Manchester United 1 – 1 Chelsea
By Catherine MacKenzie (3/10/25)
Above: Both teams come together for a moment of silence. Photo: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/Reuters.
In a wet and windy Manchester, the WSL’s current top two sides went head to head. Whilst no team emerged victorious, the draw will certainly feel like a win for the home team – they have only ever taken a single point from Chelsea in the league.
The context
Ahead of this game, most discussions seemed to focus on the title race. Whilst Chelsea have dominated recent years (clinching their eigth title last season), it looks like other clubs are beginning to close the gap. Arsenal have arguably gone one better by winning the one trophy that has eluded The Blues.
Before the summer, before the Euros and England’s unlikely triumph against Spain, The Gunners brought the Champions League back to England. That they achieved this by defeating the team that saw off Chelsea in the semi-finals by an aggregated 8-2 scoreline adds another element to the win.
Arsenal’s mixed recent form – including dropping points to both United and Aston Villa – opened the door for Chelsea to push ahead at the top of the table. United are occasionally mentioned as an outsider pick for the title race – and a first league win against Chelsea would certainly provide evidence for that.
Recent performances from Chelsea have been unconvincing, particularly defensively. Whilst they are still unbeaten under Sonia Bompastor, they are conceding more chances and completing more defensive actions, showing their defence is more frequently engaged. Their aggressive press is ruthless, creating a number of chances going forward, particularly through wingbacks pushing further up the pitch. Using a back three, this leaves space on the wings – areas where they have been vulnerable to overloads.
Friday evening’s game was tipped to be a ‘battle of the defences’. For their part, United had conceded one goal in the four WSL games so far – against London City Lionesses. The back five (including goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce) have extended their exemplary form from last season into the next, with the acquisition of Julia Zigiotti freeing up Dominique Janssen to return to the left-sided center-back role she plays for the Netherlands.
Given the two sides’ recent form, United fans would be forgiven for hoping that this would be a prime opportunity for that elusive first WSL win over Chelsea.
The teams
United head coach Marc Skinner made one change from the win over Liverpool as Swedish left-back Anna Sandberg came in for French forward Melvine Malard.
Chelsea utilised their impressive squad by making three changes. Australia’s electric Ellie Carpenter replaced Veerle Buurman, Catarina Macario was given the nod ahead of Oriane Jean-François in midfield, and Sandy Baltimore took Alyssa Thompson’s place in attack.
Aggie Beever-Jones had been in fine form, scoring four goals in Chelsea’s opening four games. However, she shifted to the left, with Macario up front.
The action
It was the home side who began the brightest as United forced Hannah Hampton into two early saves. Following this brief scare, Chelsea took control, bullying United in midfield. The trio of Wieke Kaptein, Erin Cuthbert and Keira Walsh have formed a consistent unit, and those relationships were clear to see in the visitors’ early flow. It didn’t take long for them to break the deadlock.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd played a low ball to the near post, where Catarina Macario expertly held up play before flicking a clever backheel into the path of Wieke Kaptein. It was light work for the Dutch teenager to beat Phallon Tullis-Joyce with a powerful shot into the far corner.
For a few minutes, it looked like United were in for a long evening. However, they regrouped and almost capitalised on a loose pass out from Hampton followed swiftly by having a shot blocked by Sandy Baltimore on the edge of the box. The equaliser came suddenly as Chelsea failed to clear a cross. Ella Toone bounced the ball into the path of Sandberg who volleyed into the far corner.
The rest of the half saw both teams have periods of momentum; Tullis-Joyce produced an instinctive save from Kaptein, whilst Jess Park slithered her way around the Blues’ defence to have a shot at the Chelsea goal.
The second half began with United again seeing the brighter start. The visitors were sloppy and lacked momentum, conceding a flurry of chances in quick succession. However, the introduction of club record signing Alyssa Thompson changed the momentum as it allowed Beever-Jones back into the central attacking role, whilst Thompson’s directness gave the blues more creative ways of breaking through United’s midfield.
In a relatively even battle, the teams seemed to cancel each other out with few clear cut chances for either side until the final fifteen minutes of the game. Sam Kerr’s introduction brought a new impetus to the visitors as they peppered United’s goal with shots. They were either off target or met with a block from a strong United defense.
Where the game was won / lost
For United, there are two ways to take this result. There could be frustration that perhaps one of the best opportunities to finally beat Chelsea went spare. However, there must also be a sense of achievement: United had only ever taken one point from the Blues in WSL history.
Chelsea were frustrated for much of the game. With their wingbacks pressing high up the pitch, they left spaces behind that United exploited, using their fast-paced wide players to attack that space. Jess Park was an important factor in navigating through the visitors’ midfield, using slinky movements to manouvere in the tight spaces between Chelsea players.
Whilst Chelsea’s reinforcements from the bench exemplified the difference between the clubs’ approaches to women’s football, they were met with a strong and spirited United defence. If there were any fears that United would not continue their defensive momentum into a new season, they can surely be laid to rest.
Where does this leave the teams?
Chelsea do not tend to drop too many points: every point dropped may make an eventual difference in the title race. Arsenal face fellow title rivals Manchester City tomorrow – a win for City would see them usurp United and claim second in the table.
TEAMS: MANCHESTER UNITED (4-1-4-1): Tullis-Joyce, Riviere, Le Tissier, Janssen, Rolfö, Sandberg, Miyazawa, Park, Toone, Zigiotti Olme, Terland. Substitutes: Middleton-Patel, Rendell, Blundell, George, Awujo, Bizet Dønnum (for Riviere 76′), Naalsund, Malard (for Terland 59′), Williams.
Scorers: Sandberg 1-1, 20′.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Hampton, Björn, Bright, Carpenter, Kaptein, Cuthbert, Walsh, Baltimore, Kaneryd, Macario, Beever-Jones. Substitutes: Peng, Reiten (for Kaneryd 83′), Thompson (for Kaptein 52′), Buurman, Kerr (for Macario 78′), Hamano, Jean-Francois, Nüsken (for Cuthbert 78′), Potter.
Scorers: Kaptein 0-1, 9′.
Referee: Abigail Byrne
Attendance: 5,105
Follow Impetus on social media –
Twitter (X): @impetusfootball TikTok: @impetusfootball
Instagram: @impetusfootball
impetusfootball.org 