Can Manchester United win the WSL? | OneFootball

Despite displaying concerning signs in the early stages of the 2024/25 season, Manchester United are currently Chelsea's closest opponents in the race for the Women's Super League (WSL) title.

An emphatic victory under the lights of Leigh Sports Village at the weekend saw United triumph 3-0 over Brighton & Hove Albion in the WSL. The win shoots the side up into second place, now one point ahead of their City rivals, and two points clear of Arsenal.

After a lacklustre start to the 2024/25 season that saw the side draw three games on the bounce, head coach Marc Skinner responded to the fan criticism that was calling for his job. "We're still unbeaten", said the head coach at the time, and since then they have won five out of six of their WSL encounters. Their only defeat came when Chelsea scraped a 1-0 victory over the side at Kingsmeadow.

Skinner urged fans to be patient, explaining: "The reality is that when you put players into a new team, it takes a little bit of time for them to understand the key triggers of each other".

The team have adapted to a summer of high turnover, and seem to be playing with a clear sense of identity on the pitch. Now seven points adrift of Chelsea at the top of the league standings, it begs the question of whether or not United are the closest contenders in the WSL title race.

Flying under the radar as opponents falter

Manchester United FC v Brighton & Hove Albion FC - Barclays Women's Super League / Molly Darlington/GettyImages

Early stalemates with Arsenal, Brighton and Aston Villa had most fans writing the Red Devils out of the title race before it even begun. The players looked low on confidence, and Skinner's game plan didn't seem to have a tangible reward. Now it seems that patience was all it would take to get the side back into the conversation.

Other than the 4-2 thrashing of Man City in the recent derby, none of United's results have been spoken about with loud voices. The team made a mockery over Liverpool in a 4-0 demolition before Christmas, before doing the same to the Seagulls last Sunday with a 3-0 win.

A comfortable 2-0 victory over Leicester City at King Power Stadium was the first sign of revival, and a close 1-0 job over Crystal Palace should have been made easier with the amounts of shots that the side had created.

Before we all knew it, United had crept up into second place, and now we are left questioning whether or not they are a true threat at the top of the table. Man City and Arsenal have waved goodbye to comfort, and will now have to battle it out for a Champions League qualification spot.

Superstars brimming with confidence

Ella Toone has impressed after returning from injury / Ben Roberts Photo/GettyImages

Ella Toone is back at her very best and it's certainly brilliant to watch. The midfielder made her return from injury in the early stages of January, scoring a welcome-back smash against West Bromwich Albion in the Adobe Women's FA Cup.

From there, she has continued to lift the ceiling. A debut Manchester derby goal quickly became a hat-trick as the childhood Red Devil waved off City at Etihad Stadium. Back on the scoresheet last Sunday once more, Toone put her team ahead of Brighton in under two minutes.

After what has been a tough personal period for the England midfielder, the 25-year-old has been United's hero time and time again. Skinner will need his superstars to step up even more if his side are going to contest at the top of the league standings.

The best defence in the league on paper

Phallon Tullis-Joyce celebrated her first USWNT call-up last November / James Gill - Danehouse/GettyImages

Although United currently trail Chelsea by seven points, the side have a supreme defensive record. Level on clean sheets with both Arsenal and Chelsea (8), Skinner's side have conceded the least amount of goals this season so far.

Phallon Tullis-Joyce deserves her flowers, having seamlessly slotted into the number one shirt after biding her time on the bench behind Mary Earps. The American goalkeeper has been phenomenal for United and is a primary reason why the side have excelled defensively.

Sir Jim, are you watching?

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has come under fire for his lack of support for the women's team / Mike Hewitt/GettyImages

Man United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been notorious for his underwhelming comments about the women's team. Ratcliffe, who has full control over the club's sporting arm, told United We Stand fanzine that: "There's only so much that you can do and our focus has been on the men's team".

Fans were rightfully outraged with the comments made by the INEOS CEO, labelling them as a complete disregard for the operation of the women's side. Arsenal legend Ian Wright even took to the mic to express his frustrations on the women's football podcast Crossways, claiming that Ratcliffe "does not care about the women's team".

With the men's side still stuck in a precarious fight, now 12th in the Premier League standings, the women's team seem to be the club's only hope at league silverware. Any logic would presume that this would be a call for investment in order to bridge the already-closing gap between United and the top of the table, but to say Ratcliffe is even paying attention may be a hopeful presumption.

Can United win the WSL?

All eyes are on United in the second-half of the 2024/25 campaign / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages

Despite all of the positives that currently surround United, the bottom line is that it isn't their fight to win, its unfortunately up to Chelsea to lose. Unbeaten across all competitions since Sonia Bompastor took the post, it is growing increasingly unlikely that the side will falter before the close of the season.

Even if United are to win every last one of their WSL fixtures, they would still require Chelsea to drop more than seven points in order to have even a small hope of attaining WSL silverware.

At this stage, a successful league campaign for United will be measured by whether or not they can achieve a qualification spot in the UEFA Women's Champions League. In the four-way race for a European spot, United will be up against City and Arsenal in the battle for the top three. It will be an increasingly hard task for all clubs involved, but United are certainly in the drivers seat as it stands.