Manchester United Women v Man City Women match programme, Women's League Cup, 22.01.25
MANCHESTER UNITED WOMEN
v Manchester City Women
SUBWAY WOMEN’S LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL • WED 22 JAN 2025 • 7PM
DIVIDED FAMILY ON DERBY DAY
JUNIOR REDS
MANCHESTER UNITED
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, Jamie Spencer, Matthew Brown
Photography Charlotte Tattersall, Poppy Townson, Ash Donelon, Getty Images, Alamy
Thanks to Ellie Decrop, John Shiel, Paul Davies, Ian Nolan, Mark Froggatt
Marc
SKINNER
It was goals galore for the Reds in our previous home outing, against West Brom in the FA Cup
THE BOSS WILL BE URGING HIS REDS TO STEP UP TO THE CHALLENGE TONIGHT, AS WE SEEK TO MAKE THE
SEMI-FINALS OF
THE LEAGUE CUP BY OVERCOMING SOME FAMILIAR OPPONENTS FROM ACROSS TOWN...
Welcome back to Leigh Sports Village, for what is a second derby in the space of four days after our WSL win at the Etihad on Sunday. Both teams will have learned from that fixture and will tweak parts of their game plans but I’m sure the principles will remain the same for both sides: it’ll come down to individual quality in big moments. That’s what will determine this tie.
We have to be ready to adapt but with this being a cup game we must leave nothing to regret. We know these derby games are always competitive and we need to play on the edge of our performance to give us the best chance to win and progress to the semi-finals.
We’re pleased to playing this game on home soil. It’s always enjoyable playing in front of our own fans, and we want LSV to continue to be a fortress for us throughout the rest of this season and beyond.
It was important to get the victory in our last game here, against West Brom in the FA Cup. I was particularly pleased with the way the
players fought hard to get back into rhythm in that game following the winter break. It was also important to note the energy that the players coming into the team gave to the whole side. This will be an important part of the team culture too going forwards.
This season the club decided to adapt the recruitment process to ensure we look to the future as well as the here and now. We want to build this team with the fans around a young, highly talented and energetic playing group. The contract signings and the addition of Kayla Rendell since my last column are great examples of identifying young talent, and recruiting or nurturing them to support the growth and success of our team. Kayla won’t be part of our squad tonight as she’s cup tied, but we’re delighted to have her here.
With any derby there’s always an extra hunger to win, whatever the context of the game or the competition, and we’re really looking forward to this quarter-final.
Enjoy the game.
numbers Run the
A STAT-BASED
PREVIEW OF MCR DERBY NO.17...
Good evening and welcome back to LSV, for what is the second of successive derby meetings. Sunday’s league encounter took place 13 miles away from here, at City’s Etihad Stadium, and tonight rivalries are renewed with a place in the Subway League Cup semis on the line. In our women’s team’s
Tonight’s contest will be Women’s League Cup tie no.5 between United and City – but the first time the fixture has taken place in the knockout stage. Northern and southern teams being kept apart in the group phase since our maiden entry into the tournament in 2018/19 has meant a reduced pool of potential opponents and, ultimately, more derbies! The Reds had met the Blues in a group in four of the five campaigns prior to this one, and with a fair amount of success – winning two, drawing one (but triumphing in the subsequent shoot-out) and losing the
six-and-a-half-season history, this is actually the third time the schedule has thrown up back-to-back battles with our crosstown rivals, although neither of the fixtures on the two previous occasions followed each other as closely as the three days in this instance. In November 2020, a 2-2 draw in the WSL was backed up by a shoot-out win for the Reds at the end of a League Cup stalemate five days later (see p27). Two years on, there was an international break between February 2022’s double rendezvous, as City eked out a 1-0 WSL win before a more comprehensive 4-1 triumph in the FA Cup a fortnight after. We’ve also met with Durham (December 2018) and Brighton (April 2023) twice in a row previously.
other – last term’s 2-1 away loss. City’s involvement in the group stage of this season’s Champions League earned them a bye to this point in the League Cup, preventing the possibility of yet another group-stage clash, but after the Reds emphatically topped Group A with a perfect record, we’ve been paired with our rivals again, with a bigger prize now at stake this evening. Bring it on!
Tonight’s tie comes just three days after our trip to the Eithad
If United being drawn at home for tonight’s last-eight encounter was music to the ears of anyone, it probably would have been our no.28, Rachel Williams. The experienced striker has accumulated a hugely impressive scoring record in domestic cup ties played here in Leigh, netting in eight of our 11 League Cup and FA Cup games at LSV since her summer 2022 arrival. It’s a tally that began with a prodded poacher’s finish versus Everton in December of that year, has included memorable semi-final winners against Brighton and Chelsea, and was most recently topped up with further goals in our 7-0 FA Cup victory over West Bromwich Albion earlier this month. There’s been a bit of debate since that victory against the Baggies as to whether the hat-trick should in fact have gone to Celin Bizet rather than Williams – the first goal awarded to Rachel on the night was a header that bounced down after being tipped on to the crossbar, with Bizet possibly getting a decisive touch before it crossed the line. It’s not up to us to decide who gets to keep the match ball (as it would mean a first United treble for Bizet also, of course) – but regardless, they all count the same... and all the more reason to score another cup goal or two tonight, right, Rach?
Williams has netted in eight of our 11 League Cup and FA Cup games at LSV since her 2022 arrival
4Our goal for the evening – while claiming the local bragging rights, of course – is to be one of the final four teams left in the hunt to lift the League Cup trophy at the final, to be played at Pride Park, Derby on 15 March. Victory in 90 minutes will be the aim, but it is worth noting that, unlike in the group phase, games drawn at the end of normal time will not immediately go to a penalty shoot-out. Thirty minutes of extra-time will be played to determine a winner, with
spot-kicks to follow if the scores are still level. With the semi-final draw done at the same time as the quarters, the reward for progressing has been set ahead of kick-off too: a last-four trip to Brighton & Hove Albion or Arsenal on 5 or 6 February. To read our preview of the quarter-finals of the competition – which since our previous League Cup game has a new sponsor in Subway – turn ahead to p43.
Hats off to these two in-form Reds...
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OUR NEW NO.1
Rendell is added to the Reds’ goalkeeping ranks
Our first signing of the January window was confirmed in the hours before our last home outing against West Brom, as goalkeeper Kayla Rendell arrived from Southampton, on a contract running until June 2027, with an option of a further year.
The 23-year-old, who watched the 7-0 victory over the Baggies here from the stands, totalled 134 appearances for the Saints, after graduating from the south-coast club’s Academy by making her first-team debut in 2018. Kayla, who will take the no.1 shirt, brings international
JAYDE’S DEAL
Riviere pens lengthy contract with United
United Women defender Jayde Riviere signed a new contract with the club last week, extending her stay in Manchester until at least June
experience with her up north, having been in the senior England squad for the first time last April, after representing her country at every age group from Under-17s to Under-23s.
WOLVES NEXT UP IN FA CUP
2028, with the option of an additional year. Riviere joined the Reds in January 2023 and has since become a regular at right-back for Marc Skinner’s side, notably helping the team to win the FA Cup at the end of last season. The Canada international, who grew up as a United fan on the other side of the pond, marked her new deal with a trip to Old Trafford and proudly said: “I feel the honour of being a Manchester United player every time I step on the pitch, so I’m thrilled that this journey is going to continue. Winning the FA Cup last season gave us all a taste of success and I’ll continue to give everything I have to achieve more moments like that for our fans.”
Our defence of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup will continue with a trip to face third-tier side Wolves in the fifth round. The Reds’ reign as competing trophy holders began with an emphatic triumph over West Brom at the previous stage, and now a first-ever meeting with the Baggies’ West Midlands rivals awaits next month, after the draw was recently conducted at Wembley Stadium. The tie is due to be played on the weekend of 8 and 9 February, and further details are to be confirmed in due course. The other ties are: Chelsea v Everton/Tottenham; Portsmouth v Sunderland; Manchester City v Leicester; Crystal Palace v Newcastle; Aston Villa v Brighton/ Durham; Rugby Borough v West Ham/Liverpool; and Arsenal/Bristol City v London City Lionesses.
The Canadian celebrated her new contract at Old Trafford
Wolves compete in the National League North
Rendell is is a product of Southampton’s Academy
THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER!
Photo taken: Sunday 19 January 2025, Eithad Stadium, Manchester
What’s the story? Our record scorer Ella Toone celebrates at the home of tonight’s opponents, after completing her hat-trick by capitalising on a mistake from City goalkeeper Khiara Keating (pictured). The three goals helped secure three massive WSL points, and the trebles didn’t stop there: incredibly, Tooney only had three touches in the opposition box throughout the game, all of which found the back of the net. It was also Ella’s third career hat-trick for the Reds – no player has more in our history – as we became the first team in WSL history to score three goals against City in the opening half of a fixture. The win moved us up to third place in the table, and now we’re all set for a derby rematch in the cup here at LSV... three days on.
UNITED TO DELIVER EXCELLENCE
Captain’s column
MLT
MAYA DISCUSSES ONE NEW SIGNING, TWO NEW CONTRACTS, PLUS THE DESIRE TO PROGRESS IN THE CUP...
The thought of playing a League Cup quarter-final here in Leigh tonight is super-exciting and the fact it’s a Manchester derby only adds an extra layer to that.
After the winter break, it was great to be back with you all at LSV for the West Brom game recently, in which we were able to record a big win and another clean sheet. Getting through to the next round of the FA Cup was our first objective to tick off in 2025, so now we want to keep on going in that competition, get to the final again and win it like we did last year.
Just before the match, we announced the signing of Kayla Rendell from Southampton, who is a fantastic goalkeeper and someone I know will only add to the squad we have here. I played with Kayla at Hampshire when we were younger, so it’s very special to be at the same club as each other now.
It’s also been nice to see Grace Clinton and Jayde Riviere have their contracts extended over the last couple of weeks. Grace is such
a good player for us and will continue to be, while Jayde is the same – she’s someone I feel I’ve been able to build a great partnership with on the right side of our defence.
As Jayde said when she signed her new deal, winning our first major trophy last term gave us all a taste of success, and, as a squad, we’re all determined to deliver more great moments.
That includes this evening, as we face City again, which is a challenge we’re all looking forward to after Sunday’s league game at the Etihad. We want to go as far as we can in every competition, so this is another big game and one we’ll do everything we can to win.
Maya on the charge against the Baggies, last time out in Leigh
#13 Simi Awujo
OUR NO.13 HAS MUCH TO SAY WHEN WE MEET AT OLD TRAFFORD, FROM THE BOSS’S BELIEF IN HER, TO PICKING CANADA OVER THE STATES... TO FOOD PORTION SIZES AT MANCHESTER RESTAURANTS!
Interview: Charlie Ghagan
Simi, you’re just over four months into your time at United. Generally speaking, how are you enjoying life on and off the pitch here?
I’m definitely enjoying it; it’s been an adjustment. It’s always going to be an adjustment when you move so far away from home, and your family and your friends, but it’s been so enjoyable. Life on the pitch has been a learning curve, but a good learning curve, and then off the pitch it’s just been a lot of fun. There are a lot of nice people on the team who are fun to hang out with.
You sat down recently alongside Phallon to talk to us about your college life in the US, and your studies haven’t finished yet! How are you coping with fitting that in alongside your football?
FACTFILE
DATE OF BIRTH
23 September 2003
PLACE OF BIRTH
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
POSITION Midfielder
YOUTH CAREER
AFC Lightning, NASA Tophat, Southern Soccer Academy
COLLEGE CAREER
2021-23, USC Trojans, 49 apps, 4 goals
SENIOR CAREER
2023 FC Premier Women, 4 apps, 1 goal
2024- Manchester United, 12 apps, 0 goals
INTERNATIONAL CAREER
2022- Canada, 22 caps, 1 goal
It’s not been too bad. I just wrapped up this semester about a week ago, which has been pretty good. I don’t think it was too difficult. Credit goes to my university for being so understanding and so helpful. My university professors have all been super nice and super understanding, and it’s really made the transition a lot easier than I can imagine.
Looking back to September, you made your debut at Old Trafford, where we chat today. What was that like? Did you feel any nerves coming on to the pitch at such an iconic venue? I’ve played at some, I guess you would say ‘big stadiums’ in terms of capacity, but never like Old Trafford – such a historical stadium. So yeah, I was definitely nervous. Just knowing that I’ve been here as a young kid – I’ve been to the stadium, I’ve done the tour. So to know that I was going to be able to step on to the pitch with my now team-mates was so surreal. I had Rachel Williams coming on with me as well [as a second-half substitute] and I remember looking at her and being like [deep breath] and she was like, “just go out there and have fun”. That encompasses a lot of what this team is about; it’s →
just about enjoying it. And I think Rach especially has been someone that’s helped me a lot as well.
You started in our toughest test yet, on paper –away to Chelsea in November. Despite the result – and we came closer than anyone to stopping Chelsea that day – you must have seen that as a strong sign of the manager’s belief in you? Yeah, I definitely agree. I never would have thought that coming to this team, making this decision to come to United, that I would then be starting against the no.1 team in the WSL, who is a very tough opponent to play. I think that’s credit to the work I put in, as well as the coaches’ belief in me. And I’m also just grateful to have that opportunity. I learned a lot in terms of what it takes to play at this level.
Is there anything in particular that surprises you about the English game – the physicality or the technicality of the players, perhaps? How does the WSL differ from playing out in the States? A little bit of everything. Obviously, I came from college, so I wasn’t necessarily pro yet. So I’d say the technicality is something that has definitely been a jump. Everyone here is so technical, so talented. And then there’s the physicality as well. College is quite physical, but it’s a different level of physicality here. It’s the purpose of it; it’s done very intentionally. That’s been an adjustment for sure.
Which trivial thing – so you can’t say the weather! – do you miss most from living Stateside? And on the flip-side, which uniquely British or European thing or tradition has put a smile on your face? Weirdly enough, I miss portion sizes – they’re a tad smaller. I’m used to getting food and then having a bunch of leftovers! But here it’s like, whatever you pay for, that’s one meal, and it’s so small! I feel like that’s such an American thing to say! [Laughs] But I do really like the vibe of the city here. I live in the city, and I like the hustle and bustle. Everyone’s walking. There’s loads of coffee shops, and different things on every corner. Every corner you turn, you can discover something new, and I think that’s pretty cool.
You joined in the same summer as Dominique Janssen, and have played alongside her in midfield. She’s obviously a good few years older than you – how have you benefited from her immense experience in the game?
You can just tell when she steps on the pitch that she knows what she’s doing. For me, it’s just about trying to emulate some of the things she does on the pitch – whether that be like how she uses her body in challenges, or her decision-making – and looking at her as kind of like a guiding point, I guess, because she’s very talented and has proved herself in many squads. She’s definitely someone I can gain a lot from, by looking up to. I look at what she does and try to take pieces of that and fit it into the way I play.
It wasn’t too long ago that you were setting school records, as part of a relay team, at 100m and 400m. How would you fancy your chances over those distances against your United team-mates? There are definitely a lot of fast people on this team! I think some of our quicker wingers and the full-backs would beat me in a 100 metre race. I think the 400 could be a bit more of a gamble... but then again, it takes a lot of training for that as well and I’m not
Simi says team-mate Rachel has really helped her settle in
A senior international for Canada since 2022, Simi will have Casey Stoney as her head coach following the ex-United boss’s appointment last week
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
“It’s a different level of physicality here. It’s the purpose of it – it’s done very intentionally”
going to pretend like I have the sort of training that the track athletes do! So I don’t know [ponders question]... I’ll put myself mid-tier!
You’re perhaps a bit modest! Just to touch on your international career, how tough a decision was it for you to choose Canada over the USA, where you were born? And did Nigeria ever come into the equation, where both your parents were born? I’m not going to say that was the easiest decision. I did grow up in the States [near Atlanta, Georgia], and I grew up seeing friends of mine, team-mates of mine, be in the US system. But for me, once I hit college I felt like I’d grown as a player and I’d shown what I needed to show. So taking a chance on myself and putting myself out there with Canada – and they took a chance on me as well – I’m so grateful for that.
Honestly, it’s been such a joy. The fact that obviously my parents are Nigerian, that was definitely an option as well, but I feel like Canada was just a little bit more front-footed about it. So definitely for me, it was the right choice. I know for my mum, she’s so proud because she lives in Canada, which is how I’m Canadian as well, and she’s eternally grateful to the country because they provided her with opportunity to work there and to live there. I think if she didn’t have that opportunity to be a Canadian citizen, I wouldn’t have had the opportunities I’ve had. I love my team. I love going to camp. Everyone’s so wonderful and there’s no doubt in my mind at all.
The next World Cup will be here before we know it – in Brazil in 2027 – by which time you’ll be approaching what many consider to be peak years as a footballer. Is that something you think about much, looking so far into the future? Honestly, it’s not really something I think about. I’ll look, in a broad sense, that this year we have a certain competition, but in terms of gauging that in the sense of my career, it’s not something I look at as much. I’m focused on the short term, on short-term improvements and making steps in my career towards that. I’m not necessarily looking at the end goal, but just trying to find a way to get better every day. Improving every day is my goal.
Despite the narrow defeat, the game at Chelsea gave our no.13 the opportunity to prove her worth in the middle of the park
We sense you’ve got the makings of becoming a real fan favourite, and we hear your name being sung. Is there a Simi chant throughout your brief career to date that you’ve heard and liked? Honestly, this is the first time I’ve ever had a chant about my name! It’s so wonderful. It’s so catchy, like every time I hear the song now [Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! by Abba] it reminds me of the chant. Our fans are amazing and turn out all the time. Jayde and I were talking about it on the bus. There was a group of girls at the Palace match, and we were like, they’re at every game, even when we’re in London. They’re there when we’re in Manchester but, like, wherever we go, they are there! That’s so wonderful to know, that not only are they there supporting you, but they’re also there to, hopefully, fill our shoes when we’re done. They’re that next generation. It’s great to see how many people are invested in the women’s game now, and so entertained by it as well.
Let’s discuss our League Cup quarter-final against Manchester City. How much are you looking forward to it – and how much of a lift would it give the team to win the first major trophy of the season, in March?
I think every game is important, whether it’s a WSL game, whether it’s this League Cup game, whether it’s the FA Cup. They all matter, because every match is an opportunity to grow and learn as a team, and even learn about yourself and your opponent as well. That’s important, and we take the cup games
“This is the first time I’ve had a chant. It’s so catchy – every time I hear the song it reminds me of it!”
very seriously, because if you can win these then you’ve already done it once, so you can take it and translate it into those WSL matches, or whatever matches are upcoming versus that side. Like the WSL game against City, this one will be a great test for us, and also a great opportunity. I think we’re a really good team, and it’ll just be a lot of fun to compete in my first derby games for this club.
What trophy win has given you the most satisfaction in your career so far?
Honestly, I’m still waiting my first proper one – I didn’t win much in college. Funnily enough, my old college team actually won a trophy this year and I was like, “guys, you had to do it after I left!”
[Laughs] But no, I was so proud of them, they’re my best friends and it was great to see them win something. Hopefully I won’t have to wait too long now! ●
Saluting the fans on her Old Trafford debut alongside fellow Canada international Jayde
Awujo misses her old college mates –and after they won a trophy without her she wants one of her own!
Photo: Instagram/Simi Awujo
*date and kick off time subject to change
Here are a trio of ‘Australia Reds’, pictured at the Liverpool game here at LSV – ‘what a result!’ they say.
Six-year-old Evie has two favourite players: Rachel and Ella. Enjoy the game.
Here is nine-year-old season ticket holder Esme taking it all in at LSV.
Here is Millie, aged 10, with her mum, Stacey. Millie is another big Tooney fan!
A massive happy birthday to Christine – a season ticket holder who has just turned 78. Lots of love, Shantelle and Nicky.
Lilly, who turns 16 in March, has made so many amazing United Women memories with her dad Michael.
Good evening, Martha! She loves MLT and the Reds.
Best mates Rosa and Faye are Jess Simpson mega-fans and wish her well for her loan move.
Helping our young people tell their stories.
FOLLOW ALONG
Rewind to...
19 NOVEMBER 2020 ● LEIGH SPORTS VILLAGE
United’s first League Cup encounter against our Manchester rivals came in 2019/20 – a 2-0 win for the Reds – before the teams were paired again in the group stage the following season. And it was a second Manchester derby at LSV in the space of five days, following a 2-2 draw here – a dramatic WSL encounter that saw Casey Stoney’s side battle back from two goals down.
That result was enough to keep us top of the league in mid-November, but things weren’t looking quite so rosy in the League Cup. Having lost our Group C opener at Liverpool, and with our second game, away at Everton, postponed due to stadium safety concerns, already we required three points if we were to progress in the group ahead of Gareth Taylor’s Blues.
Covid restrictions meant no fans were here to see a contest that was far less eventful than the WSL
derby days earlier – the closest chance from either side being Georgia Stanway’s disallowed offside effort for the visitors. For the Reds, Jess Sigsworth could have won it in added-time, only to be denied by Karen Bardsley after a swift counterattack. Alas, the 0-0 draw meant a point each. While that wasn’t enough to take us through, the ensuing shoot-out brought with it the prize of local bragging rights to go alongside the now-insignificant bonus point. United successfully scored all four – via Toone, Groenen, Millie Turner and Ladd – while a fine Emily Ramsey save (left) from Laura Coombs’ second kick set up a decisive fifth attempt for City, which was duly missed by our former captain Alex Greenwood.
So this game is officially classed as a draw, with United winning a bonus point – but try telling those pictured above that it didn’t feel like a win!
This was the Reds’ first shoot-out, with our overall shoot-out record now being won two, lost three
“WE HAVE SOME TEARS… BUT A LOT OF FUN!”
What’s
it like living in a family made up of Reds and Blues on derby day?
As the Rowlands of Wythenshawe tell us, you’ve simply got to embrace it…
If there’s one thing derby days don’t lack, it’s tension. The hours of nerve-wracking anticipation before kick-off are bad enough, and that’s before we’ve even reached the main course: 90 minutes of intense uncertainty, as the teams go to war. It could scarcely be more excruciating… or could it?
Meet the Rowlands. A football-mad family of five from Wythenshawe, for whom the United-City rivalry is a 24/7, 365-days-a-year experience. Mum Cheryl and her youngest daughter, Olivia, are Reds through and through, regularly attending matches together at LSV. But on the other side of the house, Cheryl’s husband, Phil, was born and raised on the wrong (blue) side of the tracks. Their eldest child, Eleanor, has followed in his footsteps and also cheers for City. The result? A dinner-table dynamic that even Roy Keane might find intimidating.
We’re jesting, of course! At first glance, this might look like a family divided but, on the contrary, the Rowlands say their love of the beautiful game and both United and City have brought them closer together. There is the odd tear, mind you…
“When United men won the FA Cup against City last season, Eleanor ended up in a huff upstairs,” smirks Cheryl. “She was not happy at all! My brother came round, he got the United chants going, and he and I were winding her up. But it’s all fun and games We have a lot of banter – we chant at each other!”
Words: Zoe Hodges
Cheryl, Phil, Olivia and Eleanor – all smiles, at least until kick-off...
back at LSV tonight
All of Cheryl’s family are United fans, while husband Phil’s are City. So when the children arrived, they were allowed to decide for themselves which club to support. “It was their choice… because I am a United fan and he is a City fan, they could choose,” Cheryl continues. “Eleanor even wore some United clothes when she was younger but then Dad got his way,” she laments.
Following the reformation of our women’s team in 2018, the two sides of the family pursued their football affections separately. Cheryl and Olivia, whose no.1 player is Ella Toone, would travel to LSV, while Phil and Eleanor, who now idolises Alex Greenwood (who happened to be a Red back then, of course!), would head to the Blues’ Academy Stadium – now better known as Joie Stadium.
But then came a breakthrough, of sorts: the entire family’s first game together, in September 2019. With half the family rocking up in red and the other sporting blue, they sat alongside one another at the first-ever women’s Manchester derby – a WSL fixture at the Etihad.
Their contrasting colours soon attracted the attention of the TV cameras – and fans nearby, who were intrigued by the family’s split loyalties. “When
“WE ALWAYS END UP ON TV WHEN THE CAMERAS SEE US TOGETHER, AND PEOPLE MAKE COMMENTS LIKE ‘HOW DO YOU COPE?!’”
we play each other, we always end up on TV,” laughs Cheryl. “The TV will be filming the crowds and they’ll see us together. People stare at us too – Eleanor with her City kit on and me in my United kit. They make comments like ‘how do you cope?!’ But we just have a lot of fun! Some tears, but a lot of fun.”
Cheryl’s referring again to the joy and ecstasy (for United fans, at least) of that men’s FA Cup final clash last May. But she and Phil, who grew up during a period when the women’s game was nowhere near as popular as it is now, have grown to love female football more, through taking their daughters to games.
“The women’s game leads the way for us now,” she confesses, though there is an audible smile in her voice when she touches on the City men’s team’s recent dip in form. “We always say: ‘The
Big-stadium encounters between the teams have been regular events in recent seasons, but we’re
Split loyalties = split bedroom!
Toone and Greenwood when they were club-mates
women never let us down.’ But even when you think the men’s team are going to lose, you still watch and hope!”
At the moment, the family have a nice balance: two Reds, two Blues. Divided, but divided equally. However, eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that we stated that the Rowlands were a family of five. What of the fifth member of the clan? One-year-old Fraser is, wisely, still considering his options, as a cold war rages to try and convince him to tilt the family scales in either United or City’s favour. Or could the youngster throw a real spanner in the works and become a Liverpool fan?!
“He does love football and he will join in with the chants,” says Cheryl, confidently. “He gets very giddy and will shout when there’s a goal. But he’s a mummy’s boy – so I’m hoping he’ll follow me!”
Neither Phil nor Cheryl have a problem with which side he chooses, but it sounds like one of his sisters might have the final say! “Eleanor has taught him the Steph Houghton chant and he’s cottoned on to the rhythm of it… he loves it,” Cheryl winces. “So that may persuade him.”
For now, Fraser proudly supports both teams when the football’s on, which both parents are content with. “We’d be absolutely fine with it, if he
chose to support both teams. I go to United Women, I support United men and have done for years and years. But I do take Eleanor to the football. I’d like him to be a Red, but as long as he is happy, then it is his choice.”
Diehard United fan Cheryl believes it will be a tight affair in tonight’s League Cup quarter-final against our bitter rivals, but remains confident the Reds will prevail – possibly via a tense penalty shoot-out. “I think the game will end in a draw after 90 minutes but hopefully United can come out on top,” she says. “We’ve got a strong squad this time and I think it will help if Bunny Shaw’s still out.”
One thing the whole family can agree on, interestingly, is that they’re tired of a certain London club’s recent domination. As long as more trophies make their way up north, they’ll be pleased. “With women’s football, I am sick to death of Chelsea winning – it’s boring,” Cheryl states. “I can cope with City winning it, if we don’t win. At least it’s up here. Chelsea are just flukey, they seem to win all the time!”
With two derby games taking place inside just a few days, many might wonder whether nerves are fraying in the Rowland household, but Cheryl happily reveals she and Phil are enjoying the banter they can have with the kids.
“We’ll be sitting together for the derby,” she smiles in reference to tonight’s tie. “That’s the beauty of not having to stick to home-and-away sections. It doesn’t matter where we sit for women’s games. I’ll be there in my United top and they’ll be wearing their City tops and we’ll have fun – whatever the result!”
On the plus side, someone is always a winner (well, unless it’s a draw...)
The girls have certainly got through their fair share of kits!
Shaw is the key for City, says Cheryl – but will she play tonight? ●
Tonight’s visitors:
MAN CITY
About our opponents...
Nickname: The Blues
Founded: 1988
Ground: Joie Stadium (7,000 capacity)
Last season: WSL runners-up, FA Cup quarter-finals, League Cup semi-finals
Top scorer (all competitions):
Khadija Shaw (14)
Best League Cup campaigns: Winners 2014, 2016, 2018/19, 2021/22
City have a particular affinity with the League Cup, as a 2014 triumph – with a side that included Steph Houghton, Jill Scott, Keira Walsh and Izzy Christiansen – marked a first trophy following their professional relaunch that same year. They have added three more League Cups since.
This season, the Blues were able to skip the group stage for the first time, thanks to European commitments, which afforded them a bye to the League Cup knockout stage after a long-awaited qualification to the Champions League group stage. City endured frustrating exits in European qualifying rounds in both 2021/22 and 2022/23, before missing out altogether in 2023/24. But they comprehensively beat Paris FC 8-0 over two legs in September for safe passage this time.
It then became a strong return to Europe’s top table, as City emerged through five group-stage games with a 100 per cent record, including a statement win over reigning back-to-back
champions Barcelona in front of a Joie Stadium record crowd (5,508). Only defeat in Catalonia in the last game forced Gareth Taylor’s side down into second place as they qualified for the next round. City will learn their quarter-final opponent – one of Lyon, Arsenal or Chelsea – when the draw is made on 7 February.
Domestically, City made a strong start to the WSL campaign. Only a late Beth Mead equaliser for Arsenal on the opening weekend, during which City’s new signing Vivianne Miedema scored against her old club, denied the Blues victory at the Emirates – Miedema is now back again after subsequently missing three months through
RECORD V THE REDS
Played: 16
City wins: 8
United wins: 4
Draws: 4
City goals: 29
United goals: 21
v MANCHESTER UNITED (HOME, WSL), 19.01.25 KEATING
ALEIXANDRI KNAAK
HASEGAWA ROORD MIEDEMA PARK
HASEGAWA FOWLER
SUBS USED: BLINDKILDE BROWN, MURPHY
injury. Six WSL wins on the bounce followed that trip to north London, until defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in November, a game in which City dominated possession but not chances. That result saw them leapfrogged into first place by the side that pipped them to last season’s title, while a shock further defeat against Everton a month later opened up a six-point deficit to Chelsea by the winter break.
City started the New Year with a 3-0 victory over third-tier Ipswich Town to reach the FA Cup fifth round, before Sunday’s derby defeat in the WSL. The thriller at the Etihad saw Miedema net her fourth goal of the season, while new German signing Rebecca Knaak was also on the scoresheet, but it wasn’t enough for the Blues to avoid defeat. Top scorer Khadija Shaw was still out injured for the loss that day, but with manager Taylor insisting the prolific Jamaican’s return was “pretty imminent” we could yet see her back in the fold this evening,
HEAD COACH RISING STAR
The League Cup in 2021/22 remains the second of two trophies Gareth Taylor has won since becoming City boss partway through 2020 – the other was the FA Cup just five months after his appointment. Last season, the 51-year-old – previous a City forward, with 10 goals in 53 first-team games – oversaw a WSL record-equalling run of 14 consecutive wins that helped take the title race to the wire.
A League Cup tie against Doncaster Rovers Belles gave a 16-year-old Jess Park her City debut in 2017. After a formative season on loan at Everton, the winger-turned-midfielder had a pivotal 2024 in which she started 28 games for club and country during the calendar year. Now 23, she became the 17th City player to reach 100 appearances for the club last month.
DUTCH DYNAMO
It was just a year ago that midfielder Jill Roord suffered the devastation of an ACL rupture in this very competition. The Netherlands international was sidelined for 249 days, making her comeback when City hosted Brighton in their opening WSL home game of this season in late September. Her biggest aim in ’24/25 is to win the WSL, after she says City “gave it away” to Chelsea last season.
Left: Vivianne Miedema might wear no.6 these days for her latest club, but she remains an attacker in every sense of the word – the 28-year-old being one of three scorers in City’s 3-0 FA Cup opener against Ipswich (pictured) before netting again v United on Sunday
PTJ’S LATEST MASTERCLASS!
Preventing goals, or helping students achieve their own? Phallon
does both...
Phallon Tullis-Joyce spent time at Stretford High School in the latest of a series of exciting science-based lessons she’s delivered over the past year.
Not for the first time, the Reds keeper visited the Foundation partner school, with students gaining knowledge and wisdom from three lessons previously delivered by her. On this occasion, the Reds’ no.91 – who is also a marine biologist and certified deep-sea diver – devised an incredible ‘whodunnit’ style mystery, challenging students to identify which sea creatures would benefit from bioluminescent properties (the production of light by a living organism).
Pupils learned about the ecosystems in which each of the sea creatures reside, as well as their individual characteristics, providing clues which allowed them to identify a chief suspect.
Phallon explained: “I know the students wanted to learn about different marine animals, so we took them on a ‘whodunnit’ of ‘who stole Alfred the Anglerfish’s missing lantern!’ The students did some incredible detective work to find out who would have wanted that bioluminescence.”
Student Sebastian said: “The true criminal of this bizarre crime was LePrawn James! We also
looked at lots of wildlife and some of Phallon’s underwater adventures. The whole experience was really good.”
Using materials provided by Phallon, students also had the opportunity to create their own bouncy balls, and learn about the method behind that process. They also spoke with Phallon about some of her own experiences of exploring sealife.
Phallon delivers these sessions as part of the Foundation’s Eco Reds project, just one element of the Premier League Inspires programme. Eco Reds engages students with an existing interest in environment and sustainability and gives
Tullis-Joyce was as comfortable in front of the class as she is between the sticks when she attended Stretford High School
them the knowledge they need to help protect the planet.
“I love sharing some of that marine biology information,” Phallon continued. “I’ve had so many teachers help me along the way, so I just want to give back. It’s cool to have these students be so engaged learning about our environment and sustainability.”
Scan the code below to watch Phallon in the classroom...
FACTS & PUZZLES FROM FRED
GUESS THE RED
WHO ARE THESE THREE HIDDEN UNITED PLAYERS FROM OUR LAST LEAGUE CUP OUTING, AGAINST NEWCASTLE?
Guess
Red: 1. Geyse; 2. Anna Sandberg; 3. Melvine Malard; League Cup legends: 1. Katie Zelem;
2. Millie Turner; 3. Hayley Ladd; Career paths: 1. Dominique Janssen; 2. Elisabeth Terland; 3. Celin Bizet
Fill in the blanks of the players who’ve made the most League Cup appearances for the Reds! Hint: two are no longer at the club…
CAREER PATHS
Name
*date and kick off time subject to change
Stats AT THE BACK
WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE TABLE, 2024/25
UNITED APPEARANCES & GOALS, 2024/25
WSL TOP SCORERS, 2024/25
A CLOSER LOOK...
We’re now 15 games into the 2024/25 campaign, with just two Reds having started every match to date this term, in captain Maya
Le Tissier and fellow centre-back Millie Turner. Just ahead of the pair on the pitch, midfielder Dominique Janssen has also appeared in every game, although two of these have come as a sub in the League Cup.
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WOMEN’S LEAGUE CUP preview
THIS SEASON’S FINAL FOUR WILL BE KNOWN BY THE END OF THE NIGHT...
While the Manchester derby is ongoing here, there will be three other quarter-finals taking place elsewhere in the Subway Women’s League Cup this evening. The earliest is a 6.45pm kick-off at Kingsmeadow, as Chelsea enter the tournament – alongside Arsenal and Manchester City, who also received a bye to this round as Champions League participants – with a tie at home to Championship outfit Durham.
Incredibly, Sonia Bompastor’s Blues only once failed to emerge victorious across their WSL and Champions League schedule in the first half of the term (drawing 1-1 at Leicester), and having made a successful start to their mission of wrestling the FA Cup crown back off us since the winter break, they will be aiming to maintain ambitions of challenging on four fronts tonight.
Standing in Chelsea’s way however is a Durham side who will also harbour confidence in the capital, on the back of an unbeaten group-stage campaign that sees them remain the only non-WSL club left in this cup.
Adam Furness’s team finished first in a group they shared with three second-tier rivals, but the Wildcats have shown their ability to go toe-to-toe with those in the top flight over recent seasons – United’s one normal-time win in three meetings with the north-east side since our 2019 promotion being evidence to that.
Half an hour after that game gets under way tonight, it will be the turn of Brighton and Arsenal at 7.15pm, with the latter beginning
Beating Brighton at home is something no team has yet done in 2024/25
their quest to win this trophy for the third year in a row. Jonas Eidevall has left his post as the Gunners’ head coach since those successes, although a fruitful run to March’s final at Pride Park remains the target for the Swede’s successor, Renee Slegers, who was announced as the Londoners’ new boss on Friday following an unbeaten interim tenure.
Beating Brighton at Broadfield Stadium is something no team has done yet in 2024/25 however, and the Seagulls will fancy their chances of a statement result to set up a semi-final showdown with United or City, having topped Group D and been one of the stories of the WSL season so far.
The latest start on tonight’s schedule is at Brisbane Road in the London derby between Tottenham and West Ham, who will duel from 7.30pm for the right to take on Chelsea or Durham in the final four.
It is a clash that pits two of the three clubs to have registered a 100 per cent record in the group phase against each other (United being the other), in the only fixture at this stage involving two teams hunting down a maiden berth in the competition’s final.
Durham face a big test as they head to Chelsea tonight
FIXTURES + RESULTS
ADDED-TIME QUIZ
Let’s test your knowledge on United’s League Cup links
Which team did United face in the group stage of the club’s first-ever League Cup campaign, but have not met in the competition since?
Which member of the current squad was the first to register a League Cup goal for the Reds?
Who was the first-ever United player to score in the League Cup knockout stages, back in 2019 against West Ham?
True or false: the first-ever women’s Manchester derbies in the WSL, FA Cup and League Cup all took place in the same season.
How many of our eight senior goalkeepers so far made their Reds debut in a League Cup fixture? Here’s one for starters... 8.
Which Brazil international’s two goals for the Reds both came in this competition in 2021/22?
Who were the last side United faced in back-to-back competitive fixtures, doing so in April 2023?
Of the teams left in the League Cup this season, who are the only club the Reds have never previously faced in the competition? 2. 1. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 9. 10.
Name the only one of the Reds’ opponents against whom Nikita Parris did not score in last season’s League Cup: Everton, Liverpool, Leicester City or Man City?
Prior to Emma Watson and Gabby George in December, who was the last player to open their scoring account for United with a goal in the League Cup? Hint: it happened last season.
ANSWERS: 1.Reading; 2. Leah Galton; 3. Jess Sigsworth; 4. True (2019/20); 5. Ivana Ferreira Fuso; 6. Brighton; 7. Leicester City; 8. Five (Siobhan Chamberlain, Aurora Mikalsen, Sophie Baggaley, Phallon Tullis-Joyce and Safia Middleton-Patel); 9. Geyse; 10. Tottenham Hotspur
