Manchester United will start 2023 in third place in the Women’s Super League after a tremendous start to the campaign with only one loss in nine games.
They only sit behind league leaders Chelsea who are on 27 points with a game in hand, and Arsenal in second with 24 points. United are just two points behind Arsenal on 22.
The Reds hit the ground running following the European triumph in the summer, with an accumulative 24 league goals coming from several players - proving there are plenty of goal-scoring threats in Marc Skinner's roster.
Alessia Russo and Leah Galton are the club's top scorers with four goals a piece, Ella Toone closely behind with three. Katie Zelem, Maya Le Tissier and Nikita Parris have two goals each, with a further seven players on the scoresheet for United so far this season, here is how each month has played out for the Reds so far.
September
Basking in the Euros glory, United’s crowd numbers skyrocketed compared to last year, from 2,111 in attendance for their season opener last season to 7,315 at Leigh Sports Village, both games against Reading.
September saw the Reds take maximum points from two games, 4-0 and 2-0 wins over Reading and West Ham from five different goal scorers.
Namely, Le Tissier netted her first two goals on her debut game for United against Reading, solidifying her position in the starting line-up and initiating fans' demand for her call-up to the England senior squad.
October
United suffered their first losses in the League Cup against Aston Villa and Durham, the Reds took the lead in both games but lost on penalties after a draw in open play.
They did, however, end the month with a seven-game unbeaten streak in the league. They started by schooling Brighton 4-0 with Toone, Galton and Adrianna Leon punishing the visitors, followed by a 1-0 win over Leicester where Parris got on the end of Zelem’s free-kick to head home the winning goal and capped the month of with a 3-0 win over Everton.
United show they mean business in developing the women’s game as they appoint Polly Bancroft as head of women’s football.
November
It was a rollercoaster month as United suffered their first league loss against Chelsea, 3-1 at home but bounced back for the dramatic 3-2 win over Arsenal at the Emirates two weeks later. Turner's and Russo's headers clinched the win with perfect set-piece deliveries from Zelem.
The international break also saw Le Tissier’s first senior call-up, she joined five others on Lioness international duty to face Japan and Norway her full debut came during the latter.
November was a month of silverware for United: Russo was named Vertu Motors Fans Player of the Month scoring two goals in two appearances. Toone was awarded the Women’s Player of the Year for the WSL at the North West Football Awards. Marc Skinner won the Utilita Performance of the Week accolade from the League Managers Association after the 3-2 win at the Emirates.
December
It was the Reds’ first trip to the Theatre of Dreams this season hosting Aston Villa who they pummelled 5-0 in early December, which saw a record crowd of over 30,000 at Old Trafford.
United managed to pull their first Continental cup win against Everton, but it came too late and were unable to progress further into the competition. Nevertheless, they finished the calendar year with a win, 4-0 over Championship side Sheffield, in their last Conti-cup action.
The Manchester derby at the Etihad was an intense matchup, with neither side giving an inch. Galton and Toone's link-up play down the left flank gave United the lead but it was cancelled out in the second half by Laura Coombs.
Although City manager Gareth Taylor said a draw was a fair result, Skinner was disappointed with a draw, eluding to the growth of United this season. That game also saw another record attendance broken with 44,259 in attendance.
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