2020–21 Manchester United W.F.C. season

The 2020–21 season is Manchester United Women's third season since they were founded and their second in the FA Women's Super League, the professional top-flight women's league in England. The club will also compete in the FA Cup and League Cup.

Manchester United Women

2020–21 season
Co-chairmen	Joel and Avram Glazer
Manager	Casey Stoney
Stadium	Leigh Sports Village
FA WSL	2nd
League Cup	Group stage
Top goalscorer	League: Leah Galton Ella Toone (6 each) All: Leah Galton Ella Toone (6 each)
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Pre-season

Manchester United returned to preseason training on 24 July 2020. On 9 August, they played their first preseason friendly, hosting SWPL champions Glasgow City who were preparing for the restart of the 2019–20 UEFA Women's Champions League.[1]

Date	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance
9 August 2020	Glasgow City	H	4–0	Toone 4', Sigsworth (2) 73', 80', Hanson 88'	0
16 August 2020	Blackburn Rovers	H	Behind closed doors, no official scoreline
23 August 2020	Aston Villa	H
30 August 2020	Liverpool	H	0–0		0

FA Women's Super League

Matches

Date	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance	League position
6 September 2020	Chelsea	H	1–1	Galton 79'	0	6th
13 September 2020	Birmingham City	A	5–2	Ross 5', Zelem 36', Toone 47', Hanson (2) 60', 79'	0	4th
4 October 2020	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	3–0	Toone 9' (pen.), Russo 69', Ross 90+2'	0	4th
10 October 2020	Tottenham Hotspur	A	1–0	M. Turner 67'	0	1st
18 October 2020	West Ham United	A	4–2	Russo (2) 20', 42', Heath 23', Press 87'	0	3rd
8 November 2020	Arsenal	H	1–0	Toone 83'	0	1st
14 November 2020	Manchester City	H	2–2	Heath 54', Hanson 74'	0	1st
5 December 2020	Aston Villa	A	2–0	Galton 25', Toone 89'	0	1st
13 December 2020	Reading	A	2–1	Galton 32', Ladd 83'	623	1st
20 December 2020	Bristol City	H	6–1	Galton (2) 26', 63', M. Turner 45+2', Sigsworth 52', Heath (2) 83', 86'	0	1st
10 January 2021	Everton	A	Postponed	Postponed due to positive COVID-19 cases in Everton squad[2]
17 January 2021	Chelsea	A	1–2	James 61'	0	2nd
24 January 2021	Birmingham City	H	2–0	Galton 46', Toone 81'	0	1st
31 January 2021	Everton	A	2–0	Toone 9', Press 42'	0	2nd
7 February 2021	Reading	H
12 February 2021	Manchester City	A
6/7 March 2021	Aston Villa	H
17/18 March 2021	Arsenal	A
27/28 March 2021	West Ham United	H
3/4 April 2021	Brighton & Hove Albion	A
24/25 April 2021	Tottenham Hotspur	H
1/2 May 2021	Bristol City	A
8/9 May 2021	Everton	H

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Chelsea	12	10	2	0	38	6	+32	32	Qualification for the Champions League second round
2	Manchester United	13	10	2	1	32	11	+21	32
3	Manchester City	12	8	3	1	41	10	+31	27	Qualification for the Champions League first round
4	Arsenal	11	7	2	2	39	9	+30	23
5	Everton	11	5	2	4	21	17	+4	17

Updated to match(es) played on 31 January 2021. Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored.

Women's FA Cup

As a member of the top two tiers, United will enter the FA Cup in the fourth round proper, scheduled to take place on 31 January 2021.[3]

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance
31 January 2021	Round 4	TBD

FA Women's League Cup

Group stage

In a change of format to reduce the number of group stage games by two, the League Cup was expanded into six regional groups instead of four, with the six group winners plus the two best second place teams qualifying for the knockout round. Manchester United were entered into Group C for the 2020–21 League Cup alongside fellow WSL teams Everton and Manchester City, and Championship side Liverpool.[4] After losing the opening round fixture to Liverpool, United's second game against Everton was postponed due to safety concerns following overnight wind damage to the stadium.[5] On 19 November, United contested their first penalty shoot-out following a goalless draw with City to determine which side would get the bonus point per competition rules. United successfully scored all four of their penalties (Toone, Groenen, Millie Turner and Ladd) while an Emily Ramsey save on Laura Coombs' second penalty set up a decisive fifth attempt for City which was duly missed by former-United captain Alex Greenwood. Despite earning the bonus point, failing to win meant United could not progress to the knockout stage of the League Cup for the first time having reached the semi-finals the previous two seasons.[6][7] The rearranged third fixture was scheduled for 16 December with opponents Everton still potentially able to qualify as one of the best second-place teams.[8]

Date	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance	Group position
7 October 2020	Liverpool	A	1–3	McManus 28'	0	4th
4 November 2020	Everton	A	Postponed	Postponed due to stadium safety concerns[5]
19 November 2020	Manchester City	H	0–0 (4–3 p)		0	4th
16 December 2020	Everton	A	0–1		0	4th

Pos	Team	Pld	W	WPEN	LPEN	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		MCI	EVE	LIV	MNU
1	Manchester City	3	2	0	1	0	6	1	+5	7	Advanced to knock-out stage		—	3–1	—	—
2	Everton	3	2	0	0	1	3	3	0	6	Possible knockout stage based on ranking		—	—	1–0	1–0
3	Liverpool	3	1	0	0	2	3	5	−2	3			0–3	—	—	3–1
4	Manchester United	3	0	1	0	2	1	4	−3	2			0–0	—	—	—

Source: thefa.com
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of wins; 5) Head-to-head record

Squad statistics

As of 31 January 2021

Numbers in brackets denote appearances as substitute.

Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward

No.	Pos.	Name	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total		Discipline
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	Emily Ramsey	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	0	0	0
2	DF	Martha Harris	1(1)	0	0	0	0	0	1(1)	0	1	0
3	DF	Lotta Ökvist	1(2)	0	0	0	1	0	2(2)	0	1	0
3	DF	Maria Thorisdottir	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	DF	Amy Turner	11(1)	0	0	0	2	0	13(1)	0	3	0
5	DF	Abbie McManus	5	0	0	0	2	1	7	1	0	0
7	FW	Ella Toone	12(1)	6	0	0	1(2)	0	13(3)	6	2	0
9	FW	Jessica Sigsworth	2(3)	1	0	0	1(1)	0	3(4)	1	0	0
10	MF	Katie Zelem (c)	7(2)	1	0	0	2(1)	0	9(3)	1	1	0
11	FW	Leah Galton	13	6	0	0	2(1)	0	15(1)	6	0	0
12	MF	Hayley Ladd	10(3)	1	0	0	2(1)	0	12(4)	1	2	0
13	FW	Ivana Fuso	0(2)	0	0	0	0(1)	0	0(3)	0	0	0
14	MF	Jackie Groenen	12(1)	0	0	0	3	0	15(1)	0	2	0
16	MF	Lauren James	2(5)	1	0	0	1	0	3(5)	1	0	0
17	DF	Ona Batlle	10	0	0	0	2	0	12	0	0	0
18	FW	Kirsty Hanson	6(6)	3	0	0	1(2)	0	7(8)	3	0	0
19	FW	Jane Ross	2(4)	2	0	0	2	0	4(4)	2	0	0
20	DF	Kirsty Smith	8(2)	0	0	0	1	0	9(2)	0	0	0
21	DF	Millie Turner	13	2	0	0	3	0	16	2	1	0
22	GK	Fran Bentley	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
23	FW	Alessia Russo	3(1)	3	0	0	1	0	4(1)	3	0	0
24	FW	Christen Press	5(2)	2	0	0	0(2)	0	5(4)	2	2	0
26	FW	Megan Hornby	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
27	GK	Mary Earps	13	0	0	0	1	0	14	0	0	0
37	MF	Lucy Staniforth	0(7)	0	0	0	1(1)	0	1(8)	0	0	0
77	FW	Tobin Heath	7(1)	4	0	0	2(1)	0	9(2)	4	1	0
Own goals			—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Transfers

In

Date	Pos.	Name	From	Ref.
21 June 2020	MF	Carrie Jones	Cardiff City	[9]
9 July 2020	MF	Lucy Staniforth	Birmingham City	[10]
13 July 2020	DF	Ona Batlle	Levante	[11]
14 July 2020	FW	Ivana Fuso	FC Basel	[12]
9 September 2020	FW	Tobin Heath	Portland Thorns	[13]
	FW	Christen Press	Utah Royals	[14]
10 September 2020	FW	Alessia Russo	North Carolina Tar Heels	[15]
22 January 2020	DF	Maria Thorisdottir	Chelsea	[16]

Out

Date	Pos.	Name	To	Ref.
3 June 2020	GK	Aurora Mikalsen	Tottenham Hotspur[lower-alpha 1]	[17][18]
7 June 2020	DF	Charlotte Newsham	Blackburn Rovers[lower-alpha 2]	[19][20]
8 June 2020	MF	Aimee Palmer	Bristol City[lower-alpha 3]	[21][22]
11 June 2020	FW	Lizzie Arnot	Rangers[lower-alpha 4]	[23][24]
15 July 2020	GK	Siobhan Chamberlain	Retired[lower-alpha 5]	[25][26]
4 September 2020	MF	Mollie Green	Birmingham City[lower-alpha 6]	[27][28]
14 January 2021	DF	Lotta Ökvist	Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC	[29]

Loans out

Date from	Date to	Pos.	Name	To	Ref.
1 September 2020	13 December 2020	GK	Fran Bentley	Blackburn Rovers	[30][31]
7 October 2020	30 June 2021	FW	Maria Edwards	Blackburn Rovers	[32]
21 January 2021	30 June 2021	DF	Abbie McManus	Tottenham Hotspur	[33]

Notes

1. Released, joined Tottenham Hotspur on 27 July 2020
2. Released, joined Blackburn Rovers on 11 August 2020
3. Released, joined Bristol City on 2 July 2020
4. Released, joined Rangers on 31 July 2020
5. Released, retired on 4 September 2020
6. Released, joined Birmingham City on 7 September 2020

References

1. "Champions League fixture forces Glasgow City to fast forward". HeraldScotland.
2. "Everton Women's Match Against Manchester United Postponed". www.evertonfc.com.
3. "The Women's FA Cup Season 2020–21 List of Exemptions" (PDF). thefa.com. The Football Association. 10 August 2020.
4. "2020–21 Conti Cup draw made". womenscompetitions.thefa.com. The Football Association. 1 September 2020.
5. "Everton vs Manchester United: Continental Cup tie called off over safety fears". Sky Sports. 4 November 2020.
6. "FA Women's Continental Tyres League Cup report: Manchester United 0-0 Manchester City (United win 4-3 on penalties)". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
7. "Man City progress in League Cup". BBC Sport.
8. "Date Set For Everton Women's Rearranged Manchester United Cup Tie". www.evertonfc.com.
9. "Manchester United: Wales teenager Carrie Jones joins club's academy". BBC Sport (Press release). 21 June 2020.
10. "United Women sign Lucy Staniforth". Manchester United (Press release). 9 July 2020.
11. "United Women sign Ona Batlle". Manchester United (Press release). 13 July 2020.
12. "Ivana Fuso signs for United Women". Manchester United (Press release). 14 July 2020.
13. "Tobin Heath joins United Women". Manchester United (Press release). 9 September 2020.
14. "Christen Press signs for United Women". Manchester United (Press release). 9 September 2020.
15. "United Women sign Alessia Russo". Manchester United (Press release). 10 September 2020.
16. "Man Utd sign Thorisdottir from Chelsea". BBC Sport.
17. "Aurora Mikalsen to depart United Women". Manchester United (Press release). 3 June 2020.
18. "Aurora Mikalsen joins Spurs Women". Tottenham Hotspur.
19. Newsham, Charlotte (7 June 2020). "Newsham confirms United departure". Instagram. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
20. "Newsham joins the Blues". www.rovers.co.uk.
21. "Aimee Palmer to depart United Women". Manchester United (Press release). 8 June 2020.
22. "Palmer returns to City Women". Bristol City.
23. "Lizzie Arnot to depart United". Manchester United (Press release). 11 June 2020.
24. "Rangers Sign Scotland International Lizzie Arnot". www.rangers.co.uk.
25. "Siobhan Chamberlain departs United". Manchester United (Press release). 15 July 2020.
26. "Siobhan Chamberlain: Former England and Manchester United goalkeeper retires". BBC Sport. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
27. "Mollie Green departs Manchester United Women". Manchester United (Press release). 4 September 2020.
28. "Mollie Green signs for Blues". Birmingham City Football Club.
29. "Från Manchester United till KGFC- Kopparbergs Göteborg FC". Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC (in Swedish).
30. "Fran Bentley loan confirmed". www.manutd.com.
31. "United recall Bentley from loan". www.rovers.co.uk.
32. "Rovers loan Edwards from United". www.rovers.co.uk.
33. "Abbie McManus joins Tottenham on loan". www.manutd.com.

External links

• Official website (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish)