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Holly Porter

Manchester United's Promising WSL Start Ahead of the International Break.

Ahead of the women’s international break, a strong start from Mark Skinner’s Manchester United side sees them third in the table, breaking WSL records, and remaining one of the three unbeaten teams left in the league this campaign. 



Alongside United, Manchester City and Chelsea complete the top 3, and in this also make up the 3 sides that are undefeated in the league thus far. 


With Manchester United and Chelsea settling their tie at a later date due to concerns over fixture congestion, they are the only two sides to have played four fixtures, compared to the rest of the league's five as we head into the international break. 



The first three league games for Skinner’s side made for a strong start to the season, with maximum points earned and three clean sheets completing a perfect start. In this time, the Red Devils also secured a 2-0 victory against Liverpool in the Women’s League Cup, reflecting their impressive opening to the 2024/25 campaign. 


This is a big turnaround from the final three fixtures of the last league campaign, which saw Skinner’s side register just a single victory, and concede 7 goals. 


In their most recent win, a 3-0 triumph against Spurs, Ella Toone became the first outfield player to feature in 93 consecutive WSL games for the same club, surpassing Kerys Harrop’s 92 for Birmingham City. 




The overall record, when you factor in goalkeepers, is still held by ex-Red Mary Earps, who reached 102 consecutive appearances during her time in Manchester.


The first, and only, goal that has snuck past Phallon Tullis-Joyce this season was in United’s fourth and final league fixture before the international break, a 1-1 draw against Brighton away from home. 


It was former Red Nikita Parris who found the back of the net for Brighton, but United still remain the side with the fewest goals conceded in the first stint of the season. 


In this fixture, former Brighton player Maya Le Tissier joined her fellow England International on the WSL record list for this season, becoming the youngest-ever player to reach 100 appearances in the division, a record that Manchester City’s Lauren Hemp previously held. 



This is a huge landmark for the United captain, who has gone from strength to strength since her WSL debut with Brighton in 2018. 


After the international break, United are set to face Arsenal at home in a bid to continue their promising start to the season.


After Jonas Eidevall’s exit, Arsenal returned to winning ways with a 2 - 0 triumph over West Ham United, claiming their first league victory in three games. Interim boss Renee Slegers also guided the Gunners to a 4 - 1 Champions League victory over Norwegian Champions Valarenga.


No doubt a tough fixture, Skinner will be looking to build on his squad’s momentum to overcome the London side and continue their unbeaten run against a side in which they only earned a single point out of a possible six in the league last season.




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