Marc Skinner's side were Chelsea's closest title rival a few weeks ago, but defeat on Sunday could lead to them missing out on Europe
In early March, Manchester United were Chelsea's closest rivals for the Women's Super League title. Just five points behind the Blues and with a clash against them to come in late April, their chances were somewhat slim but not at all far-fetched. However, the last two months have seen the Red Devils produce nothing like title-winning form, meaning Wednesday's loss to Chelsea not only handed the Blues the title but also weakened United's hold on the third and final Champions League place.
Defeat to an up-and-down Liverpool in mid-March was extremely costly and a draw at West Ham a few weeks later only compounded United's misery, meaning they went into Wednesday's game just four points ahead of chasing Manchester City. A win against the champions-elect suddenly felt massively important, especially ahead of the visit of City this coming weekend.
The nature of their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea will have been particularly frustrating, then. United were the better team for most of the game, and yet they came away empty-handed. It means a rejuvenated City can close the gap to the European spots to just one-point with victory this weekend, a result which would put the Red Devils under real pressure away at Arsenal on the final day.
Getty ImagesPositives all season
It's quite incredible to think that United could miss out on Champions League football. Marc Skinner's side have been impressive this term, boasting the best defensive record in the WSL and losing just once in the competition, that at Chelsea, before the month of March began.
Summer signings like Elisabeth Terland, Dominique Janssen and Celin Bizet have been real success stories; Phallon Tullis-Joyce has followed brilliantly in Mary Earps' footsteps; and the form of Lionesses midfield duo Grace Clinton and Ella Toone has proved decisive in big moments.
It's all come amid a fantastic FA Cup campaign, too, with the Red Devils into a third-successive final and in with a chance of defending their title when they face Chelsea at Wembley later this month.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportSkinner's rewards
Unsurprisingly, then, Skinner was rewarded with a new contract last month. It will keep him at the club until 2027, with the option of another year. "Marc’s record since taking charge speaks for itself, having delivered our first major women’s silverware and firmly established us among the leading teams in the WSL," Jason Wilcox, United's technical director, said. "After a major overhaul last summer, we have an exciting, developing squad ready to compete for further success, and we are convinced that Marc is the right coach to lead that process."
It has been a good job by Skinner to respond to departures like those of Earps, captain Katie Zelem and top-scorer Nikita Parris, among others, and lead his team through a much better WSL season to date, having finished fifth last term, as well as a fantastic FA Cup run.
Getty ImagesPrecarious position
However, that all said, United's position as Chelsea's closest competitors just a few weeks ago did still feel like it needed to be presented with caveats. One of the reasons was because the Red Devils still had all of Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal to play in their final three games of the season.
It placed extra emphasis on winning almost every game until that point, but those dropped points against Liverpool and West Ham have left United needing to perform against their biggest rivals at the top in order to achieve something that will have been their minimum expectation this term, in qualifying for the Champions League.
That's not to say United cannot get results against City and Arsenal in these last two weeks. After all, they were very unlucky not to get a result against Chelsea on Wednesday. But it serves as a reminder of just how good a team has to be to even compete for the WSL title, never mind win it.
Getty ImagesImprovements elsewhere
Both City and Arsenal are much better now than when United last played them, too. The reverse fixture against the Gunners came way back in early November, not long after the north London side had parted ways with head coach Jonas Eidevall. Since then, Renee Slegers has transformed this team into one that qualified for the Champions League final with a 4-1 thumping of eight-time winners Lyon at the end of last month.
Wednesday's 5-2 defeat at Aston Villa, which opened the door for Chelsea to seal the league title, was a serious shock, but that it came just three days after such an incredible high explains some of it, as does Slegers' heavy rotation of personnel. It was also just Arsenal's second league defeat under the Dutchwoman, with the other a narrow 1-0 loss to Chelsea in January.
While the WSL title has gone and some might envision the Gunners' focus switching to the Champions League final now, that simply won't be the case – not least because there is serious value in finishing second rather than third as it determines which round of qualifying a team enters into Europe. Arsenal will certainly want to stay ahead of the Manchester clubs and clinch second as it means their new season will begin in mid-September rather than late August. That's particularly significant given this summer's European Championship, at which most players for these top WSL teams will be, doesn't finish until July 27.