Cup final in May. It was such a special day – it’s up there as one of the best days of my life. Those memories are something which will stay with me forever.
I know the other girls would say the same as well. When you take a chance to think about it, we can say we won the FA Cup in front of a sold-out Wembley! It’s also one of those performances where we were really pleased with how we played. The performance matched the result and that makes it even more special.
The first half of this season has seen a mixture of results – we are pleased with some of our performances but collectively we want to push for better as well. We know we’ve had some performances where we could have done better. It’s the same for any team.
We are a young squad that can build together and achieve a lot, and every single player here is always working hard to see what can give us better margins. We always want to improve but we probably don’t realise sometimes when we do play well as we can be hard on ourselves.
So for these final three games of 2024 our aim is to play good football, have fun on the pitch, and hopefully that’ll bring three good results, starting today.
The skipper is looking to sign off the year in positive fashion, with tests for the Reds in the WSL and League Cup
#19 Elisabeth Terland
“INTENSE…IN A GOOD WAY,” IS HOW MARC SKINNER DESCRIBES OUR NORWEGIAN NO.19 ON THE PITCH, BUT AS WE FIND OUT WHEN WE MEET A SMILING ‘TERI’ FOR AN OLD TRAFFORD CHAT, SHE’S AS LAID-BACK AS THEY COME...
Interview: Zoe Hodges
FACTFILE
DATE OF BIRTH 28 June 2001
POSITION Forward
PLACE OF BIRTH
Stavanger, Norway
YOUTH CAREER Bryne
SENIOR CAREER
2016 Bryne 3 apps
2017-20 Klepp 72 apps, 22 goals
2021-22 Brann 38 apps, 16 goals
2022-24 Brighton & Hove Albion
50 apps, 23 goals
2024-present Manchester United 8 apps, 3 goals
INTERNATIONAL CAREER
Norway 35 caps, 9 goals
Hi Teri. How have you found life in Manchester, and at United, so far since your move to the club from Brighton in July? It’s been great. I feel at home. I love the team, I love the city, I love the club. So, I think it’s been great. And I’m just excited to see what we can do from here.
Good to hear. Which team-mates have you been spending most time with since you made the move up north? There’s quite a Scandinavian flavour to the squad now! Yeah, I love Scandinavians! [Smiles] I hang out a lot with Maya as well – we got along pretty quickly – but I spend a lot of time at the training ground and I get along with everyone.
As a striker, how important was it for you to get those first goals for your new club, as you did in your fourth appearance – your brace against Tottenham? Goals breed confidence, right… I came here to score more goals, that’s my job as a striker. So of course, that was a good feeling to get the first [right] and second one, and I know that I still have a lot to come. It’s a new group of people, a new team, so it takes time to get to know each other but I think that was great and I know there’s a lot more to come.
Your first goal was voted as United’s Goal of the Month for October. How pleased were you to win that, and for your first goal to be such a brilliant one? It was a really good cross from Celin and you know I’m a striker that loves to get the ball in the box. So whenever it comes in the box, I love that. It was a great finish and a good team goal.
→
ELISABETH
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
Which type of goal gives you the most satisfaction: a powerful volley like that, or a header, or a passed finish to a nice team move?
I think it’s down to whatever it means – like a one-nil winner at the end is the best feeling ever. But yeah, I love a perfectly produced team goal as well. I love when we play well and then I’m just able to finish it, or even assist – as long as we win!
Moving on to this big Liverpool game in the WSL – how much do you know about the rivalry between the two clubs?
I’ve been a United fan my whole life, so I know about their rivalry! So, yeah, I’m really excited to play this game – and that [rivalry] means a bit extra, these are the games you want to play. I’m really excited.
You spoke there about being a United fan and both clubs are huge in Norway – were there any particular players you remember watching when you were growing up?
Yes, quite a few. My brother was a huge United fan – that’s why I got into United. His favourite player was Cristiano Ronaldo, of course. But, I remember a lot of them and it’s still cool to follow them and see their careers.
How does it feel to play in these kinds of intense derby games, against a local rival?
Your former club Brighton doesn’t really have one (unless we count Crystal Palace), but did you encounter such games in Norway? Yeah, we had a few games like that when I played in Norway. They are the best games to play, they are the games you most want to win. It just has that something extra. I want to win every game of course, but it means a lot in a game like that.
“[Derbies] are the best games – the games you most want to win. It just has that something extra”
You’ve played, and scored, against Liverpool in the past – what kind of challenge are you expecting this time around?
They had a really good season last year, which showed that they have some good qualities in their team. They’re quite physical, very direct. So of course, I think it’s going to be a challenging game. But we played against them in the [League] Cup recently, where we actually had a really good performance. So I think if we can build on that and continue to grow as a team, I think this will be an exciting game.
You mention the recent League Cup game, which we won – how much of a psychological boost will that result be for this league game? It should do [give us a boost]. It shows what we’re capable of. So I think having even more time
Using her head to give the Reds the lead away to Leicester – Terland’s third goal for her new club
ELISABETH TERLAND
“The impact of the fans is one of the biggest changes from my previous clubs”
together after that game just shows that we should be able to take more steps.
Staying with the League Cup, we face Newcastle in the League Cup very soon – that’s a competition we’ve started well in. It would be great to follow up on last season’s first FA Cup with a first League Cup triumph, wouldn’t it… I followed the FA Cup last year after we [Brighton] went out, that is something you want to win and something you want to compete as much as possible in. I love the FA Cup, and I love the League Cup. So, I’m very excited.
We’ll have another big crowd at LSV for this Liverpool game – how much of an impact have you felt from the fans since you arrived?
I think that has been one of the biggest changes from my previous clubs – the impact of the fans. You can really feel it as a player, especially when you have been at clubs where you haven’t had that – you [other clubs] have great fans, but this [at United] is just something special. I think they’re hugely important, and we really feel that as players.
TERI’S TWO IN TWO IN ’22/23
As Terland tells us, with her being a United fan she’ll always relish the chance to take on Liverpool, and her first season in England after joining Brighton from Brann saw her have personal success against today’s opponents, with her scoring in both WSL games. The Seagulls’ thrilling 3-3 draw v Liverpool in November 2022 saw her net her side’s opener (above – incredibly this was the first draw of the entire WSL campaign, in the 42nd match!) while Prenton Park was the venue in April 2023 as she brilliantly chipped Rachael Laws from distance to give Brighton the lead, before Liverpool fought back to take the win through a Ceri Holland double.
We’re chatting at Old Trafford today, where you made your United debut, of course. If you had to pick one stadium from your career for having that ‘wow factor’, what would be top? [Pauses to think] Old Trafford would probably be top!
The atmosphere in the Arsenal game at Leigh Sports Village was pretty special –what was that like to play in?
That was very special. I think there’s nothing better than feeling a crowd that is totally committed to a game – you feel that as a player, you can really feel that they’re behind you, and that gives you something extra. I love to play in front of a big crowd, so that was just great.
Finally, the Christmas break is coming up – are you big on Christmas, and do you already have plans for the holidays?
I love Christmas. It’s my favourite time of the year, so I can’t wait. I’m just going home to my family. I don’t get to see them that much. So it’s just going to be nice to get home and spend time with them and my friends. ●
Letting her hair down as she chats to us at Old Trafford...
‘A sign of acceptance and solidarity...’
THE CO-CHAIR OF OUR LGBTQ+ GROUP RAINBOW DEVILS, CASS HYDE (LEFT), CHATS TO US ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS RAINBOW LACES GAME
This afternoon’s home match against Liverpool is not just an enticing fixture against one of our leading rivals, but also this season’s designated Rainbow Laces game for Manchester United Women.
Before kick-off, our official LGBTQ+ supporters’ club, Rainbow Devils, will hand out 1,000 rainbow laces, provided by the club, to spectators, while the players are slated to wear rainbow numbers on the back of our red shirts, as they did last year, and indeed our most recent away game at Chelsea.
“It’s a really nice gesture,” says Rainbow Devils co-chair Cass Hyde. “The Rainbow Laces campaign is very much the big time in the football calendar where we can promote and celebrate LGBTQ+ inclusion in the sport, especially at a time when, on the pitch and off it, it might not necessarily be the most accepting.
“Last year, the rainbow numbers were quite a powerful symbol to say: ‘Hey, this is the sport you love and you matter to us.’ It’s a sign of acceptance and solidarity that can make someone’s day and make them want to be more involved in the sport.”
there is a good working relationship between Rainbow Devils and the club throughout the year, but maintains that Rainbow Laces is still a very necessary ‘big push’.
Joe
Rainbow Laces began 11 years ago, as a vehicle for players in the men’s game to show allyship, and has since expanded into a wider drive to promote awareness and inclusion across British sport. Cass, who is a United Women season ticket holder, says
“We’re in conversation, doing various bits and pieces, throughout the year, whether it’s with the club, the Foundation, or the men’s and women’s team,” she explains. “We’re regularly having positive conversations and are able to drive change in the game, whether it’s big or small. But it’s important to have this kind of campaigning, and the big push towards it. We’re only about 10 per cent of the population and we’ll probably always need a level of advocacy in society. And in football as well.
“The women’s game is more inclusive,” Cass asserts. “There are more players that are LGBT
Manchester Pride: always a great occasion
“The women’s game is more inclusive, but we’re not blind to the fact there are levels of prejudice in the women’s game as well as the men’s game”
and relatively willing to talk about it and share that publicly, which is their right. Whatever floats their boat. But we’re not blind to the fact that there are levels of prejudice in the women’s game as well as the men’s game. A small minority of toxic, unacceptable behaviour can cross over, especially when the men’s rivalries come through – it’s why we’re talking about it and why the campaign is important.”
Rainbow Devils has grown rapidly during the last 18 months, and now boasts more than 1,700 members, including more than 1,000 match-goers. But Hyde hopes that today’s game, and the focus on Rainbow Laces, can drive more support from outside of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We’re here, we’re United fans and we’re here to help people. We’re here to provide a space where people can be themselves,” says Cass, of Rainbow Devils’ mission. “But we can only do so much on our own. We need allies, whether the club or people on the terraces, to help us out in terms of spreading that message of inclusion and non-discrimination.
“Listen to us and our experiences, and if you hear unacceptable language on the terraces or unhelpful attitudes, don’t be afraid to call it out. It doesn’t necessarily have to be this big, crazy conversation. But it’s important.”
Visit rainbowdevils.com, or follow @RainbowDevils on X, for more
The Rainbow Devils banner proudly on display at Old Trafford last weekend
Leah Galton shows her support in a previous season
MES SAGES
‘C’mon United!” say season ticket holders Lola, Alyssa and Nyla
Amelia’s birthday is on 17 December and her no.1 player is... yep, Leah!
Happy birthday to twins Sophie and Jessica Stocks. They turn 18 on 23 December and will be here with their Dad.
Eleanor turned 11 this week – she plays for Rochdale U11s and here she is with their mascot!
Happy 7th birthday, Spencer Legg!
Maisie is turning 15 – all the best, and enjoy the game.
Happy 12th birthday, Scarlett – love from Mum and Dad.
Makayle, age 7, is pictured at his first United Women game.
● Happy 35th birthday to Natalie – love from Ryan, Vic, Mel, Elise and Pearl. ● We’d like to wish Aimee White a happy birthday – from Natalie, Thor, Hammer, TC, Pickle and Pups!
Helping our young people tell their stories.
FOLLOW ALONG
FINAL STOP : LSV!
Blayney Academy girls are to round off a memorable weekend at today’s game
We always enjoy hearing about entire teams visiting LSV to cheer on the Reds (and you can often spot them all sat together in the stands!) but we rarely encounter a group as big in number as that of a young side from County Monaghan, Ireland, who will be out in force at today’s WSL game.
Blayney Academy FC Monaghans are an all-girls team who play in the Louth School Girls League, and a party of 42 – made up of 18 players at U10/U11 level, alongside coaches and parents – are here on the final staging post of a busy weekend while over from the Emerald Isle.
This has included meeting United coaches and officials –to provide the youngsters with a glimpse into the elite level of United’s girls’ programme – while our visitors will also play Wigan Athletic, Altrincham and their
hosts Irlam Lionesses – after which they enjoyed some downtime away from football yesterday at a post-match party alongside their local opponents.
So fostering new friendships is a key part of the three-day trip, but there is also much excitement about their LSV visit, with many members of the party being big Reds (hopefully of the Manchester persuasion rather than the Meryseyside one... but either way they’re at the right game!)
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the girls and the club,” club
secretary Barry Dolan tells us. “We have a tradition of providing unique football experiences – we’ve previously travelled to tournaments in Holland, the UK (twice), and as guests of the Bavarian Football Association in Germany – but this is our first engagement with such a prestigious club as Manchester United – the biggest and best club for youth development.”
The initiative is inspired by the late Sean McCaffery –a Monaghan-born coach whose teams made similar trips – and we’re delighted to have the entire travelling party here this afternoon.
The full squad: Ella G, Niamh O, Sally C, Siun M, Naoise D, Vicky M, Mia F, Sarah M, Mia B, Rowan G, Hannah C, Amy Rose N, Ellie B, Hazel B, Emily M, Ciara M, Ruby G and Hannah B. Enjoy your day at Leigh Sports Village, girls!
Amy Rose N Sally C
TO KINGSMEADOW
OUR REARRANGED WSL DATE AT CHELSEA MEANT A 4AM WAKE-UP FOR SO MANY REDS, WHO HEADED SOUTH ARMED WITH CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM (AND 50 KILOS OF CHOCOLATE) TO JOIN A PREDICTABLY PACKED AWAY END...
Words: Charlie Ghagan
AND BACK “
We were up at half-four, we were helping to load the bus at Old Trafford at 10 past five, and now we’re on the motorway with 400 bars of chocolate underneath us... I feel great,” home-and-away Red Marc Henry tells us down the phone line, with more than a slight dose of sarcasm in respect of his Sunday morning so far. Along with his partner Debs, Marc is a well-known face within the United Women supporters’ club, and as such he’s well versed in such early starts to follow the team. A noon kick-off in south-west London to face Chelsea is arguably as challenging as away journeys (and indeed games of football) will come this season – even Brighton at the Amex started half-hour later, and that was more motorway, without the grind of London’s A-roads.
Marc’s chatting to us on the phone at 8.30am, by which time the Watford Gap services are within his sights, where a brief breather from the bus awaits the 50 Reds on board ahead of the final stretch into Kingston-upon-Thames. But let’s rewind a minute. What’s all this about 400 bars of chocolate? Well, as you might have heard about in the days before this game, the fans on the official coach were all offered free travel by club partner Cadbury, following the late cancellation of the original fixture on 6 October.
As well as paying for the travel, the kind folks at Cadbury did what they did best, providing large Dairy Milk bars to dish out to every Red in sold-out Kingsmeadow’s away end. For now, the slabs of the
sweet stuff are safely stashed in the luggage hold, so that’s the post-match provisions taken care of. The bigger discussion point for those on the bus at this early hour is how we can possibly stop the hosts from clocking up a 12th straight win under Sonia Bompastor. “It’s going to be a very difficult,” reasons Marc as we continue our chat. “They’ve been the best team in the WSL for a reason over the last few years, but I’m hopeful we can make them slip up. A win, I’d be ecstatic, but I’d take a draw.”
As Marc proceeds to pass his phone around, we chat to Mike Lisle, a Red from Warrington who is equally hopeful-yet-cautious in his outlook: “It’s a big ask to stop Chelsea scoring but we’ve been defending well and if we can contain their forward line, we could get a result. I’m going for a draw.”
Much like Marc, Mike is a regular face on away days such as this one, with the game itself being central – yet only part of – the matchday experience. “It’s always good fun,” he says. “A crowd of us know each other well now from going to games over the past few years, so we share stories, we share food – we have a little buffet – and that’s really nice.”
Fellow Warrington Red Matilda Bluck concurs as we chat to her next. “We’re all dead good mates,” she tells us. “I enjoy the conversations along the way – it makes the day, win, lose or draw. But today I hope we play to our strengths and go at them. If we can do that I think we can get at least a draw.”
THE NOISE FROM THE UNITED SUPPORTERS ONLY INCREASES WHEN A FLAG-WAVING CHELSEA
FAN GATECRASHES OUR END
There’s that ‘d’ word again. While such predictions might seem a tad more cautious than your standard ‘we’re gonna win!’ pre-match vox pops based on blind optimism, it’s understandable considering the Blues’ form, as well as the history of this WSL fixture.
And so to Kingsmeadow – a super-tight stadium which those on the bus are looking forward to visiting for the first time since March 2023. “I’m glad it’s there rather than Stamford Bridge,” says Marc after retrieving his phone. “We can have more of an impact with the noise we make and really let the team know we’re there, where as at Stamford Bridge we’d be much further away.”
With that we end the call and agree to meet at the stadium, where the bus eventually pulls up just half-hour before kick-off, on account of a painfully slow final mile along Kingston Road. With time of the essence, the bus is hastily unloaded, before negotiations begin with the Kingsmeadow officials over what to do with all the chocolate until full-time.
Stepping off the bus outside the stadium after a long journey from Old Trafford
Erm, maybe stop the game, ref, and move that Barclays sign!
United fans enter the North Stand
Yes, it had been arranged with Chelsea, but clearly not everyone in the hi-vis vests had got the memo. Still, 10 minutes later, job done and we’re through the turnstiles and into the North Stand. Game on!
HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS
You’re never far from the action at Kingsmeadow, and sat in the second row of the away end (pleasingly near a number of familiar faces to have appeared in the MUW programme, such as Ruk and Rita) your reporter needs to have his wits about him. With Storm Bert lashing much of the country that day, holding on to my cap is a necessity to stop it blowing on to the pitch, while over the following 90 minutes we’d witness an advertising hoarding enter the six-yard box, half-time sprinklers soak rows of Reds as the water catches the wind, and countless footballs along the sidelines fall off their tiny cones. Such conditions make it tough for the players of both sides – even with the wind behind the Reds in the first half, Chelsea’s goal isn’t really troubled, with set-pieces hard to direct as the breeze whips around. For Chelsea, Guro Reiten’s 17th-minute penalty is probably deserved after their livelier start, but as the clock ticks into the second period, there’s a growing feeling that in such a tight contest, a big chance will eventually come our way. ‘Uni-ted! Uni-ted!’ roars the away end to push the team on, and the noise emanating from the North Stand only
increases when a flag-waving Chelsea fan (a well-known face by the name of Basil) gatecrashes our end, brazenly cheering his team on from the front while facing us all. It’s all good natured as Basil revels in the jeering and finger-pointing; an amusing interlude that would have no doubt involved several leaping stewards had it happened at a men’s fixture.
FINEST OF MARGINS
And then, as the clocked ticks into added-time, the moment comes. Geyse’s quick movement down the left finds space and she fizzes the ball into the feet of substitute Melvine Malard, who turns well, digs herself out a bit of space and unleashes a shot which Hannah Hampton in the Chelsea goal can only watch race over her shoulder... is this it, the goal to clinch the draw all those Reds on the bus believed we’d get? Alas, the crossbar has other ideas, and soon after the full-time whistle blows.
Our unbeaten run is over, and for the few hundred United fans behind the goal, the chocolate handed out while exiting the North Stand provides a welcome consolation as we trudge back out on to Kingston Road, with 50 of those Reds immediately boarding the awaiting bus. It wasn’t to be on the pitch, but will many of those with a return bus ticket to KT1 be back on another long journey south to face Crystal Palace, just five miles up the road from Kingsmeadow in Sutton, next Sunday? You can count on it... ●
Basil’s brush with the United faithful
Debs from MUWSC helps dish out the post-match Dairy Milk
“IT’S NICE TO GIVE BACK”
Reds duo delight girls and take questions at Foundation partner high school
First-team stars Hayley Ladd and Maya Le Tissier took time away from Carrington recently to spend the afternoon with aspiring female players at Buille Hill Academy in Salford, one of Manchester United Foundation’s partner schools.
The Reds pair joined girls on the football pitch outside, helping them to hone their skills, before answering questions about their careers and lives on and off the pitch, including lending advice to the budding youngsters.
Of course, there was also time for selfies and autographs aplenty, as the Reds duo left a lasting and special impression on the school’s students.
Le Tissier, visiting a Foundation project for the first time as captain, said: “It’s great to come and be a part of the girls’ training session and answer their questions. It’s super nice to give back.
“It’s amazing to see that as a United player we’re being role models, but the Foundation is doing the work behind the scenes as well – that’s only going to put us in good stead for the future.”
Ladd added: “The energy from the girls was really positive. It’s a really nice change for us to be able to see how excited the girls
are to meet us and getting stuck into their football programme.
“Hopefully it has a great impact and inspires them to do not just football, but anything they want to do.”
The young people were delighted to meet some of their heroes, as Tyra explained: “It made me feel very happy to see my team come to see me
at school. I’m going to think about what they’ve said next time I play. I learnt a lot of things about being more confident when passing the ball.”
Classmate Darcy Lea added: “I liked it when they came in to take pictures with us and signed our T-shirts – it’s a good memory of what happened today.
“When I was outside, I enjoyed it because I actually scored against Maya! It was amazing and really fun.”
Visit mufoundation.org for more from the United Foundfation
Hayley and Maya enjoyed every minute of the visit
Today’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 scorers (all competitions): Cornelia Kapocs, Olivia Smith (3) Best achievements: WSL champions, 2013, 2014
Liverpool have been left frustrated by their start to the season. “Inconsistent” was how head coach Matt Beard described the situation following the 2-0 League Cup scoreline in United’s favour here at LSV just over two months ago, and things haven’t really changed.
The Merseysiders came into that fixture off the back of successive 1-1 WSL draws against Leicester and West Ham, having taken the lead in both games and conceding a second-half equaliser each time. But after leaving Leigh, they battled to a first-ever away league win over Tottenham a few days later, securing a 3-2 victory with a 95th-minute Marie Hobinger penalty.
When Manchester City visited Anfield in mid-October, defender Gemma Bonner explained the team were “devastated” to concede a late winner. Liverpool had gone ahead through impressive summer signing Olivia Smith and had further chances, before eventually being worn
down by their relentless opponents. In contrast, just the following week, Beard suggested his team were “lucky” to escape with a point at home against Crystal Palace, lamenting what he considered a “passive” performance lacking the typical work-rate Liverpool are known for. Beard’s side worked on exploiting what they saw as a tactical weakness in Aston Villa as November
RECORD V THE REDS
Played: 9
Liverpool wins: 3
United wins: 6
Draws: 0
Liverpool goals: 6
United goals: 15
HEAD COACH
LINE-UP:
v NEWCASTLE UNITED, LEAGUE CUP, 24.11.24 MICAH
HOBINGER KAPOCS SHAW
ENDERBY
SUBS USED: HINDS, HOLLAND, KIERNAN, SILCOCK, BONNER LAST
began, recording only a second win of 2024/25 – one that seemed like it had the potential to be a catalyst to kick on. But it’s been successive losses in two WSL games since then. Defeat to Chelsea, a fate that has befallen every team Sonia Bompastor’s Blues have faced this season, followed (by a 3-0 margin), before a Merseyside derby at Goodison that was mired in controversy.
Liverpool were the dominant team against their struggling rivals, but Everton were awarded a penalty for a foul that appeared to be outside the box, and it ultimately proved decisive as the Toffees claimed a 1-0 victory. “I just feel we’ve been let down by the officials,” Beard reflected, also flagging two of his own side’s penalty appeals that were turned down.
A rotated side did get back to winning ways last time out, as Liverpool put six past Newcastle in the cup, and Beard will be hoping some of the confidence from that carries through to today.
Matt Beard made nine changes for Liverpool’s cup defeat at LSV in October, rotating his team to contend with a busy fixture list and to “do best by the players”, given that game was sandwiched between back-to-back London away trips. The two-time WSL-winning boss oversaw a fourth place finish in 2023/24 and has been honest that the league is again the “priority” for the club this season.
Flying wing-back Taylor Hinds has been the team’s regular leader on the pitch this season. She moved from Everton in 2020 and has been a staple of Liverpool’s resurgence since. The 25-year-old, who made her senior Jamaica debut in October, scored both goals in last month’s 2-1 WSL win over Aston Villa to match her WSL tally for the whole of 2023/24.
GIFTED NO.8
Named best player at the Under-17 World Cup while captaining Japan to the 2016 final, Fuka Nagano has developed into a respected senior pro. She was a former club-mate of Hinata Miyazawa at Mynavi Sendai, before a spell in the United States was followed by a January 2023 transfer to Liverpool. The midfielder has started 28 of a possible 30 WSL games since the start of last season.
Left: Nagano goes close for the Merseysiders on their last WSL game, away to Everton, but Beard’s side would leave Goodison Park with no goals or points for all their efforts
Rewind to...
21 MAY 1977 ● WEMBLEY, LONDON
While the women’s teams of United and Liverpool have yet to meet in a cup final (that’s one for the wish-list for every fan in attendance today!) the respective men’s sides have gone head-to-head on such a grand stage on four occasions: twice in the FA Cup, and twice in the League Cup.
The first of those finals came nearly half-a-century ago, on a day when tens of thousands of supporters from both clubs made the long journey south to Wembley for the 96th men’s FA Cup final.
While the matchday crowd of 99,252 was overwhelmingly male, rare photos from the day show how many female fans made that trip, with this particular image focusing on a group of Liverpool supporters enjoying a picnic in the car park ahead of the 3pm kick-off. From the rosettes to the sports
Below: the programme was only 15p more than that for the 1977 women’s final (although the women’s final programme was also your match ticket!)
bag, to the wedgeshaped cars, the orange Thermos and the various items of headwear, it’s a picture that, quite frankly, screams of the ’70s! With Liverpool chasing an unprecedented Treble of league, FA Cup and European Cup, they went into the tie as favourites against their big rivals, but thankfully (and much like in the 1977 Women’s FA Cup final a week earlier, when QPR beat a trophy-hogging Southampton side) the underdogs would prevail. Liverpool would have to make do with just a Double that season – a first-ever Treble by an English men’s team would have to wait until 1999...
There were no pre-match meal-deals from the supermarket next to the stadium in those days...
FACTS & PUZZLES FROM FRED THE RED!
SPOT THE BALL
SPOT THE BALL
We’ve removed it, but can you find the coordinates of where it was?
A 1 2 3 4 B C D
WHO ARE THESE THREE HIDDEN UNITED STARS? 2 1 3
NEIGHBOURS
ONLY 30 MILES SEPARATE THE CITIES OF MANCHESTER AND LIVERPOOL, BUT CAN YOU PLACE THEM ON OUR MAP – AS WELL AS THE OTHER FAMOUS FOOTBALLING TOWNS AND CITIES, WHO HAVE TEAMS IN EITHER THE WSL OR WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP? WE’VE ADDED A FEW LETTERS TO HELP YOU OUT!
Elisabeth Terland;
Maya Le Tissier; 3. Grace Clinton.
Here for football in all the ways you are
From supporting your favourite football leagues, to paving the way for the future of the game. We know football means more to you than just what happens on the pitch. We’re here for communities, we’re here for opportunities. We’re here for every goal.
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Stats AT THE BACK
UNITED APPEARANCES & GOALS, 2024/25
7
8
A CLOSER LOOK...
The addition of three new names to the above list since our last home game – in the shape of Sandberg, Simpson and Watson – takes our season tally for players used to 22, with 72 players having now lined up for the senior team in our history. But along with Emma and Jess (above), can you name the seven others with one senior appearance? (Answer to side.)
Answer: Aherne, Barry, Bourne, May, Mikalsen, Rabjohn, Solskjaer
WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE
preview
LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE FIVE OTHER GAMES TAKING PLACE TODAY...
As the domestic game returns to action following the international break, United’s meeting with Liverpool kicks off a jam-packed day in the WSL.
Last time out, Marc Skinner’s side suffered a narrow defeat at Chelsea, the Reds becoming the eighth and latest side to prove unable to halt the reigning champions’ perfect start to the season.
Though Guro Reiten notched the game’s only goal from the penalty spot shortly after the quarter-hour mark, both Geyse and Melvine Malard came within a whisker of taking a point for the Reds, prompting Blues boss Sonia Bompastor to subsequently cite the afternoon as a wake-up call for her side. “In terms of results it’s a perfect start and a 100 per cent win record,” she conceded, “but it’s important to stay in mind with reality. This is really good in terms of confidence, but the reality is even if we beat Man City, Arsenal and Man United, we haven’t won anything yet. We need to progress and the good point is we are winning games and getting points. But we still have a lot of improvement, especially when we have possession of the ball, being able to hold the ball more under pressure. We need to keep a good balance between having the confidence from getting these good results against the best teams in the league.”
West Ham face Palace in a London derby with both sides out to build on their solitary WSL win
ACROSS THE WSL
Just ahead of that three-team cluster, but still five points behind the champions, second-placed Manchester City host Leicester, who sit outside the relegation zone on goal difference alone, in today’s 1pm kick-off, with Tottenham simultaneously facing Everton at Brisbane Road.
Bompastor’s Chelsea resume their title defence today against third-placed Brighton, in a 2pm meeting at Kingsmeadow. Only a point separates the Seagulls from Arsenal and United, with congestion building up in Chelsea’s wake.
Arsenal, above United in fourth on goal difference alone, entertain Aston Villa at 2pm –can the Gunners continue their unbeaten resurgence under interim boss Renee Slegers? – while a vitally important fixture takes place at the bottom of the table at 2.30pm, as West Ham host Crystal Palace in a London derby with both sides out to build on their solitary league win and begin climbing away from the danger zone.
There is added interest in that encounter for Skinner’s Reds, who travel to Palace in next Sunday’s 2pm kick-off aiming to build on what will hopefully be a return to winning ways today.
Slegers and her in-form
Gunners host Villa at Emirates Stadium later this afternoon
FIXTURES + RESULTS
ADDED-TIME QUIZ
Good luck with our posers – the photos might help you!
Which team have United faced most often while maintaining a 100 per cent winning record, with five victories from five games?
Leah Galton is the Reds’ record scorer in the WSL, but against which club has she scored most often, with six goals in total?
Which squad number has been assigned to the most different Reds ahead of their first season at United, including Lucy Roberts, Aurora Mikalsen, Diane Caldwell, Maya Le Tissier and Gemma Evans?
And how many goals did that player score across all competitions last season: 12, 14 or 16? 8.
How many current Reds made their senior United debuts before Marc Skinner took over as manager?
Who are the only club United have faced competitively without ever beating?
Which two players made their first competitive United starts in October’s League Cup win over Liverpool?
Which former Red won the Women’s Champions League last season?
True or false: today’s opponents were also the last side United faced in the WSL in 2023. 2. 1. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 9. 10.
Who was the Reds’ top scorer last season?
ANSWERS: 1.
Birmingham City; 2. Brighton & Hove Albion; 3. Ona Battle; 4. 15; 5. Four – Ella Toone, Millie Turner, Leah Galton and Hayley Ladd; 6. Paris Saint-Germain; 7. Nikita Parris; 8. 16; 9. Simi Awujo and Celin Bizet; 10. True
