Marc Skinner & Chloe Kelly win Barclays WSL awards for April
Manchester United boss Marc Skinner has been named Barclays WSL Manager of the Month for April, while Manchester City forward Chloe Kelly has scooped the Player of the Month prize.
April was another busy month in the WSL, with both United and City in action three times.
Barclays WSL manager of the month - Marc Skinner
Skinner saw his United side strengthen their grip on first place in the WSL table, showcasing an ability to win games in a variety of different ways throughout the period.
It started with a 4-0 victory away at Brighton for United in a potentially challenging morning kick-off. The Red Devils took an early lead through Leah Galton but were made to work to extend, with the same player eventually getting the second and a flurry of late goals sealing it.
From there, after pausing for the April international break, United secured a narrow but invaluable 1-0 home win against Arsenal secured by Alessia Russo. In the process, they became only the third team in WSL history to complete a league double over the Gunners.
A perfect April for Skinner was sealed when Millie Turner scored a 93rd minute winner against Aston Villa, having trailed twice in the game but shown enormous resilience and spirit to fight back in a manner that might not have been possible 12 months ago.
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Barclays WSL player of the month - Chloe Kelly
For Kelly, April was all about goals and assists, racking up six direct involvements across three games.
Operating from her usual role on the right, the England winger set up Khadija Shaw’s early opener in a clash with Arsenal that eventually turned into a defeat.
But City picked themselves up from that setback with a Kelly-inspired 6-2 thrashing of West Ham at the Academy Stadium. She had two goals to her name inside the first seven minutes that killed the game as a contest barely after it started, assisting her team’s sixth for good measure.
Finally, Kelly had a direct hand in two more goals in a 4-1 win against Reading. Again, she scored the opening goal in the early stages of the game, later assisting City’s third of the day.