_ BIG PICTURE
_ INSIDE STORIES
_ SINCE LAST TIME
_ UNITED SQUAD, 2022/23
_ CAPTAIN’S COLUMN
_ UNITED FOUNDATION
_ JUNIOR REDS & QUIZ
_ FAN MESSAGES
_ 2022/23 STATISTICS
The
Co-chairmen
The opposition City’s title hopes came crashing down two weeks ago, put they still have much to play for.
MATCH PROGRAMME TEAM
_ MUW RESULTS & FIXTURES
_ REDS ON REWIND: 2019
MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
Joel Glazer, Avram Glazer Directors Bryan Glazer, Kevin Glazer, Edward Glazer, Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, Richard Arnold, Michael Edelson, Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Alex Ferguson, David Gill CBE Secretary Rebecca Britain Honorary president Martin Edwards
Hello and welcome to Leigh Sports Village for the final time this season.
First of all, I want to say how proud I am. Proud of the players, the staff, of you, our magnificent fans. No matter what happens over the next seven days, this season has been special for a number of reasons. The experiences we’ve had together have taken us to another level on and off the pitch.
I’ve been speaking about approaching games and playing with no fear for a long time. We’ve more than earned that right now. There’s no looking back. We are here to compete with and be the very best.
The result wasn’t what we wanted against Chelsea on Sunday, of course. It was a tight match and on another day could easily have gone our way.
What you could see from the very start, though – and that disallowed goal epitomised it – was that we were on the front foot, playing without any sort of trepidation. We adapted to different situations well and just needed to be a bit more clinical.
We watched Chelsea lift the trophy from the pitch, as we did when they lifted the league title after the final game of the season last year, together. I said on both occasions that we will be there lifting trophies one day, and it will be one day soon, I am certain of it. The unity and spirit among this group is exceptional. When it happens, we’ll do it as a team that’s united, and a true United team.
From an FA Cup final into a Manchester derby is quite the week. We love these matches, we enjoy them. We know the threats Manchester City pose, but we are prepared. We have a variety and flexibility in our style of play to make sure we give ourselves the best possible chance to come out on top, and if we bring the same levels of passion, desire and commitment to our performance that we always do, I’m confident we will get the right result.
There’s still so much to play for in these last two matches and who knows what will happen. But I wanted to say a special thank you to you all. You made Wembley amazing, you’ve made every game home and away an incredible experience for us this season. We’ve heard you, we’ve seen you, we’ve felt your relentless support. We will continue working with that same relentless attitude to keep delivering opportunities for trophies. They will come, believe me.
Enjoy the game and the rest of the season.
Minutes before kick-off seven days ago, and with the mid-afternoon sun beaming brightly on to Wembley’s pristine pitch, the Reds pose for the customary pre-game photo, with captain Katie Zelem clinching United’s Cup final pennant that she would soon exchange with Chelsea skipper Magdalena Eriksson. Beyond these 11 smiling faces would have been a mixture of excitement and butterflies in their stomachs – how could there not be nerves on such an occasion: our first major cup final, played in front of the biggest crowd ever for a domestic women’s game in world football, and with millions more watching on TV across the globe? On a day of fine margins – and none finer than Ella Toone’s offside call (after 14 seconds!), or indeed Niamh Charles’s trip on Nikita Parris as Keets was driving into the Blues’ penalty area later in the half – we didn’t quite get the luck, but one thing is for certain: we couldn’t be any prouder of this group of players, last Sunday and always.
If there’s one consolation following last Sunday’s result at Wembley, it’s that no-one of a Red persuasion has needed to dwell on it for too long, because the big games just keep on coming. And by ‘big’, we’re talking huge; as important as last weekend, or indeed any game in the five-year history of this team – and that’ll certainly be the case if Arsenal managed to beat Chelsea in today’s lunchtime kick-off.
If you’re reading this at Leigh Sports Village ahead of the 12th Manchester women’s derby, you’ll no doubt already know the result of that earlier clash at Kingsmeadow. And whatever the outcome there, we’ll probably all be checking the finer details of the Women’s Super League table and remaining fixtures as we get set for tonight’s televised tussle with Gareth Taylor’s Blues.
City’s title hopes were obliterated in their last outing as they lost 2-1 at Liverpool – a result that barring a mathematical miracle confirmed our qualification for next season’s Women’s Champions League for the
With 12 wins, one draw and just one loss on home soil in 2022/23, the Reds will step out with confidence tonight
first time. That in itself should be cause for celebration, but with Marc Skinner’s side having spent more weeks at the top of the WSL table in 2022/23 than any other team, our targets have been realigned. We’ve already hit a half-century of points; now we want Katie Zelem and co to get their hands on that distinctive, no-handled silver trophy (below).
At the time of writing, Chelsea and (to a lesser extent) Arsenal are still in the picture, of course, and today’s opponents
City will be looking towards the Gunners as the team they’ve got the best chance of catching if they are to squeeze into the top three.
It was 2015 when City last failed to qualify for the Women’s Champions League, with Taylor’s side having to play catch-up from the opening weeks of 2022/23 after losing their first two games. “As much as you’d like to be, you can’t be flawless all season,” said Taylor recently.
“The team that gives up less will be the successful one.”
All four ends of LSV will be packed again tonight
His side’s 17-game unbeaten WSL run from October to April – 14 wins, two draws and a 2-1 loss to Arsenal they so easily could have won – is testament to City’s desire to go alongside their undoubted ability, which is why few would have foreseen their defeat to Liverpool on 7 May. Yet Matt Beard’s Merseysiders had shown similar guile against Chelsea just four days earlier, with the Londoners requiring an 86th-minute winner from Sam Kerr (who else?) to get the win.
Those two results should serve as reminders that our final-day trip to Prenton Park to face Liverpool next Saturday will be another major test, on an afternoon when Chelsea visit Reading and Arsenal host Aston Villa.
Team-news wise for today, managers Skinner and Taylor have a wealth of options and no new injury concerns. Zelem should be back wearing the armband for United following her suspension in our last WSL fixture, which saw Hayley Ladd lead the team against Spurs (read all about that on p16). As for City, head to p34 for the latest, with the lethal Bunny Shaw likely to be their biggest threat, as the Jamaican striker tries to chase down Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly in the raise for the WSL’s Golden Boot.
With our attendance record at Leigh Sports Village (which currently stands at 7,666, against Liverpool in January) likely to be beaten this evening, there’s nowhere else we’d rather be than here. As the sun sets over United Women’s home and those floodlights flicker on, hold on tight for the most high-stakes Manchester derby yet. Come on United!
United’s 2022/23 awards night will take place on 29 May at Old Trafford, with the gala dinner raising vital funds for Manchester United Foundation, as well as honouring the winners across the United teams, including Marc Skinner’s trophy-chasing Reds.
The poll to name United Women’s Player of the Year is open now, until 29 May – head to ManUtd.com or the club app to cast your vote, where you can single out any current Red to have made a senior appearance in 2022/23. Fans will also determine the winner of the Goal of the Season prizes, with the United Women shortlist (as approved by team management) listed here:
● Nikita Parris v Aston Villa (A), Conti Cup, 1 October
● Hayley Ladd v Everton (A), WSL, 30 October
● Alessia Russo v Arsenal (A) WSL, 19 November
● Ona Batlle v Aston Villa (H)
WSL, 3 December
● Leah Galton v Manchester City (A), WSL, 11 December
● Martha Thomas v Liverpool
(H), WSL, 15 January
● Rachel Williams v Reading
(A), WSL, 22 January
● Vilde Boe Risa v Durham
(H), FA Cup, 26 February
● Hannah Blundell v Durham
(H), FA Cup, 26 February
● Millie Turner v Aston Villa
(A), WSL, 28 April
Moving on to the other awards, secret ballots will take place among the squads in the coming days to determine the Players’ Player of the Year award winners. A panel of Academy coaches will decide who wins the Girl’s Academy Player of the Year, which will now be named in honour of development coach Emma Fletcher.
Fans can follow the night and enjoy the speeches via ManUtd.com and the club app. Now get voting!
Win the ultimate in-home match day prize
Win the ultimate in-home match day prize
From Paris To Geneva, from Rome to Manchester, no matter where I live, I breathe United.
Maria, Paris, France
RECAP OF THE REDS’ MOST RECENT FIXTURES
Sun 14 May, 2.30pm, Vitality Women’s FA Cup final 1 CHELSEA
Kerr 68 0 UNITED
FA Cup final debutants United were narrowly defeated by Chelsea in a tight contest at a packed Wembley Stadium.
In front of 77,390 fans, Marc Skinner’s side so nearly made a dream start when Leah Galton put the ball in the Chelsea net within 30 seconds of kick-off, but it was quickly ruled out for an offside call against Ella Toone. The decision was verified by VAR, as the system was used for the first time in the competition.
Five minutes later, Chelsea’s Sam Kerr was found in space on the wing but Reds defender Maya Le Tissier was there to thwart the dangerous Australian forward.
United continued to push and after careful build-up play, the ball was floated into Alessia Russo, only for Blues keeper Ann-Katrin Berger to get there first.
At the back, United stood strong to keep Chelsea at bay and when Galton won possession in our half, the team countered quickly with Toone running down the wing and finding Nikita Parris, but her curling shot was straight at Berger.
Galton almost made the breakthrough when Russo’s cross found her inside the area. United’s no.11 couldn’t quite make the right connection, however, and the ball went over the bar. Moments later at the other end, Kerr’s cross found former Reds forward Lauren James but her header was denied by Earps, who needed fast feet to scramble across goal and claw the ball away with a one-handed save.
There was late drama in first-half injury time and once more VAR was to deny the Reds. Parris drove towards the Blues’ penalty box and was too fast for Niamh Charles who hauled her down. Ref Emily Heaslip awarded a free-kick right on the edge of the area and after a VAR check for a penalty, the initial decision stood –
much to United’s frustration, with Skinner commenting after the match: “It still looks like a penalty to me.”
Emma Hayes’s side came out strongly for the second half and it wasn’t long before they had their next chance. The Londoners broke down the left and found United’s defence out of place. Kerr’s cross went straight to sub Pernille Harder but she couldn’t get a good contact on the ball. But with 68 minutes gone, the Blues did take the lead. Harder charged down the right and put in a low cross between Earps and the defence, leaving Kerr to fire home with the outside of her boot.
The Reds continued to fight, with a chance for Russo to equalise, but our no.23 couldn’t find the target as the frustrations grew from those in red.
Then, as the clocked ticked into injury-time, Berger flapped at a driven cross from the right by substitute Lucia Garcia. The ball fell into a busy six-yard box and the crowd held its breath as Galton got her foot to the ball, only for Kadeisha Buchanan hook it to safety.
Seconds later it was all over. The Reds had given it everything, but couldn’t stop Chelsea lifting the Cup for the third time in a row. We’ll be back.
United put in a dominant performance in our last league outing, beating Spurs in Leigh to keep the Reds top of the WSL.
The Reds, who had Vilde Boe-Risa in midfield in place of suspended skipper Katie Zelem, put a lot of early pressure on Spurs in the opening 10 minutes. Leah Galton had two chances in front of goal but couldn’t get the connection she needed.
Bethany England looked set to open the scoring for Spurs after she went round Mary Earps, but Maya Le Tissier tracked her back and put in a superbly timed block.
Minutes later, United went close again. Some fine build-up play from Ella Toone and Galton led to Alessia Russo receiving the ball just inside the area. An impressive save from Tinja-Riikka Korpela was all that stopped Russo’s looping shot from going in.
It wasn’t long before United were back on the attack once again. Nikita Parris got a head on Hannah Blundell’s cross but once again Korpela was there to deny the hosts.
On the half-hour mark, a run down the right from Parris led to corner, which was taken short and drifted in by Ona Batlle. Galton got her head on to the cross but her effort bounced off the bar and was cleared, before the flag went up for offside.
It seemed to galvanise Galton, however, and after picking the ball up on the left following a mistake from ex-Red Amy Turner, Leah drove into the box before slotting the ball into the bottom corner to score her fifth goal in as many games.
United’s forwards kept pushing on and three minutes later it was 2-0, as Galton nodded on a corner and Russo (left) swivelled to let the ball drop before hammering it home.
Spurs weren’t giving up, and Norwegian forward Celin Bizet hit the crossbar
just before half-time – a timely reminder of their attacking threat.
As the second period began, United were gifted another chance after a mistake at the back from Spurs. Shelina Zadorsky mistimed her jump to meet a United cross, and after the ball hit the back of her team-mate Molly Bartrip, it sat up kindly for Parris to slot the ball home from short range.
Marc Skinner’s side came close to a fourth but Russo’s powerful shot was somehow stopped on the line. Then, against the run of play, Spurs forward England found herself in space in the United box. She passed the ball to substitute Mana Iwabuchi but Earps pulled off a good save to deny her, before stopping the rebound as well.
Spurs continued to push but United substitute Martha Thomas put in an important block to guide the ball out.
With 10 minutes left, Skinner brought on Jayde Riviere for her debut. The Canadian full-back was straight into the action, stopping an attack down the wing, and her late cameo provided another positive moment on a day when the Reds made it seven wins in a row in all competitions.
Galton tucks the ball home to make it 1-0
UNITED (4-2-3-1): Earps; Batlle, Le Tissier (Mannion 74), Turner, Blundell (Riviere 86); Ladd, Boe Risa; Parris (Thomas 63), Toone (Williams 74), Galton (Garcia 73); Russo
Subs not used: Naalsund, Tounkara, Cascarino, Baggaley Booked: None
TOTTENHAM (4-4-2): Korpela; Graham (Iwabuchi 59), Turner (Petzelberger 77), Bartrip, Harrop; Bizet (Neville 59), Zadorsky, James, Naz (Ayane 45); Spence (Percival 59), England Subs not used: Ale, Spencer, Summanen
Booked: Bartrip, Harrop
Ref: Kirsty Dowle Att: 5,790
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Berger; Perisset, Mjelde, Eriksson, Charles (Carter 72); Leupolz (Ingle 57), Cuthbert; James (Buchanan 88), Fleming (Harder 57), Reiten; Kerr Subs not used: Musovic, Svitkova, Rytting Kaneryd, Abdullina, Cankovic Booked: Charles, Ingle, James, Reiten
UNITED (4-2-3-1): Earps; Batlle, Le Tissier, Turner, Blundell (Garcia 79); Zelem, Ladd (Thomas 90+1); Parris (Williams 61), Toone (Mannion 79), Galton; Russo Subs not used: Boe Risa, Riviere, Naalsund, Cascarino, Baggaley
Booked: None
Ref: Emily Heaslip Att: 77,390
There are 4.36 million of us and we are tomorrow’s
We’re part of every community and come from all social backgrounds, cultures and religions with different skills and abilities. We’re an unstoppable force for good if we’re given the chance. The chance to play football.
We want to play in the school curriculum, at breaktime, after school, at local clubs wherever, whenever we want.
Hayley, first of all, now the dust has settled a little bit on Sunday, how do you look back at the FA Cup final? There was obviously a lot of initial disappointment and a bit of heartache as well. Especially the way the game went, certain things were going well for us and then it felt like it slipped out of our control a bit in the second half. So yeah, we’re disappointed. But now, a few days on, we’re starting to build again and it’s important we look ahead to these remaining two games and make sure we put any angst to one side and channel it towards these games. We’ve got a hell of a lot to play for.
Absolutely. You said while speaking to MUTV at full-time that the team could take a lot of confidence and experience from that game – having had more of a chance to reflect, what were the aspects that pleased you?
I think initially in the first half, we were probably a bit unlucky with the offside call [for our disallowed goal]. I’ve not seen it, but friends and family said it was really tight. We started well, caused them a lot of problems and made them really uncomfortable, making sure it wasn’t easy to play against us. So, we’ll be pleased with the way we started, we just missed that little bit of experience. Then probably in the second half, the momentum started to shift and it was just all about keeping calm and keeping that control, if possible. But there was lots of experience gained for a lot of people who may not have been in that situation before.
Do you have a routine for analysing games –will you watch clips, or maybe the full game back?
Yes, as a team, we do analysis, which would be a couple of days after, and the coaches will organise clips for us to look
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AS WE CHAT TO THE WALES INTERNATIONAL TWO DAYS AFTER WEMBLEY, HER FOCUS IS ALL ABOUT “REMEMBERING WHERE WE’VE COME FROM AND THE PROGRESS WE’VE MADE” – SOMETHING OUR TENACIOUS NO.12 WILL NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF...Interview: Mikey Partington
at. There’ll be general themes and themes going into the next game as well that we can quickly learn from. And then individually, our analysts organise clips for each person to watch.
How did you find playing in front of a record-breaking crowd at Wembley? Is that motivation in itself to get back to playing on such a stage again?
DATE OF BIRTH
6 October 1993
PLACE OF BIRTH
Dacorum, Hertfordshire
YOUTH CAREER
St Albans City
SENIOR CAREER
2009-12 Arsenal, 3 games, 0 goals
2012 Kokkola Futis 10 (loan), 12 games, 0 goals
2012-15 Coventry City, 32 games, 3 goals
2015-17 Bristol Academy/City, 46 games, 1 goal
2017-19 Birmingham City, 45 games, 3 goals
2019- Manchester United, 86 games, 8 goals
INTERNATIONAL CAREER
Wales: 82 caps, 2 goals (below, in 2015)
Definitely. That disappointment fuels the fire to get there again and build on that experience; to grow from it. So we’ve got to take that sort of disappointment and channel it in the right ways, and know that the team is only five years old. I think Chelsea’s record speaks for itself and it shows why they’ve been at the top of the game for a long time. They’ve had that continued investment and backing over probably more than 10 years now. So, now I think we’ve got to bring ourselves down to earth a bit and just remember where we’ve come from and the progress we’ve made before we can be positive looking forward, and grow from this.
Of course, there are plenty of reasons to be proud. Looking ahead, how has the mood been in the camp since Sunday? Is there even more motivation now? There’s obviously disappointment, and while we need to have that disappointment to fuel our future performances, now the dust has settled a little bit, we’ll come back into training and everyone will be positive and hungry. We’re
proud of where we’ve come from. But also, we want more. We want to add more high-level games and trophies to our game, and add it to our club as well.
Those high-level games keep on coming with Manchester City next. What’s it like for a player at this time in a season when you know you have had a successful campaign and, and as a result, the big games keep coming one after another?
It’s just great because you get quite a lot of momentum going from game to game. And like I said, if there are things you’re not quite happy with either as a player or as a team, you can quickly rectify them and channel them in the right way. The business end of the season can be intense, but we’re in the final streak where we get excited for these big games, and hopefully we can get what we want from them.
What have you made of City this season?
They’ve had a very strong season. It’s great to see their style of play, they stick to that and it’s great, but we’ll back ourselves with what we can bring to the game. Certainly the last time we played them at the Etihad, we felt like we went there and imposed ourselves quite well, considering it was an away game, in a derby against a rival. So, we feel like we have unfinished business after that game by not getting the three points. That will channel us to hopefully go the extra mile and get something a bit more this time.
The team played really well in that reverse fixture and probably deserved more from it than just a point... Definitely, we take confidence from it, and a lot of people feel like we did enough to get more from it. So we’re really hungry going into this game, trying to get all three points.
The games with City always seem to be quite tight but also entertaining. Is there anything you’ve learned from previous games that you can take into this one?
I think we know City’s style of play – they build different layers on their play – so you kind of know what you’re going to get when you do play a good City team. You’re going to have large portions of the game without the ball, so you need to remain diligent and organised and wait for your time to assert yourself, and try and impose yourself in perhaps a different way than you would against another team. So, it’s about delivering that energy and resilience on the day, and a little bit of creativity and a little bit of flair up top too, to try and finish off whatever move there is.
We’re sure you’ll have a strong backing as well at LSV. It’s our final game there this term – what have you made of playing at Leigh over the course of the season?
We love playing at Leigh and I think this season, the biggest reason behind that is because of the fan base we get there. It’s a brilliantly sized stadium and you can hear the fans, and we always get a really good turnout there. It seems like this year, that’s been taken on to another level really. So, just a big thanks to the fans that come out and support us. There’s been quite a few different records broken this year. We’re really pleased to see that and hopefully we’re providing good entertainment for the fans and we’re giving them something to really cheer about.
One entertaining performance recently at Leigh was the Tottenham game, when we were 3-0 winners. You wore the captain’s armband that day – what was that experience like for you?
It was a pleasure to lead the team. I think with Zel [Katie Zelem] having the suspension and then Aoife [Mannion] missing out as well, it was kind of a natural progression. It was a decent team performance, scoring three goals and getting a clean sheet; it was a pleasing overall performance from the team. It put us in good stead ahead of Wembley. So yeah, it was another box ticked off and hopefully another step towards what we’re wanting this season.
“IT WAS A PLEASURE TO LEAD THE TEAM. I THINK WITH ZEL HAVING THE SUSPENSION AND AOIFE MISSING OUT AS WELL, IT WAS KIND OF A NATURAL PROGRESSION”
This title race is uncharted territory for many. How have you as a team been dealing with that from week to week and managing those expectations? Well, I think that’s certainly an element of the context, which is important – as a team, we are probably younger on average than the likes of Chelsea, for example. So, I think we’ve just got to stay agile and flexible and make sure we’re learning a lot; that we don’t get too high and don’t get too low. All season we’ve tried to just take it game by game, and I’ve not listened to any background noise and just focused on my job and enjoying the football we’re playing. We know the kind of things that we can control, which is our performances and trying to be a real threat.
Is there any interest from your point of view in keeping an eye on Chelsea matches, or is it very much just focused on our games and knowing we have to win? We probably will be peering over at the Chelsea score, but first and foremost we need to look after ourselves. We’ve got two games that we have to win. We’ve set our sights really high this season and it’s certainly not job done yet. City are a top team and Liverpool have had some really good performances recently, and we’re away from home so that will be really tough as well. We’re keeping our feet firmly on the ground because we’ve got lots of work to do.
There’s a lot of talk about the title race, but we’ve also pretty much confirmed a Champions League place for the first time. How much of a boost is that? It’s something we can officially achieve in this game... It’s been a big target of ours for as long as I’ve been at the club in the last four seasons. It’s been building and we’ve had to be patient and we’ve had to learn and ride the different experiences a little bit. But that would be a great achievement for the team and I think something we deserve as well for the consistency over the season.
It’s important to switch off from football when you can. Is there any particular way you’ve been doing this?
At United we’ve had a long history of doing quite a lot of team-building activities. So, with Casey [Stoney], it started out like, bringing a reptile person in and testing people’s fears and stuff like that. And it’s evolved over time. We save space and time for things that will bring us together as a team and keep things lighter. There’s a lot to be enjoyed for it, and it helps to keep us close as a team.
Have you got any specific plans to switch off from football over the summer following such a long season?
I’ve got a two-week holiday booked to Mexico, so that’ll be nice. I’ll be relaxed on the beach somewhere! ●
“WE’RE KEEPING OUR FEET FIRMLY ON THE GROUND. CITY ARE A TOP TEAM AND LIVERPOOL HAVE HAD SOME REALLY GOOD PERFORMANCES RECENTLY”In the thick of the action in December’s draw at the Etihad – a game Hayley believes will give the Reds real belief that we can beat City for a third time this evening
UNITED WOMEN SQUAD 2022/23
22
DEFENDER 5
Born: 7 March 1993
Nationality: English
United apps/goals: 94/0
Born: 29 November 1996
Nationality: English
United apps/goals: 10/0
Born: 10 June 1999
Nationality: Spanish
United apps/goals: 75/3
Born: 24 September 1995
National team: Rep of Ireland
United apps/goals: 28/0
GOALKEEPER 15 14
Born: 22 January 2001
Nationality: Canadian
United apps/goals: 1/0
GOALKEEPER 27 21 20
Born: 16 March 1995
Nationality: French
DEFENDER 2
3
Born: 5 June 1993
Nationality: Norwegian
United apps/goals: 45/1
6
32 MEET THE SQUAD
Born: 25 May 1994
Nationality: English
United apps/goals: 56/2
Born: 18 April 2002
National team: England
United apps/goals: 29/2
Born: 7 July 1996
Nationality: English
United apps/goals: 111/7
Born: 5 February 1997
Nationality: French
United apps/goals: 2/0
Born: 20 January 1996
Nationality: English
United apps/goals: 127/30
Born: 11 June 1995
Nationality: Norwegian
United apps/goals: 1/0
Born: 31 May 1996
National team: Scotland
United apps/goals: 51/8
Born: 14 July 1998
Nationality: Spanish
United apps/goals: 26/6
Born: 8 February 1999
Nationality: English
United apps/goals: 57/26
Born: 13 July 1995
Nationality: Norwegian
United apps/goals: 42/8
Born: 6 October 1993
National team: Wales
United apps/goals: 86/8
Born: 2 September 1999
Nationality: English
United apps/goals: 129/44
Born: 24 May 1994
Nationality: English
United apps/goals: 106/34
Born: 10 March 1994
Nationality: English
United apps/goals: 25/9
Born: 10 January 1988
Nationality: English
United apps/goals: 23/6
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The FA Cup final was a game of fine margins in both boxes. We had our chances – maybe the better chances too, especially in the first half. We were obviously gutted to not bring the trophy back to Manchester, but I am so proud of how we performed. We showed that we can perform on the biggest stage and we can’t wait for the opportunity to do it again, hopefully with silverware at the end next time.
In the Women’s Super League, the title race could go down to the final day, which is great for the league. For us to be competing at the very top going into the final two games of the season is an incredible achievement too. We have come so far in a short space of time and in a really competitive era. We set ourselves targets at the start of the season and we are well on the way to achieving all of them. We are completely focused on getting the points we need against Manchester City. We love derby days. We love big occasions. We have such belief
and confidence that we can beat anyone – and we probably should have put the game against City to bed in December. We had the opportunities, but they’re a great side who can punish you if you don’t take them. With Bunny Shaw, they’re always a threat. She’s second in the WSL scoring charts this season for a reason.
There’s been a lot of hard work on and off the pitch to get to this point and the fans have been such a huge part of everything we’ve achieved so far. We’re looking forward to seeing you for our final home game – and hopefully lots of you will make it to Liverpool away next Saturday, too.
Thank you so much for all your support this season. You are incredible, and we’ll do all we can to end the season with two more wins.
THE CAPTAIN LOVES A DERBY DAY, AND THEY DON’T GET MUCH BIGGER THAN THIS ONE, AS SHE AND HER FELLOW REDS PLOT ONE LAST BIG PUSH IN OUR WSL TITLE CHASE...
The impact of our wide players has been apparent from day one, when Alex Greenwood assisted Lizzie Arnot for our first goal (above), and rapid wingers Leah Galton and Kirsty Hanson would spend the rest of 2018/19 and beyond tormenting opposition full-backs in the Championship and WSL. Our dynamic play out wide has reached new levels in more recent times, however, with Hannah Blundell and Ona Batlle regularly pushing on from their ostensibly defensive roles to overlap Leah and co, before providing deadeye deliveries that so often lead to a goal. Such a strategy is a bold one that could easily leave a team exposed on counterattacks, but the speed of thought, as well as feet, from all our touchline-hugging heroes – including gifted 2022 arrivals Lucia Garcia and Nikita Parris – has become a major part of the team’s gameplan under Marc Skinner.
Interview: Mikey
A sending off in women’s football remains a rare sight. By means of comparison with the men’s game, in the 2011/12 Premier League – the year the WSL was formed – there were 66 red cards; a figure the women’s top flight has yet to reach in its history. Alongside Sophie Baggaley’s unfortunate red for tripping Chelsea’s Sam Kerr in last season’s Conti Cup, we’ve only ever had three in the WSL, and they’ve all come against the same team: Tottenham. Our first was shown to Lauren James, when she picked up a second yellow in the closing minutes of our 3-0 away win in October 2019, while Ella Toone has since received two straight reds after getting in a tangle with a Spurs player: the first in January 2020’s 3-0 win at a foggy LSV; the second just three months ago in our 2-1 away win, when Ella was deemed to have raised her hand to Eveliina Summanen – a decision that was later rescinded, however, following a successful appeal. And we’re pleased to report that our latest meeting with Spurs, two weeks ago, concluded with not so much as a single booking for the Reds, although we did – once again – win by a 3-0 scoreline.
IT’S THE FINAL INSTALMENT OF OUR ALPHABETICAL EXPEDITION TO SALUTE THE REDS’ FIRST FIVE YEARS, AS WE RECALL THE PLAYERS, FIXTURES, STORIES AND STATS THAT HAVE KEPT US CAPTIVATED...
If you ever saw ‘GC’ embossed on a substitute’s jacket in our early days and wondered what the hell it stood for – no, it wasn’t an advance coat order for 2022 signing Grace Clinton, but a reference to our ‘game-changers’, as Casey Stoney liked to call those waiting in the wings. The top coaches know that subs are far more than back-up, deploying them at a time when they believe they can have the biggest impact – which must have made 87th-minute sub Millie Turner’s recent winner at Villa even sweeter for Marc Skinner and the coaches. Incredibly, Millie’s header was the 15th goal by a United sub this season, two ahead of our previous record of 13 in 2018/19, when we were in the second tier. More than ever it’s a squad game now, with five subs allowed rather than three since 2020/21, and the importance of those ‘GC’s’ when stepping off the bench can’t be overstated.
When the news dropped at the start of September 2020 that we’d signed USWNT attacking legends Tobin Heath and Christen Press, both on season-long loan deals, it was major news in the world of ‘WoSo’. But almost two years on from their departure the following June, the pair’s time in England’s North West almost feels a touch surreal. After all, all bar one of their combined 28 games for the Reds (Heath only, for Reading away – attendance 623) was played behind closed doors, so we never really got the chance to cheer their names, and by extension for them to form a proper connection with the fans. An ankle injury sustained by Heath in January 2021 would sadly end her campaign early, just as she was finding her groove: Tobin was WSL Player of the Month in November 2020, a month in which she smashed home a rocket to spark our comeback in a 2-2 Manchester derby, while Heath’s final game saw her bag two more, v Bristol City. Press, too, had some strong moments, including her goal on our Old Trafford debut, when she thumped home our second v West Ham. Tobin and Christen are now back in the US playing in front of crowds far bigger than zero (or indeed 623) – we hope they look back on their time at United with fondness, even if their abiding memory might be all those empty, silent stands.
It was March 2021 when the announcement came about an impending three-year broadcast deal, worth £8m a season and starting in 2021/22, in which regular WSL games would be shown live on Sky and BBC. This was a major development – the FA’s commercial and marketing director Kathryn Swarbrick called it “a watershed moment in the WSL’s future” – with the long-term hope being that increased exposure will lead to further investment, enabling this growth to keep multiplying. And with a hefty chunk of the funds going direct to the clubs (on a 75/25 per cent split between the WSL and Championship), it’s brought in some much-needed revenue to teams who were previously almost solely reliant on (often minimal) ticket sales. As for the coverage itself, it’s been brilliant from game no.1, when Sky were here in Leigh for the 2021/22 WSL opener between United and Reading. And we’re not just talking about the quality of the presenting and punditry, but the little flourishes, such as the touchscreen tech to analyse tactics, to the full-body shots in the pre-match line-ups. We love to see it. With the current deal ending next year, it’ll be interesting to see what happens next.
We loved having these two World Cup winners onboard... it could be a while until we see another no.77 in the squad!
Goals come in many forms (and let’s face it, they all count the same) but if you’re at the match there’s nothing quite the sight of a volley crashing into the net to get you leaping out of your seat while releasing a guttural roar of celebration. Such a display of technique is a beautiful sight – a recent example being Alessia Russo’s goal against Spurs, as she slammed home a flick-on from a corner. Maya Le Tissier’s instinctive finish direct from Katie Zelem’s corner, at home to Reading, also sticks in the memory from 2022/23, while if we rewind further we loved Jess Sigsworth’s close-range wallop against Charlton in 2018, mainly because she seemed to strike the ball out of frustration after it had (twice!) bounced off the bar. And then there’s Christen Press’s first United goal, when she met Lucy Staniforth’s free-kick square on the volley at West Ham in 2020 – which if goals didn’t actually all count the same would score extra from us on account of her volley going in off the post, which is always strangely satisfying.
How timely. As United history buffs will know, we’ve played at the national stadium in our amateur days, in 1994 and 1996 (below) – and we know a few of those in this photo were watching on in wonder last week as United returned in a far higher-stakes capacity than the Littlewoods Charity Challenge (a curtain-raiser to the men’s Charity Shield). Who knows when we’ll next return – after all, with only one fixture a season played there in women’s club football, it’s much harder to get to Wembley than it is in the men’s club game, which has multiple finals, semis and play-offs. But we quite like that – whether you’re a player or a fan, it merely adds to the desire to represent your team at arguably the most iconic arena in world football – one which is exactly 100 years old (yes, we know it was smashed down in 2002 and rebuilt but it’s still Wembley!)
One hundred and thirty-six. That’s how many starting XIs (in competitive fixtures) have been picked since it all began for Manchester United Women on 19 August 2018, and while it might feel like much has changed since then, five of the ‘Originals’ to feature against Liverpool that day remain at the club – and indeed all would be included in our XI of most-selected starters, which we’ll list right here (in the 4-2-3-1 formation we so often see from the Reds): Earps; Batlle–A Turner–M Turner–Smith; Ladd–Zelem; Hanson–Toone–Galton; Russo. The much-loved Jess Sigsworth would still merit a place on overall appearances, but just misses out to Russo when it comes to starting berths. As for Hannah Blundell, she could very soon find herself taking Kirsty Smith’s place at left-back in our hypothetical XI, as one of the many Reds to have barely missed a beat this season – see also Maya Le Tissier, who if she keeps on going like she’s started her Reds career will be ousting Amy Turner before we know it! We’ll end this entry with a poser: what was unusual about our starting XIs in last season’s Conti Cup ties against Durham and Manchester City? Answer: of our 136 fixtures, they are the only two not to feature any of Galton, Toone (right), Millie Turner or Zelem in the starting XI. We could attempt a wry joke here about how they weren’t missed –United won both games (one after a shoot-out) – but that wouldn’t really be fair, seeing as all bar the injured Millie T had a real impact after coming on as a sub... providing further evidence of the importance of our ‘game changers’.
FIVE OF THE ‘ORIGINALS’ TO FEATURE IN GAME NO.1 WOULD BE INCLUDED IN OUR ‘MOST-SELECTED STARTERS’ XI
Most of our current squad were in nappies, or not even born, when this happened...
YEARS
It’s the time of year when the season’s standout performers are celebrated, and as with previous campaigns it could prove tight in the voting. Katie Zelem pipped fellow ‘Originals’ Millie Turner and Leah Galton to the inaugural POTY award, with our first WSL season of 2019/20 seeing Hayley Ladd take the crown, before Ona Batlle became the first non-British player to win the award in 2020/21 (below). Those first three terms saw the coaching staff and players vote for their star performer, before the fans took over the voting in 2021/22, and it was Ella Toone who was recognised most by the supporters, beating Alessia Russo to the prize. Last season also saw the introduction of the Players’ Player of the Year award, and Alessia collected this one. Check out ManUtd.com and the club app in coming days for news on the contenders for the 2022/23 prizes, while surely – surely! –we’ll have a few entries in the latest PFA Team of the Year, whatever happens in the final days of this season. Surprisingly, we’ve only ever had one entrant into that annual XI – selected by players across the division – and that was Batlle in 2021/22. Here’s a fun fact, though: four of the 2018/19 PFA Team of the Year are now Reds: Sophie Baggaley (Bristol City), Hannah Blundell (Chelsea), Aoife Mannion (Birmingham City) and Nikita Parris (Manchester City).
As if our captain hasn’t been useful enough over the past five years – be it her calm leadership from midfield, or her unerringly accurate set-piece delivery (with goals – plural! – direct from corners alongside the many free-kicks and penalties) –Katie’s unique surname saves us having to sign off this A-Z with something rather trivial... for example the Reds’ impressive winning record while wearing the 2020/21 ‘zebra’ kit (three games, three wins, nine goals scored, zero conceded, in case you were wondering). There was plenty of intrigue as to who would take the armband when Alex Greenwood left for Lyon in August 2019, with Casey Stoney putting much thought into her decision, and the ‘two Turners’ no doubt in her thinking alongside Katie. “It needs to be someone the players trust and respect, someone capable of challenging both players and staff,” said Stoney ahead of our first campaign in the WSL. “It’s not been easy because we’ve got some fantastic characters, but I’ve chosen Katie to lead us forward because she’s our most vocal player. She leads by performance and communication and the armband will add to her game, on and off the pitch. She’s very honest and is also very supportive of the players, so, for me, she stood out.” It proved to be a smart call, with Zel more than rising to the task, as she’s done since first joining the Reds’ Regional Talent Club at the age of eight. Like others, she needed to move elsewhere between 2013-18 after reaching senior level, but the formation of United Women enabled her to return home. She’s enjoyed many proud days since, but none more so than last Sunday as she led the Reds out at Wembley... a real goosebumps moment for her and all the Zelem family.
“KATIE’S OUR MOST VOCAL PLAYER – SHE LEADS BY PERFORMANCE AND COMMUNICATION” CASEY STONEY, SEP 2019Zelem in zebra stripes (saw zero goals conceded)
As
Mannion enjoyed meeting the many energetic youngsters
Aoife Mannion gave Manchester United Foundation participants a night to savour as she joined them at a new Inclusive Street Reds session at Manchester Academy.
The Reds defender was present for the very first session, which brings together disabled and non-disabled young people to play football in a welcoming, inclusive environment.
She threw herself wholeheartedly into football drills and games with the young people, led by Foundation coaches, as participants relished the chance to take on the Republic of
Ireland international, who later took questions from the youngsters.
Aoife said: “At a club like United, we have to appreciate the influence we can have on children. To use some of that influence to create nice moments and opportunities for those who maybe wouldn’t otherwise get the chance is so fun.
“It’s so important that there are sessions that are inclusive of all abilities. It’s really enjoyable to see the kids really enjoy themselves.”
Inclusive Street Reds is a new adaptation of the Foundation’s
Street Reds programme, which is funded by the Premier League. There are 17 Street Reds sites running across Greater Manchester, all of which are welcoming of those living with a disability.
“We give everyone an opportunity to flourish in their own time and create that environment where everybody is welcome, regardless of their disability,” explained the Foundation’s disability and inclusion coordinator, Matt Pilkington.
“It is a disability session but it’s inclusive, so non-disabled participants can join in. We’re able to adapt the session and differentiate that to meet their needs.
“Aoife spread the message that, even at the highest level, we all make mistakes and it’s how you bounce back from that, get on, and encourage your team-mates.”
Participants from the Foundation’s existing disability provision, Ability Counts – which provides PAN-disability football opportunities for five-to-25-year-olds – were invited to play their part on the Inclusive Street Reds launch night.
One participant, Cole – a United fan who plays as a goalkeeper –was especially pleased to face shots from Aoife. “It was cool,” Cole said of the chance to meet our no.5. “I always wanted to have a shot against a professional footballer –if I save it, I’ll think I’m really good!”
Inclusive Street Reds sessions take place every Wednesday from 5-6pm at Manchester Academy.
Visit
City have had to figure things out quickly this season. Last summer, five regular starters departed when Georgia Stanway, Caroline Weir, Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh moved abroad and Ellen White retired. Jill Scott and Karen Bardsley called time on their careers too.
The Blues needed to hit the transfer market hard and recruited several technically skilled players from a variety of leagues, all targeted to fit the club’s overarching philosophy. But the challenge was always going to be gelling so many new faces from different backgrounds without missing a beat on the pitch.
It was initially tough, exiting the Champions League in the qualifying rounds and beginning the WSL season with back-to-back defeats. However, Gareth Taylor, his staff and players deserve credit because after that disastrous start came 14 league games unbeaten, including a perfectly executed win over Chelsea in March.
It is commendable that, even with such upheaval, City have remained highly competitive. Yui Hasegawa
has been a revelation in the deep-lying playmaker role, while Laia Aleixandri also impressed before her season was cut short through injury last month.
Other existing players have been able to flourish too, like Laura Coombs – who scored City’s equaliser in the reverse derby clash in December – becoming a key starter and playing her way into the England squad. Filippa Angeldahl has similarly found her feet, having previously been a squad player, and Esme Morgan is back from last season’s broken leg and thriving.
Defeat to Liverpool last time out was an unexpected stumble and an indicator of the occasional inconsistency that newly appointed director of football Nils Nielsen will be hoping to iron out. “When you want to compete with teams who have some of the best players in the world, you need to accept that when you have younger players, they’re not going to be stable over a whole season,” he says. “We are still working on bringing the consistency to the team, but I don’t think we need to change that much.”
The 50-year-old was a City player himself, a forward who scored 10 goals in 53 games between 1998-2000 when City were in the lower divisions. Upon retirement in 2011, Taylor immediately returned to the club for a youth coaching position, managing U16 and then U18 boys’ teams until succeeding Nick Cushing as first-team boss of the women’s team in 2020.
Back to full fitness in the second half of the campaign after shaking off the injury problems that severely hampered her last season, the City and England legend, 35, has hardly missed a minute in the WSL since returning to the team in February. The Durham-born centre-back has made over 200 appearances for City since signing in 2014.
The Jamaican – known as ‘Bunny’ since she was a kid (on account of her love for carrots!) – arrived at City from Bordeaux in 2021 but has truly flourished this season, having previously shared game time with Ellen White. Shaw’s 29 goals in all competitions in 2022/23 is a new club record, surpassing the mark set by Nikita Parris during her time there.
Manchester derbies have been frequent events in multiple competitions over the last four years, and they have nearly always been tight games. The first in September 2019 was particularly memorable –our WSL debut and played in front of 31,213 at the Etihad (above). United fans were out in force and it was only a Caroline Weir screamer that won it, while Jackie Groenen hit the post for us. Weir’s goal would be nominated for a FIFA Puskas Award, as would her 2021 chip against us. United have twice won Conti Cup group games against City, in 2019 and 2021, but we’ve been knocked out of the Women’s FA Cup by our neighbours in 2020 and 2022. WSL derbies at LSV in each of the last two seasons have finished 2-2, while 44,259 fans saw a 1-1 draw unfold as City pegged us back at the Etihad in the most recent clash.
“WE KNOW THERE’S ONLY SO MANY PLACES FOR THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. WE ARE STILL NOT OUT OF IT”
– CITY MANAGER GARETH TAYLOR
CAPTAIN ZEL LAUGHED SO MUCH AT OUR NICKNAMES STORY IN THE SPURS PROGRAMME, SHE SENT US A LOAD MORE... CAN YOU GUESS WHO'S WHO?!
DRAW SIX LINES TO MATCH THEM ALL UP (ANSWERS BELOW)
Hey skipper, can you spare an hour to help me put my boots on?
THE
This will be the ninth Women’s World Cup, and it runs from 20 July until 20 August.
It’s the first Women’s World Cup to be hosted by more than one country (Australia and New Zealand).
A total of 32 countries are taking part – that’s up from 24 countries in the previous tournament, in France in 2019.
USA have won the last two Women’s World Cups (including right, in 2019), and they’ve also won it the most times (four).
England have reached the semis in the last two Women’s World Cups – can the Lionesses go one better in 2023?
Plenty of Reds should be there – players from our 2022/23 squad could be lining up for England, Spain, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Canada and France. Good luck, all!
1. Who wears the no.17 shirt for United? (Hey, no peeking on the back cover!) →
2. And which current Red is well on track to become our next centurion, by making 100 appearances?
3. What colour shirts were United wearing when we beat Aston Villa in our last WSL away fixture?
4. What was the attendance when we last faced Manchester City: 4,259, 14,569 or 44,259?
5. As a teenager, Ella Toone played for Manchester City and which other North West club before returning to her beloved Reds in 2018? →
6. To which club did United loan Jade Moore to in January this year?
7. Which former Reds defender can be found by reordering these letters: VAST TOOLKIT?
8. We’ve failed to score a goal in just two WSL games this season. Name our opponents in those games.
← 9. Prior to 2022/23, the last time the WSL’s top three didn’t consist of Arsenal, Chelsea and City was 2014. Who finished in the top three alongside Chelsea that season?
There are three levels of posers here – are you an expert?
COUNTDOWN IS ON FOR THE BIGGEST INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL – AND FRED’S GOT SOME FAST FACTS FOR YOU...
← Happy birthday, Darcy Brookes. Mum, Dad and Lola send their love and hope you enjoy cheering on the Reds!
→ Happy 16th birthday to Laila – a Failsworth Red like Captain Zel! Love from all the family, who hope you have a top day.
← Happy 10th birthday, Lucas –love from Mum and Freya (and Fred too, of course!)
↓ Scarlett loves following the Reds, as well as playing in goal for Radcliffe Town. ‘We are so proud of you’, say Mum and Dad.
→ Pat and Louis from Hartford, Cheshire are back tonight – they’re hopeful of seeing a few goals to go with their hot dogs once again!
↑ A big happy 40th birthday to Louise. Love from Mum, Dad, Matt, Jocelyn, Daniel, Jenny, Robbie, Catherine, Gareth, Evie and Sammy... and all of us at United!
↑ Here are young Reds, Sophie and Ryan Milford at a recent visit to Old Trafford. They are very excited to be attending LSV today.
↑ Kenny tells us: ‘Just back from Wembley – Annabel and April are so lucky to have such phenomenal women role models to look up to.’
↓ Young Izzi-Mai will be celebrating her 6th birthday on 9 June – she’s a massive fan who looks up to the whole team and barely misses a trip to LSV.
← Pictured here are Phoebe and her friend Evie – Phoebe says they absolutely love Millie Turner: “She’s our no.1 player.” Have a great afternoon, girls.
(Stats correct up to 16.05.23 – Everton v Arsenal, West Ham v Chelsea (both 17 May) and Tottenham v Reading (20 May) not included)
WSL – Women’s Super League CC – Continental League Cup
– Women’s FA Cup Scorers Bold + own goal
DATE 20 OCTOBER
How’s this for ‘top bins’? Less than 10 minutes into our first-ever Manchester derby on home soil, Hayley Ladd was tripped near the edge of the City box, and Katie Zelem’s curled free-kick was a thing of beauty that City keeper Ellie Roebuck couldn’t lay a glove on.
As team celebrations go, it’s definitely one of our all-time favourites, which began with a Zelem knee-side (right), before one-by-one her euphoric team-mates ran towards her, forming a 10-player pile-on that appeared as well-orchestrated as one of Zel’s free-kick routines.
First to arrive was Amy Turner, before Leah Galton, Jackie Groenen, Jess Sigsworth, Kirsty Hansen, Martha Harris, Millie Turner, Abbie McManus and finally Ladd all came tumbling on to the scene. No doubt Mary Earps, on just her third home outing, would have been tempted by a 60-yard sprint, but probably thought better of it!
There was nothing planned about the celebrations, though – it was just pure, unbridled joy at scoring a first
goal against our city rivals; this one coming in the Conti Cup group stage, following a 1-0 WSL defeat at the Etihad a month earlier.
‘Katie Zelem, she’s one of our own!’ bellowed those in LSV’s West Stand as Zel and the Reds regrouped in this Sunday-afternoon tie, which saw 4,042 fans in attendance – a decent crowd for us in our early days.
Three-and-a-half years on, double that number is expected for today’s high-stakes WSL tussle, with six of those starting in October 2019 (plus second-half sub Ella Toone) hoping to be involved for United once more.
It was a departed Red who put the seal on this first derby win, however, with Sigsworth poking the ball home on 55 minutes following Hanson’s well-timed cross, while City’s day would soon get worse as Keira Walsh saw red for a lunge on Hanson.
Kerstin Casparij
Demi Stokes
Laia Aleixandri
Alex Greenwood
Vilde
Leah
Steph Houghton
Laura Coombs
Mary Fowler
Chloe Kelly
Deyna Castellanos
Lauren Hemp
Filippa Angeldahl
Hayley Raso
Esme Morgan
Leila Ouahabi
Khadija Shaw
Sandy MacIver (GK)
Yui Hasegawa
Alanna Kennedy
Khiara Keating (GK)
Lois Marley-Paraskevas
Gracie Prior
Emma Siddall
Jemima