Sky Sports columnist Laura Hunter analyses the big talking points from the second round of Women’s Super League matches, bringing you closer to the key stories at the heart of the women’s game.
Are Man Utd spiralling?
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Manchester United had a watershed moment under Marc Skinner. After winning their first major trophy in 2024, the former boss steered them to the quarter-final stage of the Champions League in their first ever European appearance. All signs pointed toward progress. A position to kick on from.
But the reality is quite different now. Skinner is gone. Man Utd are rock bottom of the Women’s Super League, with a worse goal difference than newly promoted Charlton. After years of steady building, this is a side in obvious decline.
Man Utd are currently on their longest winless run in the league since reforming in 2018 (six matches). Both of their opening two performances, an admittedly small pool to draw from, have highlighted major causes for concern. Two bruising results for new manager Eva Olid so early in her tenure piles immediate pressure on her position.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
That is not to say the difficulty of United’s predicament is her fault. Far from it. She has inherited this squad and the issues run far deeper than two poor performances. “I don’t like the heads down,” she reflected after being hammered 5-0 by Chelsea. “Heads up and we have to continue.”
Her stance must be defiant from here. But she has a right to question her backing. Perhaps, internally, those conversations have or are already taking place. United’s lack of confidence on the pitch appears to perfectly mirror the club’s diffidence around their women’s programme more broadly.
Plenty has already been written about the lack of club investment – lack of interest, even. Man Utd’s pivot towards promoting youth development (an inevitably cheaper model) over recruiting established talent this summer was enough to drive Skinner out the door, publicly termed a mutual separation.
But the 43-year-old made clear his desire for greater tools at his disposal. Those pleas were presumably met with resistance.
Manchester United’s players looked despondent after defeat to Chelsea
If the challenge facing Olid was not clear before, it has been laid bare in a pretty brutal way after only two outings. United have equalled the record for fewest shots taken by a non-newly promoted team across their opening two games, level with Leicester last season, who were relegated.
Of course there is a period of adaptation that all teams under new management must experience. It’s not always pleasant. United have failed in all 14 attempts to beat Chelsea in the WSL and therefore this latest defeat is merely a continuation of a miserable reality. United do not win against Chelsea.
Nor do they often lose by a margin of five, either. The solid foundation Skinner built suddenly feels demonstrably shaky. They meet Arsenal, live on Sky Sports, next Saturday, with so much to improve on it’s difficult to know where to start. Maybe the only way is up?
Olid cannot afford for performances to get much worse.
Is James a dependable No 9?
Lauren James celebrates after scoring Chelsea’s third goal
As for Chelsea, their victory felt pointed. A reminder of their collective might when wounded. Sonia Bompastor’s side garnered plenty of criticism after failing to press home their advantage in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa last weekend. The response was emphatic.
The Blues might have met an obliging opponent but their dazzling display was no less impressive. “When you have the opportunity to really hurt a team, the best way to respect them is to score as many goals as you can,” reflected Bompastor.
Chelsea extended United no courtesy. If anything, it was unkind. The strong preying on the weak. A clear demonstration of elite over ordinary.
Lauren James was once again Chelsea’s superpower. Except this week she was met by excellence from others. The game flowed through Keira Walsh, while Sjoeke Nusken and Wieke Kaptein were imposing, too, topping the duel count.
Full-backs Katie McCabe and Ellie Carpenter were constant runners beyond and made the pitch wide enough for James to prosper in central spaces. Lucy Bronze even teased balls into the final third from centre-back. And James was the one who made it stick.
She has amassed 19 shots in two games, a league high, and offers plenty of promise as a false 9 if Chelsea are short, through injury or form, on genuine strikers. Bompastor must use her get-out-of-jail-free card sparingly, though, while others get up to speed. That same approach will not work every week.
Her side meet Arsenal, and then Lyon in the Champions League later this month. Neither are likely to be as cooperative as United.
