Manchester United Women v Leicester City Women match programme, Women's Super League, 05.03.22

OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME 2021/22 SEASON • VOLUME 04 ISSUE 11

INSIDE: MARTHA THOMAS INTERVIEW

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WHAT’S INSIDE

COME ON YOU REDS! Marc Skinner’s Reds are back in WSL action, with three points very much the aim to keep us in contention for a top-three finish – which of course would mean Champions League football next season. It’s a milestone match, with it being our 100th fixture since United’s professional team was formed four years ago (see p24 for more), and we’re up against the side we’ve scored the most goals against during that time. But as we found out ourselves in December, the Foxes have improved greatly in recent months, and we’ll need to be at our best. Game on.

MANCHESTER UNITED F O O T B A L L C L U B LT D Co-chairmen Joel Glazer, Avram Glazer Directors Bryan Glazer, Kevin Glazer, Edward Glazer, Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, Ed Woodward, Richard Arnold,

04 HEAD COACH’S column

Michael Edelson, Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Alex Ferguson, David Gill CBE

09 NEWS ROUND-UP 12 Martha thomas interview

Secretary Rebecca Britain Honorary president Martin Edwards MATCH PROGRAMME TEAM

23 captain’s column 24 100th game infographic

Editor Charlie Ghagan Editor-in-chief Ian McLeish Contributors Sean Mullan, Harriet Drudge, Harry Robinson, Andy Murray, Joe Nelson

28 the opposition 30 jess sigsworth interview

Photography Ash Donelon, John & Matt Peters, Getty, Alamy Cover design Sarah Robson Infographic design Anth Moore Thanks to Haylee Howe,

33 junior reds 37 player & team statistics

Steve Bennett, Lewis Poole/ Leicester City, John Shiel & Chris Leuty/MuPrint.com © Manchester United 2022

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HEAD COACH’S COLUMN

MARC SKINNER With eight games to play, the stakes are getting higher in the WSL, and the boss expects nothing less than full commitment as his Reds chase a top-three spot...

Welcome back to Leigh Sports Village and welcome to this afternoon’s opponents, Leicester City.

Last week’s defeat to City in the Cup was a frustrating one. But we will use that energy and frustration to fuel our fire for the next fixtures. For 45 minutes, we were the better team, but we stopped winning our duels and weren’t as aggressive in the second half. For us, it was the things we can control – the things we normally pride ourselves on – that we didn’t control. It’s something we’re going to fix heading into these last eight games.

That’s the focus now: the last eight games in the WSL. The key message from me to my players is to keep doing what we’ve been doing and harness the resilience each experience has taught us.

We’ve asked all season, and we will continue to ask them, to be resilient. You can concede whenever in a game – first minute, just after half-time, late in games – and you have to find a way to steady the ship and progress onwards. And I think this is one of the key aims for us as a group, finding balance.

We will avoid getting too high with the highs and too low with the lows. So, we will move on from City, and put all of our focus on Leicester. We have to coil

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that energy and release it all into these last eight games, but our focus, as always, will be on our next opponent.

We can only control the moment we’re in. Instead, we will channel all our energy into the next game.

I’m expecting a tough game today. Leicester have got some good results and put themselves in a more comfortable position than where they were. They will be a confident team who will attack us and will also be hard to play against. They’ll be riding high on confidence, and we need to douse their fire with our performance.

I believe there are loads of twists and turns to come in this season, for every team. We have to find balance in our thoughts and adapt to every game. Let’s take it game by game, continue to show our belief in what we’re doing, then we’ll see the results at the end of the season.

We need energy and commitment in the upcoming fixtures, and we know we’ll receive that continued love and support that our fans give throughout.

We’ll give everything as a team to match what you give us from the stands.

Enjoy the game.

HEAD COACH’S COLUMN

to manage at the stadium. asrenal, bitter diss, dont think performed badly. lowest possession arsenal have had under JM but got to turn poss in chances, and turn those chanes into goalsm, and how we went in at half-time 1-0 down i’;ll never know. it was diss cos our sloippy poss turned over ball early doors, very much message was to stay in game as long as possible, dont conced, they have to win and willl come out and then we can capitalise, but early goal put on bvack foot, gave us alot to do. but have to be pleased with elements but key moments when didnt take chances cost us. unf not in our hands GD, they have still got to win all their games and we need to make sure we win ours.

“WE NEED ENERGY AND COMMITMENT IN THESE LAST EIGHT GAMES, AND WE KNOW WE’LL RECEIVE THAT CONTINUED LOVE AND SUPPORT THAT OUR FANS GIVE THROUGHOUT” 05

BIG PICTURE

NEXT STOP: ST GEORGE’S PARK It’s a big week ahead for United Women’s Under-21s, with the young Reds having a WSL Academy Cup final to look forward to on Wednesday at St George’s Park. “It’s been a fantastic season for the U21s on so many fronts, so to be in this final is going to be another memorable moment for the team,” says head coach Charlotte Healy. Check out our news page (p9) to find out more, but if you’re not too familiar with the squad – who’ll be at Leigh Sports Village today – they are pictured here (back row, left to right): Annie Hutchings, Keira Barry, Isabella Reidford, Maria Edwards, Amaris Ince, Niamh Murphy, Karna Solskjaer, Rebecca May, Poppy Lawson, Jess Simpson, Emily Brough; front row: Megan Lewis, Alyssa Aherne, Ella Kinzett, Eleanor Ashton, Safia Middleton-Patel, Chloe Williams, Sasha McTiffin, Polly Watson.

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BIG PICTURE

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Young Reds at St George’s Park on Wednesday evening As you might have just read on p6, Manchester United Women’s Under-21s are to face Birmingham City in the final of the WSL Academy Cup this coming Wednesday (9 March, 6pm kick-off).

The Reds reached the final, to be played at St George’s Park, Burtonupon-Trent (below), after beating Birmingham’s local rivals Aston Villa 5-0 in the semi-final, The FA’s national football centre is to host the U21 final

with United Women’s first-team manager Marc Skinner among those in attendance at Moss Lane for that tie in January.

As part of their preparations for the final, Skinner’s squad had the U21s join them in training during the recent international break, and Skinner was delighted with what he saw at Carrington. “The U21s can be really proud of what they’ve achieved,” Marc

told us last week. “I was really impressed watching them beat Villa, and there is no doubting the real talent in the squad.”

As for their opponents in the final, Birmingham City, they progressed following a 2-0 win against Ipswich Town.

Wednesday will be a proud occasion for the club, with 14 graduates from United’s Regional Talent Club playing a part in the team’s journey to the final. “It’ll be a great experience for our young players, and with so many of them having been at United for so many years, I know representing this club in a final is something they’re really proud of and looking forward to,” says U21s’ head coach Charlotte Healy.

Unfortunately, there will be no general admission for the final due to the limited-capacity crowd at St George’s Park, but keep an eye on club platforms to see how they fared. Good luck, all!

The Reds’ next home game after today – against Everton on Sunday 27 March – will be a historic one, with the team playing in front of fans at Old Trafford for the first time. Thousands of Reds have already snapped up their tickets (only £6/£3 concessions), but if you’re after more of a VIP experience, hospitality packages start from just £15pp in the International, which includes a burger, suite access and a padded seat to enjoy the action from. Alternatively, fans can upgrade to the Manchester Suite for £65pp – this includes a two-course meal, suite access and a padded seat on the halfway line. Wherever you’re sat, the family-friendly entertainment outside Old Trafford will be open to all fans on the day. See ManUtd.com/ muwtickets for further info about this fixture.

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MATCH ROUND-UP

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

Disappointment in the 10th derby Sunday 27 February, Leigh Sports Village, The Women’s FA Cup, fifth round UNITED 1 (Zelem 13) MANCHESTER CITY 4 (Hemp 50, White 58, Weir 60, Shaw 79) Last weekend’s game here at Leigh Sports Village saw United beaten 4-1 by Manchester City in the Women’s FA Cup fifth round, following a second-half comeback from Gareth Taylor’s visiting Blues.

Marc Skinner’s Reds edged the first period thanks to a goal from Katie Zelem, but goals from Lauren Hemp, Ellen White, Caroline Weir and Khadija Shaw after the break saw the visitors proceed to the quarter-finals.

The opening exchanges were cagey, with the only opening falling to City striker White, whose long-range effort was held well by goalkeeper Mary Earps.

The first clear-cut chance of the match fell to the hosts, but Maria Thorisdottir headed over following Zelem’s dangerous corner. Ella Toone almost broke the deadlock after 13 minutes when Martha Thomas brilliantly created an opening for out no.7, but her powerful drive was saved well by Ellie Roebuck in the City net.

United did take the lead from the resulting corner, however, as Zelem’s delivery evaded the entire City

Russo directs a header towards the City goal

defence before dropping into the net at the far post.

United looked to double the lead soon after the opener, with both Thomas and Zelem seeing shots blocked.

As half-time approached, the visitors pushed hard for an equaliser, and Lucy Bronze came closest as she controlled a corner delivery well before firing just wide.

City equalised within five minutes of the restart, when substitute Hayley Raso broke down the right and provided an inviting cross which Hemp tucked away.

The visitors continued to press as the half progressed and took the lead just before the hour-mark, when a misunderstanding between Hannah Blundell and Earps gifted an opportunity to England striker White, who finished clinically to make it 2-1.

Moments later, City doubled their advantage when substitute Weir’s effort from outside the box squeezed past Earps and into the back of the net.

United looked to respond, but Alessia Russo could only glance her header wide of Roebuck’s post after being found by Leah Galton’s cross.

As the Reds pushed for a way back into the match, Toone curled an effort just over the bar after the ball fell to the England international on the edge of the box.

But as the match entered the final stages, City substitute Khadija Shaw pounced on Earps’ parry of fellow substitute Julie Blakstad’s left-footed strike to further extend City’s lead.

The visitors had the ball in the net again in the final minute, but the referee ruled it out for a foul on Batlle.

UNITED: Earps; Batlle, Caldwell, Thorisdottir, Blundell; Groenen (Boe Risa 85), Zelem (c); Russo (Hanson 67), Toone, Galton (F Fuso 84); Thomas (Bruun 67) Subs not used: Baggaley, Jones, Harris, Smith Booked: Batlle 45

Substitute Hanson comes close in a packed penalty area

CITY: Roebuck; Bronze, Kennedy (Angeldahl 85), Greenwood, Stokes; Walsh, Losada (Weir 46), Stanway; Park (Raso 46), White (c) (Shaw 78), Hemp (Blakstad 78) Subs not used: Beckie, Keating Booked: White 54, Stanway 82

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

#9 MARTHA THOMAS

12 07 Manchester United Women v Brighton Hove

MARTHA THOMAS

As the striker and her team-mates get set for a big month, beginning in Leigh and ending at Old Trafford, she talks to us about her first seven months with the Reds, her football education in the US, and what a tough test we face today...

Interview: Sean Mullan

Hi Martha. February was a tough month, results-wise.

What’s the feeling in the squad as March begins..

We knew February was going to be a tough month with the fixtures we had. We know that we need to stick together, because the last result doesn’t show who we are as a team. We really want to bounce back from that, and the small silver lining is that now we can focus on the league. We’re trying to take it with a positive mindset, and know that the last result wasn’t a good one for us, but we can put all our attention on to hopefully finishing third, in that Champions League spot.

It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster since we came back from the winter break: a load of wins, some tough cup games, some intense draws. How have you found it?

To be the best you’ve got to play against the best, and we know that. It’s been a good challenge for us. But with having a few injuries, the international break and a lot of fixtures crammed into a month... it’s obviously been a lot. But we’re starting to see where we can push on and looking forward to these upcoming games to really gain some momentum back. Either side of Christmas, we had a huge amount of momentum behind us with a good run of results, and then we went into a really tough February.

We’re hoping to get back on track and really push on in the league, because it is in our control, we believe.

There must be a huge drive in the squad to get that European spot...

That’s definitely the goal. It’s been an ambition of ours since the beginning of the season and there have been times when we’ve put ourselves in a really good position to get there, but then obviously we’ve had a few results that haven’t been as good. We just need to focus on ourselves, take each match as it comes and try not to put too much pressure on ourselves for that third-place spot. We really need to focus on Leicester this weekend, and then after that Reading, and play it game-by-game. If we take care of each game individually, then that third-place spot will come within itself.

You scored against Leicester in our league game earlier this season – your first goal for the club.

You must have fond memories of that day?

Yeah, that was really exciting, to get the first goal under my belt, and I thought we played really well on the day.

The scoreline could probably have been even bigger [than 3-1]. I just want to help the team, whether that’s starting or coming on to make an impact, any way I can. I think we’ll really look at Leicester and see what their strengths are, because they’ve picked up some momentum. It’ll be important for us to kick on, focus and get the three points, and then continue on, because we do have a few league games. We’ve got three games in a short period, because of the rescheduled West Ham game, so these will be three big fixtures for us.

How have you found your first season here generally?

It’s been really good. Obviously, it takes some time to get used to new team-mates and a new system, but I feel like I’ve adapted quite well. I’ve been really happy since I’ve come in and I’ve tried to be as impactful as I can on the pitch. I think I bring a few different things as a no.9 and I want that to show when I’m playing, so for me it’s just about gaining confidence, getting more minutes under my belt and helping the team in any way they need me to.

Can you pick a highlight so far?

Probably the goal against Leicester. That was really big for me. I had my family in the crowd as well, and I hadn’t seen them for about a year because of Covid, so that was a really special moment for me. To score my first United ⊲

“I FEEL I’VE ADAPTED QUITE WELL. I THINK I BRING A FEW DIFFERENT THINGS AS A NO.9 – I WANT THAT TO SHOW WHEN I’M PLAYING” 13

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MARTHA THOMAS Martha gets off the mark for the Reds away to Leicester in September – a goal celebrated with gusto (inset)

FACTFILE: Full name Martha Ellen Thomas Date of birth 31 May 1996 Place of birth Malmesbury, Wiltshire Position Striker Youth career Dorchester Town, Weston FC (Florida) College career 2014-17 Charlotte 49ers, 78 apps, 47 goals Senior career 2018-19 Le Havre, 15 apps, 6 goals 2019-21 West Ham United, 32 apps, 10 goals 2021- Manchester United, 16 apps, 3 goals International career Scotland: 12 caps, 7 goals goal was massive, and I do feel like it was an important goal that killed the game off as well, and gave us a bit more of a cushion with our lead.

You grew up in the USA and started your career there – what was that like as an introduction to ‘soccer’?

I was born in England and I played a little bit while I could at quite a young age – five, six, seven – and then I was in America for pretty much my entire childhood, all the way up until I was 22 when I left for France to start playing professionally. I did my whole youth career and I played at university in the US, so the majority of my football has been over there. I felt like there was a lot more opportunity for girls to play. When I lived in England, I played for my local boys’ team most of the time, because there weren’t a huge amount of opportunities for girls.

When I went over to America, I felt like it opened up a lot of doors, because my town [Weston, Florida] had its own girls’ football team, and they had age groups from Under-9s all the way up to Under-18s. There were even two or three teams for each age group, so there were a lot of girls playing and it was quite a popular area for football.

I really enjoyed it. It had a bit of a South American flair to it, with a lot of Venezuelan and Colombian influence in the South Florida area. I feel like it was a big football town and a lot of people played, whereas in other parts of America there is more focus on baseball or American football, so it was nice to grow up in that kind of environment and it definitely helped me to develop.

You played at youth level for the US – was there ever any thought or chance of playing for the senior side?

I played one tournament for their U23s. That was when I was playing in France. I got called to go there and it was a really good experience for me, to play with them. That was the only time, though. About a year later, I got my Scotland debut. It wasn’t actually even possible [to play for the senior USA side] because I’m not a US citizen, so it was never really a thought. Getting me into the U23s was more for them in the hope I could become a citizen, and see how I would fit into that kind of environment, but ⊲ Manchester United Women v Chelsea Women15 15

MARTHA THOMAS

“I’VE LIVED THE MAJORITY OF MY LIFE IN THE US, AND THE NWSL IS A LEAGUE THAT’S GETTING EVEN STRONGER, BUT I’M COMFORTABLE IN THE WSL SO CAN’T FORESEE MYSELF WANTING TO LEAVE ANYTIME SOON” I think it was always known it would be a bit hard to ever advance to anything because of not being a US citizen.

Do you think you’d like to go back to the US one day?

I’ll never say never. I’ve lived the majority of my life in the US, and the NWSL is a strong league that’s getting even stronger. But I am quite comfortable right now in the WSL. I do think it’s one of the strongest leagues for women’s football, so I can’t foresee myself wanting to leave anytime soon. But with football, you absolutely never know, so I’m always open to opportunities.

I’ve enjoyed playing in France and now I’m enjoying playing in the UK, so you just have to wait and see.

Back at home, the game at Old Trafford is coming up this month, although we imagine focus is very firmly on the present and not looking too far ahead to that...

Absolutely. We always try to take it one game at a time.

Obviously the Old Trafford game is massive, and we want to get a lot of people there, but you’re right. We’re not looking ahead to that right now, just because of the fact it’s so far away relative to the games we’ve got coming up.

Okay, if we can talk about some of our new signings, starting with Signe Bruun. You’re 25, Signe is 23, Alessia 23, Ella 22. It’s a young strike-force. Are you all learning off each other?

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Definitely. We all bring something different to the table, and I think that’s what would make us a strong team and a strong strike-force. We are all relatively young, but we have all had different experiences and can bring different things, so we’ll all learn from each other and see how we can benefit. We’ve all played in different leagues and come from different backgrounds: Tooney has lived in the UK and played in England her whole life, whereas I’ve played in America; Alessia has played in America, and then Signe has come from the French league. We’re all bringing different things, and we’re different players.

Some of us are more no.9s who will hold up the ball, some are more players who want to run in behind.

Tooney is someone who wants to get in the pockets, whereas Alessia and Signe are more hold-up no.9s, and I’m very much someone who wants to run into the channels. So I think it’s exciting we all know we can bring different things and learn different things off each other.

How good is it to have a January addition like Signe, who pushes you on but also gives the manager a better chance of keeping you all fresh in busy periods?

Obviously, every single one of us wants to play as much as we can, but it’s a team game and we know everyone’s got their part to play. I think we’re very good at working with each other and knowing that it’s part of the game and it’s going to happen. Sometimes you’re going to get ⊲

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THE MANCUNIAN WAY.

© 2021 adidas AG

MARTHA THOMAS you can see how much it means to her to be here, and how hard she’s worked for her whole career, and the level of professionalism and experience she brings, things like that. She’s definitely been a great addition.

On the training ground with Diane: “She’s just great... I don’t know how else to explain her!” says Martha of her MUFC-loving team-mate

“WE’RE ALL GOOD AT UNDERSTANDING THAT WHOEVER IS CHOSEN TO PLAY WILL GIVE 100 PER CENT, AND EACH OF US WILL BACK THEM 100 PER CENT” picked to start, sometimes you’re going to come off the bench and sometimes you might not play a minute. But we’re all good at understanding that and whoever is chosen to play on the pitch that day will give 100 per cent, and each of us will back them 100 per cent.

Diane’s another new face. We’ve all seen how thrilled she is to be here, but can you tell us how you’ve seen her passion for the club on a day-to-day basis?

She’s great. Honestly, she’s been such a good addition.

She brings a lot of experience, and she’s obviously a diehard Manchester United fan, and I think that’s always great. You can see the passion she brings, and the commitment every single day, to show up and to make us better and to want to always be improving. I think she’s brought a level of professionalism and experience that we may not necessarily have had absolutely loads of.

That probably rubs off on everyone else a bit as well...

Yeah, it does, and I think that’s something Diane knows she brings to the table, and it’s exciting for her as a player to have that. Honestly, she’s just great... I don’t know how else to explain her! We’re really happy to have her in and

Let’s return to today’s match: what do you make of Leicester City as an opponent?

We don’t ever take anyone lightly. This is the WSL. We know anything can happen, any result can happen. We’re looking forward to it. It’s a good opportunity for us. We’re going to go in there wanting to get all three points but we know it’s a challenging task every weekend. We’ll be doing everything we can to get those three points. We’ll be analysing them, where we can break them down, where their strengths are, and hope we perform well.

They have recently invested heavily in their women’s team and have turned their season around quite significantly on the pitch lately...

They have. They were in a bit of a relegation battle at the beginning of the year but they’ve figured things out, they’ve had a change of management and it’s worked well for them because they’re picking up points now.

They’re clearly a club who want to be doing well with that investment, so we know they’re expecting to pick up points, and we beat them at the start of the season so they’ll be excited to have a chance to beat us. We know it’s going to be a tough game and we’re not going to take them lightly. We’ll do all we can to make sure we put ourselves in a really good position to pick up three points.

We’ve played them a couple of times this season, in the league and in the Conti Cup. How do you think this match will play out?

You never know, in the league, to be honest. The Conti Cup is a very different competition. Sometimes teams play different teams for it, but we’ll be expecting them to put out a strong team and expecting them to be physical and to want to win a lot of battles. But we’ll play our game, we’ll try and get at them, and we’ll be excited to hopefully create a lot of chances.

Finally, what would be your message to the supporters at Leigh Sports Village for this fixture?

We’ll be giving 100 per cent – we always do for the fans.

We had a few fans stay on and clap us off after a tough result last weekend, which obviously meant a lot to us, and we hope that, despite not always getting the results that we want and they want, they stick by us. We hope we hear you, and we hope you’re loud and create a good atmosphere for what we hope is a really good game. ●

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AOIFE MANNION Born: 24/09/1995 Nationality: English Trivia: Played every minute of the first 19 games of the season across all competitions.

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ONA BATLLE Born: 10/06/1999 Nationality: Spanish Trivia: Set up Katie Zelem to make it 2-2 when United met Leicester in the cup in December.

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MILLIE TURNER Born: 07/07/1996 Nationality: English Trivia: Although unable to take part in full-contact matches, she’s back in training at Carrington.

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KATIE ZELEM Born: 20/01/1996 Nationality: English Trivia: Has started all 14 WSL games so far this season, along with Earps and Toone.

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MARIA THORISDOTTIR Born: 05/06/1993 Nationality: Norwegian Trivia: Scored her first goal for United in the 3-1 win away to Leicester back in September.

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SOPHIE BAGGALEY Born: 29/11/1996 Nationality: English Trivia: Crowned 2019 FA WFA Players’ Player of the Year, when also named in PFA Team of Year.

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VILDE BOE RISA Born: 13/07/1995 Nationality: Norwegian Trivia: Opened the scoring in our last WSL game here in Leigh, a 3-0 win against Spurs.

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KIRSTY SMITH Born: 06/01/1994 Nationality: Scottish Trivia: Scored her first goal for the Reds in an 11-1 Continental Cup win over the Foxes in 2019.

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HANNAH BLUNDELL Born: 25/05/1994 Nationality: English Trivia: Has provided four WSL assists this season – only Toone (six) has more for United.

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DIANE CALDWELL Born: 11/09/1988 Nationality: Irish Trivia: The first Irish player to represent United Women, after making her Reds debut v Arsenal.

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MARTHA HARRIS Born: 19/08/1994 Nationality: English Trivia: Needs just two more appearances to join the 12 Reds to have played 50 United games.

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MARY EARPS Born: 07/03/1993 Nationality: English Trivia: Has six clean sheets in 14 WSL games in 2021/22 – the same numbers as at this point in ’20/21.

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CARRIE JONES Born: 04/09/2003 Nationality: Welsh Trivia: Wales international who signed first pro contract with United last November.

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ELLA TOONE Born: 02/09/1999 Nationality: English Trivia: Has 11 goals v Leicester so far, including five in one game in a 2019 League Cup tie.

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LEAH GALTON Born: 24/05/1994 Nationality: English Trivia: Named WSL Player of the Month for January after her three goals and an assist.

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JACKIE GROENEN Born: 17/12/1994 Nationality: Dutch Trivia: Recently captained the Netherlands for the first time, during a 3-0 win over Finland.

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ALESSIA RUSSO Born: 08/02/1999 Nationality: English Trivia: Scored in December’s cup draw with Leicester, and also converted in the shoot-out.

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SIGNE BRUUN Born: 06/04/1998 Nationality: Danish Trivia: The forward scored 12 goals in seven games for Denmark throughout 2021.

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KIRSTY HANSON Born: 17/04/1998 National team: Scotland Trivia: Scored home and away against Leicester during our Championship-winning season.

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IVANA FERREIRA FUSO Born: 12/03/2001 Nationality: Brazilian Trivia: Has come off the bench in four of the last five Women’s Super League fixtures.

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MARTHA THOMAS Born: 31/05/1996 National team: Scotland Trivia: Opened scoring account for United with our third goal away to Leicester in September.

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LUCY STANIFORTH Born: 02/10/1992 Nationality: English Trivia: On the road to recovery after undergoing knee surgery, having last played in December.

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JADE MOORE Born: 22/10/1990 Nationality: English Trivia: Has previously worked with Marc Skinner in the US when the pair were at Orlando Pride.

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HAYLEY LADD Born: 06/10/1996 National team: Wales Trivia: Has more goals in ’21/22 (three) than across the previous two campaigns combined (two).

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Manche

M a n u t d.c o m / w o m e n s t i c k e t s

CAPTAIN’S COLUMN

KATIE ZELEM The skipper sees our opponents as proof of how the WSL is developing, and she’s looking for a calm but positive mindset to see us to three vital points...

As a team, we were all disappointed by last week’s defeat against Manchester City. The FA Cup is obviously something we wanted to do well in, but it’s important now that we focus on our next game.

Leicester is the start of a run of important league games coming up over the next month. January and February were both busy, and March is no different.

From the manager through to the players, we know that going forward, we have to take each game one at a time. We want to take three points from each of the remaining WSL games coming up. I think it’s pretty clear to see that the results in February weren’t as strong as in January, but that’s also down to the opposition. We had some really big games in February, with a quarter-final, a semi-final, and we played City and Arsenal in the league as well. We knew it was going to be a tough February, but we made some great progress in January and hopefully we can pick that up again now. We’re really balanced as a squad, not getting too down when results aren’t perfect, and we’ll keep composed going forward.

Today’s opponents Leicester will give us a tough game. We’re expecting them to be really organised.

They had a difficult time against Chelsea in the FA Cup, but just look at their results before that. They’ve beaten Tottenham, Brighton, and West Ham, and haven’t been

conceding many goals in the league. They’ve got some stand-out players at the moment, like Tash Flint, and we’ll be coming up against some players who we know well from their time here, The Foxes have come a long way since we first like Abbie McManus. faced them in 2018/19 Jess [Sigsworth] has just got injured unfortunately. So, we’ll all need to bring our best games to get three points out of the match today.

As a club, I think Leicester are the perfect example of how the WSL is growing at such a rapid rate. They were promoted only last season and now they’re really challenging the opposition and getting decent results.

Every season, the quality in this league is improving.

We need to show our quality this afternoon, with the help of your support, which we know we’ll always have.

We thank you for your support and hope you enjoy the game.

23

TURN OF A INFOGRAPHIC

It’s a milestone match today – our 100th in all competitions since the Reds’

LOST: 24

49

WON: 63 CLEAN SHEETS

TOTAL PLAYED

99

A clean sheet today would bring up 50 shut-outs – the first 19 of which were made by Siobhan Chamberlain (below), in just 27 appearances

DRAWN: 12

GOALS SCORED

254 24

GOALS CONCEDED

87

professional team was formed in 2018. We assess the journey so far…

7

Reading

6

6

Chelsea

7

Leicester

7

Brighton

8

↓MOST-FACED OPPONENTS

Arsenal

Everton

From our 99 fixtures played ahead of today, 10 have been Manchester derbies – although our latest opponents aren’t too far behind (today will be meeting no.7 with Leicester)

9

Tottenham

10

Man City

s’

CENTURY INFOGRAPHIC

BIGGEST WIN: ASTON VILLA 0 UNITED 12 FA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP, 09/09/2018 We beat Leicester 11-1 in the Conti Cup in 2019/20 – but even that wasn’t enough to trump this rout of Villa in our first-ever league fixture, with current Foxes striker Jess Sigsworth scoring five (right) 25

Barclays is celebrating 20 years of commitment to the game we all love, first as title sponsor of the Premier League, and now the Barclays FA Women’s Super League. And it’s still all to play for.

Visit Barclays.com/20years to see the full story

Barclays is celebrating 20 years of commitment to the game we all love, first as title sponsor of the Premier League, and now the Barclays celebrating 20 years of commitment we BarclaysisFA Women’s Super League.

And it’s stilltoallthe to game play for. all love, first as title sponsor of the Premier League, and now the Barclays FA Barclays.com/20years Women’s Super League.toAnd to play for.

Visit seeit’s thestill fullallstory Visit Barclays.com/20years to see the full story

Barclays is celebrating 20 years of commitment to the game we

MU FOUNDATION

RIVALRY REIGNITED Legends to return to Old Trafford in May for epic fundraising fixture Manchester United Legends will take on Liverpool FC Legends in an iconic event that will see the historic rivalry between the two teams reignited, in a bid to be crowned ‘Legends of the North’.

As announced by the club’s associated charity just last week, United ambassador Bryan Robson will return as manager for the match at Old Trafford on Saturday 21 May 2022, following his successful management stints for previous legends games against Real Madrid, Bayern Munich (inset) and Barcelona.

Fans can also look forward to welcoming back a host of footballing greats, with players for both sides to be announced in the coming weeks.

Robson, who made 461 appearances and scored 99 goals for United in his 13 years at the club, said: “It’s always exciting playing against Liverpool; even in legends games that rivalry is still there.

But, it is also about raising money for Manchester United Foundation, which really helps to encourage and educate young people in communities across Greater Manchester.”

John Shiels MBE, chief executive of Manchester United Foundation, said: “These matches

Robbo takes to the pitch ahead of a previous Legends game – and he’ll soon be back to manage another team of former Reds

“IT’S A CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE REALLY SUFFERED DURING THE PANDEMIC” – JOHN SHIELS MBE are a fantastic opportunity for fans to see legends of the game back in action, but more importantly, it’s the chance to make a difference to young people in our communities who have really suffered during the pandemic.

“More children than ever are living below the poverty line – in Manchester and Oldham the number of children living in poverty has increased by 53 per cent and 84 per cent respectively

from 2016 to 2021 – and this is likely to increase again due to the rise in living and energy costs. Many children are also suffering with their mental health, so your support through events like this is vital to help the Foundation deliver life-changing programmes and really make a difference to their futures.”

It’s all to play for in this epic fixture later this year... who will be crowned Legends of the North?

For more information and tickets please visit ManUtd.com/legends

27

THE VISITORS

Three months on from their last visit, the Foxes have been rising up the WSL, with their new boss restoring confidence to the squad...

LEICESTER CITY It is testament to Lydia Bedford’s tireless work on the training pitch since replacing Jonathan Morgan at the beginning of December that Leicester City have gone from the foot of the WSL without a point to hauling themselves clear of relegation with four wins from their last six league games.

Beginning with December’s penalty shoot-out win over the Reds in the Continental League Cup – under the temporary stewardship of the club’s head of football development Emile Heskey – the Foxes have since become one of the WSL’s most difficult teams to beat, with home and away victories against Birmingham (2-0 and 2-1 respectively), alongside wins against Brighton (1-0 at home, above) and West Ham (3-0 at home).

So what’s changed? Bedford has switched formation to a solid and highly mobile 3-4-3 which packs central areas and offers impressive width from wing-backs Esmee De Graaf and Jemma Purfield. Three clean sheets in those four league wins are built on a strong back three of captain Abbie McManus, Ashleigh Plumptre and Sophie Howard – the latter was sent off in last weekend’s Women’s FA Cup exit to Chelsea, but with the red card

28

being overturned in midweek, she’s now available for today. Arguably Leicester’s best attacking display of the season came in the defeat of West Ham in their last WSL fixture. Centre-forward Natasha Flint’s pace and persistence gave Leicester a freak early lead after charging down Hammers’ keeper Mackenzie Arnold’s clearance, but it was the Foxes’ rotations in midfield which impressed most, with winger Freya Gregory sealing the game in the second half after Plumptre had made it 2-0.

Throw in central duo Sam Tierney and former England U19 captain Molly Pike, who dovetail brilliantly as the Foxes’ brawn and brains, and Bedford has brought renewed resolve and a sense of fun to the club. The new boss’s dog – a one-year-old cockapoo called Baxter – is a regular fixture at training, and very much a lucky charm as Leicester have surged beyond relegation trouble.

“They put their bodies on the line and it shows in the results,” said Bedford. “Credit to the players, as it’s difficult when a new manager walks through the door.

Every week they give me 110 per cent, they put the work in and they believe in what we are asking them to do. There is definite confidence.”

THE VISITORS

THE MANAGER LYDIA BEDFORD Bedford has brought a professional, determined attitude to the dressing room since her December appointment. The 34-year-old is on secondment until the end of the season from the FA, where she is also England U17s head coach. Bedford, who has had past coaching spells with London Bees and Tottenham, began her coaching career in 2008 aged just 20 and has earned a reputation as one of the brightest, most progressive coaches in the game, with socialising sessions over breakfast before training each morning now part of the daily routine to foster team spirit.

PREVIOUS v THE REDS NATASHA FLINT A member of the Reds’ Centre of Excellence between the ages of five and 17, Flint scored on her first return to the club in December’s Conti Cup tie, and converted her spot-kick in the shoot-out. After joining Manchester City in 2013 and making her senior debut a year later, Flint flitted between spells at Preston, Notts County and Sheffield FC before joining thirdtier Blackburn in 2017. Scoring a stunning 70 goals in 66 Rovers appearances, the powerful forward moved to Leicester in 2020 and was top scorer as they won promotion last term.

ONE TO WATCH ASHLEIGH PLUMPTRE Leicester born and bred, defender Plumptre is relishing life back at her childhood club.

After leaving the Foxes as a 15-year-old to join Birmingham’s Academy, she moved to Notts County in 2015 where she featured as an unused substitute in the FA Cup and Conti Cup finals. After earning All-American honours at the University of Southern California from 2016-19, the Nigerian international – who represented England at youth level – returned to Leicester in 2020. No WSL player has won more aerial duals or interceptions than the elegant centre-back this season.

number trail

11 Weeks spent at the foot of the Women’s Super League table between October and December, before the Foxes’ 2-0 win against Birmingham City just before Christmas ignited their season.

4,473 The crowd for their WSL meeting against United in September – a game played at the King Power Stadium – was a record home attendance for Leicester Women.

11 Number of different scorers so far this season in all competitions, with Natasha Flint, Sophie Howard and Shannon O’Brien leading the way with three goals each.

50 Points won from 20 league games last season, as the Foxes won the Championship title, earning them a place in the top flight for the first time since the team was founded in 2004.

27

OPPOSITION INTERVIEW

“We’re now being more creative, more positive” Popular ex-Red Jess Sigsworth will miss today’s game through injury, but that won’t stop Siggy returning to catch up with some familiar faces at LSV...

Hi Jess. We’re sorry to hear about your injury...

Thanks. I just felt my studs get stuck a bit when I was taking a shot in training, and I knew something was wrong immediately. The MRI [on the anterior cruciate ligament] has come back. Hopefully I’ll have surgery in a few weeks, and then I can crack on with my recovery.

It’s a shame you’ll miss this game. Are you still in touch with many of your old United team-mates?

Definitely, I’m close with lots of them. They’ve messaged me [since the injury] and been really supportive.

Talk us through your season so far, up until that point – Leicester have recovered well after a tough start...

That’s right, it was an extremely tough start. Up until Christmas we had no wins, and were stuck at the bottom. But then Lydia [Bedford] come in and changed a few things, and we seem to be on a bit of a roll now in the league. We’ve had a few wins and got ourselves in quite a good position where hopefully we can avoid relegation. We obviously still need to pick up a few more points though to make sure we don’t go down.

Interview Charlie Ghagan

Showing her strength against Brighton in January

Tell us a bit more about your manager – what has she done to improve your league form so dramatically?

It’s been really nice having her lead the team. Before Christmas we just got stuck in a bit of a rut. We tried to play a bit more defensively but it was proving hard to hold out for 90 minutes playing that way. Now we’re playing a more attacking style, which means the forwards are seeing more of the ball. I’ve got a few goals and a couple of assists and we now feel we can go out and win games. We’re now being more creative, more positive... the change has benefited us.

We hear Bedford has been good with team bonding...

Every week we have a team-bonding session. We went to a driving range the other week, we’re having a pancake social today [it’s Shrove Tuesday], we’ve had pool tournaments, cooking lessons... it’s brought us closer. Having a close-knit squad is vital; having each other’s back off the pitch helps you on the pitch.

Your fellow forward Natasha Flint is another player with United connections, from when she was a kid.

How impressed have you been with her this season?

It’s been really nice playing alongside Tash. I think we’ve linked up well, and she’s such a quality player whenever she’s on the ball. It’s just unfortunate that we won’t be able to play together again this season.

Flint scored the winner in Leicester’s 3-2 FA Cup victory against United last season, of course, after you had scored for United earlier in the game...

She did! That was my last game for United, and Casey’s too. It was a really emotional day because of that.

30

JESS SIGSWORTH

” “A really emotional day” as Jess scores against the Foxes on her 66th and final outing for the Reds in May last year

Both of us had been there since the start in 2018, and I absolutely loved my time at United but it was the right time to move on. I made so many friends, though, which have given me memories I’ll cherish forever.

You seemed to enjoy scoring against City for Leicester this season also...

Yeah, I did, didn’t I! It was the first minute of the game.

I seem to do okay against City, and I’m not complaining!

And how did you enjoy the 2-2 draw in the Conti Cup in December – was it nice to be back in Leigh and see everyone... before scoring in the shoot-out?

Ha, yes I loved it! It was a brilliant game to be a part of, and obviously great to get the [bonus point] on penalties. After that night, I was really looking forward to going back and playing at Leigh in the WSL, but as I unfortunately won’t be able to play I’ll still come along... and support Leicester, of course!

How has it been playing at the King Power Stadium for some of your games this season?

It’s been amazing at the King Power; the pitch is like a carpet and we’ve been playing some really nice football there – we beat Birmingham and Brighton there. It’s a bit different to the Pirelli Stadium, of course, and hopefully we can play more at the King Power in the future.

You’ll no doubt get a warm response from the United fans after three seasons of battling displays that brought 26 goals. Do you still have a lot of affection for the United fans?

Massively. I loved the fans, how they travelled up and down country with us and were always loud. I feel I had a nice connection with them, and lots wished me well when I left. I had so many messages; it was so nice to have that support.

If you had to pick one game, or one goal, from your time at United, would what it be?

Definitely scoring against City in the 2-0 derby win [in the Conti Cup in 2019, inset]. Being a United fan since I was a little girl, it was the best feeling ever – to score against your rivals at your home ground, and the ground was pretty full, as well. It’s a special memory.

Talking of big stadiums, United are back at Old Trafford soon. Do you have fond memories of last season’s game there behind closed doors, when you came on as substitute for Christen Press?

Honestly, that day was a dream come true for me as a United fan. Even if it was only for a few minutes and there were no fans at the game, it was special, and something that I will never forget.

Let’s finish with Leicester – considering the start you had to 2021/22, it would be a proud achievement for you all if you can stay up, wouldn’t it…

Definitely. We’ve all been working so hard to really get ourselves back into a good position. It’s always hard coming up from the Championship, which of course I know from before – it’s a big learning curve. I believe we’ll stay up, and next season will be much better for us. As a squad, we’ll know exactly what’s needed.

31

Manche

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF

FANS’ PAGE

Send your messages and photos to MUWomenfamily@manutd.co.uk

WHAT THE REDS SAID! Disclaimer: this may not have happened...

THERE’S THE BALL – NOW CHAARRGE!

GETTING INVOLVED The Reds with the most WSL goal involvements since our 2019 promotion...

1. Ella Toone: 26 (15 goals, 11 assists) 2. Leah Galton: 20 (14 goals, 6 assists) 3. Katie Zelem: 16 (9 goals, 7 assists) 4. Kirsty Hanson: 13 (9 goals, 4 assists) 5. Alessia Russo: 13 (8 goals, 5 assists)

WOMEN OF THE WORLD Every country represented

by United since the team’s first game back in 2018...

HERE, HOLD THIS – I’VE GOT A GAME TO PLAY!

ANYONE UP FOR SOME BOWLING?

ENGLAND 25 players SCOTLAND 5 players NORWAY 4 players USA 2 players WALES 2 players BRAZIL 1 player DENMARK 1 player NETHERLANDS 1 player REP OF IRELAND 1 player SPAIN 1 player SWEDEN 1 player

33

QUESTION TIME

HALF-TIME QUIZ

Three ex-Reds feature strongly in our Foxes-related posers...

1. How many goals did current Leicester striker Jess Sigsworth score across all competitions in 2018/19 to finish as United’s top scorer: 14, 16 or 18?

?

2. Ex-Red Abbie McManus – now also with Leicester – played three games for England in the 2019 Women’s World Cup, but which current Red also appeared for the Lionesses in that same tournament (above)?

3. Charlie Devlin, who also moved from United to Leicester (via a spell at Charlton Athletic), bagged a brace for us against London Bees in January 2019 during our biggest-ever home league win – what was the final score that day: 8-0, 9-0 or 10-0?

4. Sigsworth is one of seven players to score for the Reds in the WSL, the FA Cup and the Continental League Cup, but which current squad member joined that list most recently?

5. Last September, McManus (right) became the second player to net against the Reds after leaving United, following in the footsteps of which former forward, who did so for Bristol City?

6. Devlin’s final United goal came in April 2019 against which club? Hint: she had left this club the previous summer to join the Reds.

7. Sigsworth was on target in the Reds’ first Manchester derby victory, adding our second after which player had opened the scoring in a 2-0 win in October 2019 (above)?

8. Who partnered McManus in the centre of defence when United secured a first top-flight clean sheet during a 2-0 win against Liverpool in September 2019?

9. Other than Devlin, who is the only other player to score for the Reds whose first name begins with ‘C’?

10. Name the only two Reds to have scored more goals for the club than Sigsworth.

11. After McManus, who was the next player to join United directly from Manchester City?

12. Which current squad member wears Devlin’s former United shirt number (right)?

ANSWERS: 1. 18; 2. Lucy Staniforth; 3. 9-0; 4. Hayley Ladd; 5. Ebony Salmon; 6. Millwall Lionesses; 7. Katie Zelem; 8. Millie Turner; 9. Christen Press; 10. Ella Toone and Lauren James; 11. Aoife Mannion; 12. Jackie Groenen

34

THE MANCUNIAN WAY.

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TICKETS AND HOSPITALITY ON SALE NOW manutd.com/legends All profits from the event will go to Manchester United Foundation

APPEARANCES, GOALS & TABLES FA WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE TABLE, 2021/22 Team

P

W

D

L

GD

Pts

UNITED APPEARANCES AND GOALS, 2021/22 SEASON PLAYER

LEAGUE

FA CUP

LEAGUE CUP

TOTAL

APP

GLS

APP

GLS

APP

GLS

APP

GLS

Sophie Baggaley

0

0

0

0

6

0

6

0

Ona Batlle

13

1

1

0

4(1)

1

18(1)

2

Hannah Blundell

11(2)

0

2

0

4(2)

0

17(4)

0

Vilde Boe Risa

7(2)

2

0(2)

0

4(2)

1

11(6)

3

Signe Bruun

2

0

0(1)

0

0(1)

0

2(2)

0

Diane Caldwell

2

0

1

0

0

0

3

0

Mary Earps

14

0

2

0

0(1)

0

16(1)

0

Ivana Ferreira Fuso

0(4)

0

1(1)

0

3(3)

2

4(8)

2

Leah Galton

12(1)

4

1

0

4(2)

0

17(3)

4

Jackie Groenen

4(4)

0

1(1)

0

1

0

6(5)

0

1

Arsenal

14

9

4

1

26

31

Kirsty Hanson

6(4)

1

0(1)

0

3(2)

0

9(7)

1

2

Chelsea

13

9

2

2

24

29

Martha Harris

0

0

0(1)

0

1

0

1(1)

0

3

Tottenham

14

8

3

3

8

27

Carrie Jones

0(3)

0

1

0

2

0

3(3)

0

4

UNITED

14

7

4

3

13

25

Hayley Ladd

7(2)

2

1

1

2(1)

0

10(3)

5

Manchester City

14

7

2

5

10

23

Aoife Mannion

12

0

1

0

6

0

19

0 7

3

6

Reading

13

7

1

5

-1

22

Alessia Russo

11(3)

5

1(1)

0

3(3)

2

15(7)

7

West Ham

14

5

5

4

0

20

Karna Solskjaer

0

0

0(1)

0

0

0

0(1)

0

8

Brighton

15

6

1

8

-6

19

Kirsty Smith

3

0

1

0

2

0

6

0

9

Aston Villa

14

5

1

8

-17

16

Lucy Staniforth

7(3)

2

0

0

3(1)

0

10(4)

2

10 Leicester

15

4

0

11

-15

12

Martha Thomas

1(9)

2

2

0

4

1

7(9)

3

11 Everton

13

3

2

8

-13

11

Maria Thorisdottir

10(3)

1

2

0

4(1)

0

16(4)

1

12 Birmingham

15

1

1

13

-29

4

Ella Toone

14

5

2

1

3(2)

1

19(2)

7

Millie Turner

4

0

0

0

3

0

7

0

Katie Zelem

14

2

2

1

4(1)

1

20(1)

4

FA WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE TOP SCORERS, 2021/22 Sam Kerr (Chelsea)

9

Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal)

8

Fran Kirby (Chelsea)

6

Natasha Dowie (Reading)

6

Right: captain Katie Zelem made her 20th start of the season last weekend, 14 of which have come in the Women’s Super League

Kim Little (Arsenal)

6

Ella Toone (UNITED)

5

Alessia Russo (UNITED)

5

Beth Mead (Arsenal)

5

Apps

Goals

Lauren Hemp (Manchester City)

5

Ella Toone

95

39

Georgia Stanway (Manchester City)

5

Katie Zelem

91

24

Kate McCabe (Arsenal)

4

Millie Turner

83

5

Rachel Williams (Tottenham)

4

Kirsty Hanson

83

16

Leah Galton (UNITED)

4

Leah Galton

76

18

Charlie Devlin

20

6

Amy Turner

67

4

Aoife Mannion

19

0

Jessica Sigsworth

66

26

Ivana Ferreira Fuso

18

2

Mary Earps

61

0

Christen Press

17

4

Kirsty Smith

58

1

Vilde Boe Risa

17

3

FA WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE TOP ASSISTS, 2021/22

UNITED ALL-TIME APPS & GOALS

Apps

Goals

Ella Toone (UNITED)

6

Lauren James

56

28

Martha Thomas

16

3

Fran Kirby (Chelsea)

6

Hayley Ladd

55

4

Aimee Palmer

15

1

Katie McCabe (Arsenal)

5

Jackie Groenen

52

0

Tobin Heath

11

4

Beth Mead (Arsenal)

5

Martha Harris

48

1

Lotta Okvist

10

0

Hannah Blundell (UNITED)

4

Ona Batlle

42

2

Carrie Jones

10

0

Jane Ross

34

7

Emily Ramsey

6

0

Lizzie Arnot

34

9

Sophie Baggaley

6

0

Lucy Staniforth

32

3

Signe Brunn

4

0

TODAY

Mollie Green

29

16

Naomi Hartley

3

0

Aston Villa v Brighton (11.30am, WSL)

Maria Thorisdottir

28

1

Diane Caldwell

3

0

Chelsea v Manchester City (5.15pm,

Siobhan Chamberlain

27

0

Fran Bentley

2

0

Continental Cup final)

Alex Greenwood

27

5

Tara Bourne

1

0

TOMORROW

Alessia Russo

27

10

Rebecca May

1

0

Arsenal v Birmingham (12pm, WSL)

Abbie McManus

25

2

Aurora Mikalsen

1

0

Reading (right) v Tottenham (2pm, WSL)

Hannah Blundell

21

0

Karna Solskjaer

1

0

OTHER WEEKEND FIXTURES

(Names in italics have left the club)

37

SEASON STATISTICS

LINE-UP

ATTENDANCE

SCORE

OPPOSITION

DATE

COMPETITION

FIXTURES & LINE-UPS, 2021/22 AUGUST SEPTEMBER WSL

Fri 3

Reading (H) 7.45pm

2-0

2,111

Earps

Blundell

Mannion

Thorisdottir

Batlle 1

Boe Risa

Zelem

WSL

Sun 12

Leicester (A) 2pm

3-1

4,473

Earps

Blundell

Mannion

Turner

Batlle

Zelem

Groenen

WSL

Sun 26

Chelsea (H) 12.30pm

1-6

2,197

Earps

Blundell

Mannion

Thorisdottir

Batlle

Zelem

Groenen

WSL

Sun 3

Birmingham (A) 6.45pm 2-0

650

Earps

Batlle

Mannion

Thorisdottir

Blundell

Zelem Groenen

WSL

Sat 9

Man City (H) 1.30pm

2-2

3,797

Earps

Blundell

Mannion

Thorisdottir

Batlle

Zelem

Groenen

CC

Thu 14

Durham (A) 7pm

2-2↑ 1,468

Baggaley

Harris

Mannion

Thorisdottir

Blundell

Boe Risa

Ladd

WSL

Sun 7

Tottenham (A) 12.15pm 1-1

1,308

Earps

Batlle

Mannion

Thorisdottir

Blundell

Zelem

Ladd

WSL

Sun 14

Everton (A) 12.30pm

1-1

840

Earps

Batlle

Mannion

Thorisdottir

Blundell

Zelem

Boe Risa

CC

Wed 17

Man City (H) 7pm

2-1

2,369

Baggaley

Batlle 1

Mannion

Thorisdottir

Smith

Boe Risa

Jones

WSL

Sun 21

Arsenal (H) 12.15pm

0-2

2,186

Earps

Batlle

Mannion

Thorisdottir

Blundell

Staniforth

Zelem

CC

Sun 5

Leicester (H) 12pm

2-2↓

Baggaley

Batlle

Mannion

Turner

Blundell

Boe Risa

Zelem 1

WSL

Sun 12

Brighton (A) 12.30pm

2-0

Earps

Batlle

Mannion

Turner

Blundell

Ladd 1

Zelem

CC

Wed 15

Everton (A) 7pm

2-0+

672

Baggaley

Batlle

Mannion

Turner

Smith

Zelem

Toone

WSL

Sun 19

Aston Villa (H) 12pm

5-0

1,001

Earps

Smith

Mannion

Turner

Galton

Zelem 1 •

Ladd

WSL

Sat 15

Birmingham (H) 12pm

5-0+ 1,015

Earps

Batlle

Mannion

Turner

Smith

Ladd

Zelem 1

CC

Wed 19

Arsenal (A) 7.15pm (QF) 1-0

Baggaley

Blundell

Mannion

Turner

Thorisdottir

Ladd

Zelem

WSL

Sun 23

Tottenham (H) 12pm

3-0

1,519

Earps

Batlle

Mannion

Thorisdottir

Smith

Ladd 1

Zelem

FA

Sun 30

Bridgwater (A) 2pm

2-0

2,500

Earps

Smith

Thorisdottir Mannion

Blundell

Ladd 1

Zelem

CC

Wed 2

Chelsea (A) 7pm

1-3

1,548

Baggaley

Batlle

Thorisdottir Mannion

Blundell

Groenen

Zelem

WSL

Sat 5

Arsenal (A) 12.30pm

1-1

2,385

Earps

Batlle

Caldwell

Thorisdottir

Blundell

Ladd

Zelem

WSL

Sun 13

Man City (A) 12.30pm

0-1

5,317

Earps

Batlle

Caldwell

Thorisdottir

Blundell

Ladd

Zelem

FA

Sun 27

Man City (H) 12.30pm

1-4

2,335

Earps

Batlle

Caldwell

Thorisdottir

Blundell

Groenen

Zelem 1

WSL

Sat 5

Leicester (H) 12pm

WSL

Sat 12

Reading (A) 11.30am

WSL

Wed 16

West Ham (A) 7.30pm

WSL

Sun 27

Everton (H) 12.30pm

WSL

Sun 3

Brighton (H) 12pm

WSL

Sun 24

Aston Villa (A) 6pm

WSL

Sun 1

West Ham (H) 12pm

WSL

Sun 8

Chelsea (A) 12.30pm

OCTOBER

N OVE MBE R

DE CEMBER

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

M ARCH

A PRIL MAY

(United score listed first.

All fixtures subject to change – visit ManUtd.com/fixtures for latest fixtures information)

38

839 1,776

825

SEASON STATISTICS Facebook: manutdwomen

YouTube: /ManUtd

Twitter: @manutdwomen

Match programme contact: MUWomenfamily@manutd.co.uk For ticket information visit: ManUtd.com/Tickets

Instagram: @manutdwomen

SUBS USED

FOLLOW THE REDS ▶

Hanson 1

Staniforth

Galton

Toone

Thomas

Groenen

Russo

–

–

Hanson

Staniforth

Galton

Toone 1

Thorisdottir 1

Thomas 1

Russo

–

–

Hanson

Staniforth

Galton

Toone

Russo 1

Ladd

Jones

–

–

Russo

Staniforth

Galton 1

Toone 1

Hanson

Boe Risa

Jones

–

–

Hanson

Toone

Galton

Russo 1

Staniforth 1

Ladd

–

–

–

Staniforth

Jones

Russo

Fuso 1

Hanson

Toone 1

Galton

–

– –

Hanson

Toone

Galton

Russo 1

Staniforth

Thomas

–

–

Toone 1

Russo

Galton

Thomas

Staniforth

Hanson

–

–

–

Fuso 1

Staniforth

Hanson

Thomas

Russo

Galton

Toone

Blundell

Zelem

Hanson

Toone

Galton

Russo

Jones

Boe Risa

–

–

–

Staniforth

Toone

Galton

Russo 1

Ladd

Hanson

Fuso

–

–

Toone

Staniforth

Boe Risa 1

Russo

Galton

Thomas

–

–

–

Hanson

Fuso

Galton

Thomas 1

Russo

Blundell

Thorisdottir

Staniforth

Boe Risa

Staniforth 1

Boe Risa

Toone 2

Russo

Hanson

Thomas 1

Thorisdottir

Fuso

–

Boe Risa

Toone

Galton 2

Russo 1

Blundell

Thomas

Groenen

Thorisdottir

Fuso

Galton

Hanson

Toone

Thomas

Fuso

Batlle

Boe Risa

Russo 1

–

Toone

Boe Risa 1

Galton 1

Russo

Thomas

Blundell

Groenen

Fuso

–

Toone 1

Jones

Fuso

Thomas

Harris

Boe Risa

Groenen

Russo

Solskjaer

Boe Risa 1

Thomas

Galton

Russo

Fuso

Brunn

Earps

–

–

Toone

Bruun

Galton

Russo 1

Groenen

Thomas

–

–

–

Bruun

Boe Risa

Toone

Russo

Thomas

Hanson

Fuso

–

–

Russo

Toone

Galton

Thomas

Bruun

Hanson

Fuso

Boe Risa

–

KEY: WSL - Women’s Super League ↑/↓ won/lost on penalties

CC - FA Continental League Cup First sub

Second sub

FA - Women’s FA Cup Third sub

Fourth sub

Scorers Bold Fifth sub

Penalty •

Own goal +

Yellow/red card

39

Martha Harris Maria Thorisdottir Jade Moore Aoife Mannion Hannah Blundell Ella Toone Vilde Boe Risa Martha Thomas Katie Zelem Leah Galton Hayley Ladd Ivana Ferreira Fuso Jackie Groenen Diane Caldwell Signe Bruun Ona Batlle Kirsty Hanson Kirsty Smith Millie Turner Alessia Russo Carrie Jones Mary Earps (GK) Sophie Baggaley (GK) Lucy Staniforth Karna Solskjaer Safia Middleton-Patel (GK) Niamh Murphy

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 23 24 27 32 37 38 39 40

1 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 29 34 40 44 48

Demi Lambourne (GK) Sam Tierney Abbie McManus Georgia Brougham Natasha Flint Molly Pike Jess Sigsworth Charlie Devlin Lachante Paul Missy Goodwin Esmee De Graaf Sophie Howard Freya Gregory Paige Bailey-Gayle Sophie Barker Hannah Cain Ashleigh Plumptre Jemma Purfield Elysia Boddy Esther Morgan Shannon O’Brien Kirstie Levell (GK) Jess Camwell Mackenzie Smith Monique Robinson Connie Scofield Sophie Harris (GK)

MATCH OFFICIALS Referee Amy Fearn ⬤ Assistants Lisa Rashid, Magdalena Golba Fourth official Elizabeth Simms

LEICESTER CITY WOMEN

MANCHESTER UNITED WOMEN

#allredallequal