Manchester United Women’s season continues to unravel after a heavy defeat in the Manchester Derby at Old Trafford on Saturday. Manager Marc Skinner saw his side lose for the fourth time in six matches, falling 3-0 to their Women’s Super League leader neighbors just three days after a 3-2 loss to Bayern Munich at the same ground.
The match was another case of being unprepared for the biggest stages, a problem that has plagued the manager’s time in charge of United and proven costly in many a cup final,
Top 3 clash or European tie.
Skinner went with a strange 4-4-2 lineup with Simi Awujo playing off of Lea Schuller at forward with Jess Park and Melvine Malard as wingers, though Malard would move to center forward eventually. Hinata Miyazawa made a start alongside Lisa Naalsund, but the duo were quickly overwhelmed after going in outnumbered in the middle of the park.
The result? Manchester United did not register a single attempt on target until the 74th minute of the contest.
Manchester City on the other hand could have easily had four or five by halftime. Vivienne Miedema bagged a brace in the first 20 minutes against a Reds setup that looked ready to pack it in already, and were lucky to be down only 2-0 with a goal chalked off and Phallon Tullis-Joyce producing three saves.
The Blues would get to 3-0 shortly after the restart, adding one from Kerstin Casparij on a sweeping counterattack with United’s setup all over the place. The Dutch right back arrived unmarked at the back post to finish the attack and keep City’s firm hold on the game.
The result felt finalized for the entirety of the match, even as United started to pick up some more possession. Malard would be the one to finally steer the ball on target, but didn’t do much to challenge Yamashita. City’s runaway title bid continues.
As for United, defeat in Munich next week could be the final nail in the coffin of what was once a promising season. One win in six matches is not good enough, and to do so in the biggest games of the season is even worse for the Reds.
