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7 hours ago
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The stakes are high, the scrutiny intense. Manchester City host Manchester United on Sunday evening at the Etihad Stadium with both teams – and managers – needing to deliver.
A win for the hosts would ensure they stay on Chelsea’s tail, maintaining the six-point gap between first and second, or even clawing closer should Sonia Bompastor’s side drop points against West Ham earlier in the day. Lose, and their title credentials will be dealt an almighty blow, allowing United and potentially Arsenal to leapfrog them and putting a likely unassailable gap between themselves and top. For Marc Skinner’s side, a win keeps the pressure on third-place Arsenal and affirms a title challenge that, likewise, will be all-but snuffed out should they lose.
There is added spice to the tie too, with the teams meeting again three days later in the League Cup quarter-finals. “The draw in the League Cup is a difficult tie and route but that can happen,” said the City manager Gareth Taylor. “To win any competition you have to do that. For us it’s a good challenge.”
United have never won away at City and have secured only one win in 10 matches between the teams, with Taylor’s side emerging victorious five times. However, the timing is relatively favourable for the Red Devils. City suffered back-to-back defeats by Everton and Barcelona to finish 2024, with Taylor admitting they “were kind of scraping over the line a little bit”.
“There were quite a lot of injuries, and we needed that break, if we’re really honest,” he said.
“Sometimes you don’t really want to go into a break, but I felt like that we really needed that one and it gave us opportunity to get potentially new signings in Rebecca [Knaak, a defender signed from Rosengard] and then obviously a chance to maybe get some of the players back and seeing Viv [Miedema] back at the weekend was good.”
A 3-0 win over Ipswich in the FA Cup helped them start the year on the front foot, but they are still without key players, Taylor confirming – as expected – that they will be without Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp, who have had knee surgeries and whose recoveries continue, and conceding that this fixture would come too soon for key striker Khadija Shaw, whose return is “imminent”.
Meanwhile, Chloe Kelly’s status remains unclear, the forward linked with a move from the club after falling out of favour and City edging closer to the signing of the Brazilian forward Kerolin.
“It’s really difficult, obviously, to give you any news while there’s many wheels of the cog that are still whirring and we’re working tremendously hard behind the scenes to try to help and support the squad a little bit more,” said Taylor. He added: “Chloe is here at this club. What she’s done for me and the team in the past, we have a good history together. Whilst she’s here, she is the same as every other player, she is considered and valued.”
For United, the landscape is kinder, though they remain without Evie Rabjohn and Lisa Naalsund while the Brazilian forward Geyse has been given some personal leave, according to Skinner.
Skinner was dismissive of questions about the pressure on the tie. “The pressure of Manchester United is always there,” he said. “What I want from these games, in basic language, is I want no regrets from the players. No regrets – don’t go in and fear it, then moan afterwards that you didn’t win.
“It’s about taking moments. You’re an elite footballer and an athlete for a reason, so use it, use the moment, grow in the moment, and take every challenge head-on.”
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United boast the best defensive record in the league, having conceded only three times, something they hope to maintain on Sunday. “We obviously believe in our defensive record,” said Skinner. “We believe in some of the saves that Phallon [Tullis-Joyce] has made, she’s an incredible goalkeeper, but I think it’s the work rate, as a team, it has to continue. We know Manchester City have great players that can turn magic on, but so do we.”
Taylor was cautious of taking too much from their stronger record against United. “It’s really difficult to look at the last two games last season,” he said. “Lauren [Hemp] played in those games, so did Bunny [Shaw] and Alex Greenwood. Trying to compare that to now is difficult.
“As much as we take the confidence from being there, winning 3-1 at Old Trafford and at the Etihad is impressive, because they’re good games and ones you want to be involved in, you can’t compare it to what we’re going into now.”
Winning is a must, though. “We have to win every game in the second half of the season, it’s as simple as that – and still it probably won’t guarantee you the WSL title, but we’ll see,” he said. “We know we are capable.”
