Marc Skinner's side finished 20 points behind champions Chelsea last season but, with seven games to go this year, they are the Blues' closest rivals
Manchester United might continue to grab unwanted headlines off the pitch, but Sunday's win over Leicester City, combined with a surprise slip-up at Brighton by leaders Chelsea, means the Red Devils find themselves firmly in the Women's Super League title race this season, just five points behind the Blues with seven games to go.
Things are always eventful on the red side of Manchester, be it for the men's team or the women's. Indeed, just hours after Marc Skinner's team defeated the Foxes 2-0, quotes emerged in from the agent of Geyse, the forward signed from Barcelona in the summer of 2023, claiming that the club tried to loan her out while she was at her brother's funeral in Brazil.
Following reports that Sir Jim Ratcliffe asked then-captain Katie Zelem what she did at the club when they first met, and constant scrutiny in the media about the women's team's facilities, plus the disappointment of last season's fifth-placed finish in the WSL, it would be easy for such things to have a negative impact on United's current campaign – and yet, they go into the final stretch of the season in a fantastic position in the league and FA Cup, with a quarter-final against second-tier Sunderland to come this weekend.
So, what is behind United's re-emergence as a contender to be champions of England? GOAL breaks down seven key reasons…
GettyTullis-Joyce's quality
United have been no stranger to key departures in recent summers, and last year was no different, with popular winger Lucia Garcia, captain Zelem and star goalkeeper Mary Earps all leaving upon the expiry of their contracts. The latter's exit concluded a transfer saga that had dragged on for the best part of a year, with Arsenal reportedly submitting a bid for the England icon the summer before she eventually left to join Paris Saint-Germain.
While Earps had established herself as one of the best goalkeepers on the planet during her time in Manchester, United fans were perhaps surprisingly calm about her leaving – the word 'surprisingly' only applying to those who didn't know about her back-up, Phallon Tullis-Joyce. The American was not afforded many opportunities over Earps, but when she did play, she showcased the qualities that made her highly rated in the French top-flight with Reims and then in the NWSL with Seattle Reign, making those in attendance confident that she could succeed Earps.
And she has done that emphatically. There has arguably been no more impressive goalkeeper in the WSL this season than Tullis-Joyce, who won a first call-up to the U.S. women's national team in November as a result. Indeed, while her expected goals against stands at 15.4, the 28-year-old has actually only picked the ball out of the back of her net six times this season. It's the best positive differential in the WSL by some distance, and illustrates just how important she has been to United's season so far.
AdvertisementGettyImpact of summer signings
Tullis-Joyce is not the only new face in the United XI who has had an impact, with many of those brought in this past summer now making their mark in the north west. Dominique Janssen has settled in nicely at the base of the midfield following Zelem's exit, Elisabeth Terland has made a sizeable difference in attack and Celin Bizet has produced some big moments down the right wing, while also filling in at right-back when needed.
Their arrivals, combined with others who are slowly bedding into the side, has freshened up a team that, despite winning the FA Cup, underwhelmed dramatically in the WSL last term and finished some 20 points behind eventual champions Chelsea.
Getty ImagesClinton's return
One player who has been like a new signing is Grace Clinton, who arrived at the club in the summer of 2022 but only made her debut this season. It's been a long time coming for the 21-year-old, with loan spells at Bristol City and Tottenham helping her to develop to the point that she is now an important member of a title-chasing team.
Skinner hasn't always found it easy to get her and Ella Toone into the same XI, given their best positions are both in that No.10 role. But Clinton took control of that position in the first half of the season while Toone was out injured, providing a creative and goal-scoring spark to help United cope without one of their most important players, and now looks set to form a strong bond with her for the rest of the campaign.
England boss Sarina Wiegman deployed the pair in midfield in the Lionesses' February camp, with Clinton in a deeper No.8 role and Toone in the No.10, and that is what Skinner went for in United most recent outing as well. It's not been his go-to choice across the season when the two have been fit, but it could be moving forward, which could further boost the team for the last few games of the season.
Getty Images SportToone's terrific form
Since Toone returned from injury in mid-January, she has been on fire. In eight games in 2025, the 25-year-old has produced six goals and three assists, helping United to win all but one of those matches – and that was the League Cup quarter-final against Man City in which she was an 83rd minute substitute, having only recently got back to fitness.
Her hat-trick in the WSL win over City was particularly significant, helping United to defeat not only a local rival but one of their biggest competitors for a Champions League place. It's the game that best encapsulates the quality Toone has brought to the table since her return, and that could play a huge role in how her team's season ends.
