Man Utd are proving they have learned how to grind it out in WSL title race
Manchester United probably wouldn’t have held on against Arsenal last season. In fact, they didn’t, conceding an equaliser from Stina Blackstenius in a WSL clash at Meadow Park with only 11 minutes left to go – the Gunners were also down to 10 players by then too.
That was an all too common theme throughout 2021/22 for Marc Skinner’s team, letting leads slip in the closing stages of games. All told, it happened five times – Everton, Tottenham, West Ham, Manchester City and Arsenal all equalised in the final 15 minutes of games United were ahead in.
Those results cost United as many as 10 points and that was the difference between cracking the top three and finishing fourth, missing out on Champions League football, again.
Now, United are firmly in the driving seat to get into Europe and have put the pressure on Chelsea, who are four points behind with two games in hand, in the WSL title race.
Long before beating Arsenal at Leigh Sports Village on Wednesday night, United had already secured WSL away wins over West Ham, Everton and Tottenham – all draws last season. Even though nerves were fraught in the closing stages against the Gunners this week, United defended resolutely until the very end and never really allowed a real chance as Arsenal tried to build a late head of steam.
It is not just this week’s win against Arsenal that has highlighted that growth – the product of directly learning from the setbacks that proved so costly last season.
Away at West Ham way back in September, United were being held at half-time and found a way to both get ahead and then build on that lead in a way they hadn’t the previous March. Leicester away then ended up being a 1-0 win and Mary Earps had to make saves to keep it that way, while Rachel Williams scored in the 87th minute to win it on the road against Reading. In February, United suffered the setback of a late equaliser at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but fought back and still won it.
To flip it the other way, United mounted their own comeback to beat Arsenal at the Emirates.
West Ham at Old Trafford saw all the goals scored in the second half after ‘choice words’ in the dressing room at half-time, while it needed a second half flurry to kill off the recent 4-0 league win over Brighton following the early breakthrough.
That same spirit was also there to see in the recent FA Cup semi-final when Brighton made things unexpectedly difficult. The reward for digging deep and winning it at the death is a trip to Wembley.
“Arsenal were not at their best but neither were we,” Skinner reflected on this week’s hard fought 1-0 win, the like of which perennial champions Chelsea have made their trademark. “We showed resilience and it just shows what we are learning as a team.”
United have also blown teams away, particularly at Leigh. Reading, Brighton and Liverpool have all found that out. But the other ways to win are arguably more impressive because it shows a resilience and ruthlessness that wasn’t there even 12 months ago.
The best teams don’t only succeed in one way and United have made that leap this season.
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