Battle at the top: Chelsea v Man United Preview

Over seven matches in all competitions, United has never defeated the Blues, but in last season’s league finale, it took the brilliance of Sam Kerr to rescue Chelsea as it fell behind by a goal after the first 45 minutes. Despite all the past results going the way of the Blues, the Red Devils have always been one of CFC’s toughest opponents in the league. Pernille Harder seems to like playing against Manchester United, netting a goal against it in three straight games. Kerr and Jessie Fleming each have two goals apiece against United over the last two meetings in the WSL.

On top of bringing the Blues to the brink of disaster on the final day of the league season, Skinner’s group battled in the Conti Cup semi-final, cutting the lead in half following two Chelsea goals, but ultimately falling short due to a red card with under 15 minutes to play. Last season, United finished fourth in the table, just five points behind its Manchester rivals, falling short of the top-three, and an opportunity to qualify for the Champions League.

United is scoring an average of three goals per game, with four players sitting in double-digit goals in the WSL. The next two games in the league for United are against the top-two finishers in the WSL last season, and if this club wants to make a statement and have a shot at the top three, these are the games where it is going to make up that ground.