This season's Women's Super League title race is shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory.
Defending champions Chelsea may lead the way, but Manchester United and Arsenal are right in the mix, with Manchester City not far behind. Ahead of a huge weekend before the l eague pauses for Christmas two managers stated their title ambition this week as things getting tight at the top, the first four only separated by six points.
United have shown their ability in recent weeks stunning Arsenal at the Emirates before thrashing Aston Villa 5-0. And although manager Marc Skinner is refusing to get carried away, he wasn't shy of laying out his sides' ambitions.
"We for sure want to win titles here," Skinner said . "We've won a game today and we've got another big game coming up in the league and then two in the cup.
"We will take it game by game but we want to make sure we keep our standards extremely high, and if that pushes us towards a title then so be it."
Since arriving in the WSL in 2019, United have widely been seen as a team that can beat anyone on their day but without the consistency to seriously challenge for the title. However, this season the Red Devils look genuine contenders.
Their only defeat of the season so far came to Chelsea on the back of a nightmare four minutes where they conceded twice, they have won their other seven games and only Arsenal have conceded fewer goals going into the weekend. Skinner knows his side are growing in confidence ahead of a huge test this weekend against local rival Manchester City.
The Red Devils kept up the winning habit in midweek with a 4-2 Continental League Cup win over Everton ahead of a trip to the noisy neighbours for a high-stakes derby.
"We have full focus," Skinner added. "We know it is a derby, we know they’re slightly different, it is at the Etihad, so we have to go and give our Manchester United energy and spirit.
"Once we do that, I’m pretty sure we can go there and give the best account of ourselves. If that's taking the points because we deserve it, then that's what it will be."
Defeating a second fellow title rival in the first half of the campaign would not only give the red half of Manchester a six point cushion on City, it would send a statement to the rest of the league - United aren't going anywhere. But defending champions Chelsea also have the rest of the league on high alert.
The Blues reminded everyone of their potency in front of goal with an 8-0 dismantling of Leicester last weekend, keeping them three points clear of United and Arsenal at the top. They have since travelled to Madrid for a Champions League tie, an own goal earning a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital.
Since an opening day defeat to Liverpool the defending champions have quietly found their groove under the radar, winning eight league games in a row since. Manager Emma Hayes believes confidence levels within her group are now sky high following a excellent spell of form ahead of hosting Reading on Sunday evening.
"It (their form) breeds confidence in the group," she said. "The entire squad have really worked hard to get us to this position.
"And I feel more and more confident everyday that everyone can deliver what we’re looking for. It gives us confidence going into a big game."
Chelsea welcome Reading to Kingsmeadow on Sunday looking to stay top of the table, while 2019 champions Arsenal have a tricky assignment at Aston Villa. The Blues sit top with 24 points, with Arsenal and United only three behind and City in fourth with 18.
However, Chelsea have played a game more than the others meaning in theory, if all games in hand were won only three points would separate the top four. A further layer of intrigue comes in the fact Arsenal and Chelsea face each other in a mouth-watering London derby in the first game back after the Christmas break on January 15.
Should we have winners in both that game and the Manchester derby, a four-horse race could be whittled down to two very quickly.
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