2019–20 Manchester United W.F.C. season

The 2019–20 season was Manchester United Women's second season since they were founded and their first in the FA Women's Super League, the professional top-flight women's league in England. The club also competed in the FA Cup and League Cup.

Manchester United Women
2019–20 season
Co-chairmenJoel and Avram Glazer
ManagerCasey Stoney
StadiumLeigh Sports Village
FA WSL4th
FA CupFourth round
League CupSemi-finals
Top goalscorerLeague: Lauren James (6)
All: Lauren James (9)
Highest home attendance4,042
(vs. Manchester City, 20 October)
Lowest home attendanceLeague: 1,707
(vs. Brighton & Hove Albion, 24 November)
All: 642
(vs. Brighton & Hove Albion, 15 January, League Cup)
Average home league attendance2,103

Following the departure of Alex Greenwood in August 2019, Katie Zelem was named as her successor as club captain.[1]

On 13 March 2020, in line with the FA's response to the coronavirus pandemic, it was announced the season was temporarily suspended until at least 3 April 2020.[2] After later extending the postponement until 30 April, on 3 April, the FA announced that the WSL and Women's Championship would be suspended indefinitely.[3] The season was ultimately ended prematurely on 25 May 2020 with immediate effect.[4]

Pre-season

United prepared for their debut season as a top-flight team with their first ever game against foreign opposition, traveling to Norway to play Toppserien side Vålerenga on 31 July, in conjunction with the men's team who played in the same city the day before. United also faced Norwegian third division side Sandefjord on 3 August and preceded their trip abroad with a closed-doors friendly at home to Blackburn Rovers.[5][6][7]

Date Opponents H / A Result
F–A		 Scorers Attendance
24 July 2019 Blackburn Rovers H Behind closed doors, no official scoreline
31 July 2019 Vålerenga A 1–4 Sigsworth 24' 7,124
3 August 2019 Sandefjord A 5–0 Green 12', Toone 35', Ross 40', Ladd 61', Sigsworth 67'

FA Women's Super League
Main article: 2019–20 FA WSL

Following a successful debut season in the FA Women's Championship, Manchester United earned promotion to the FA Women's Super League. On 10 May 2019, the FA confirmed Manchester United had been granted a license to compete in the WSL for the 2019–20 season.[8]

Matches

The opening weekend WSL fixtures were announced on 1 July 2019 and included the first Manchester derby between the two women's teams with the fixture being played at the City of Manchester Stadium.[9] The remaining league fixtures were announced on 10 July 2019.[10] Manchester United played 14 of the intended 22 league fixtures prior to the season being cut short and were awarded fourth place on a points-per-game basis, the same place they were when the season ended.[11]

Date Opponents H / A Result
F–A		 Scorers Attendance League
position
7 September 2019 Manchester City A 0–1 31,213 11th
16 September 2019 Arsenal H 0–1 2,530 12th
28 September 2019 Liverpool H 2–0 James 71', Zelem 90+5' (pen.) 2,813 6th
13 October 2019 Tottenham Hotspur A 3–0 Hanson 13', Neville 52' (o.g.), Ross 90+2' 1,299 4th
27 October 2019 Reading H 2–0 Hanson 16', Sigsworth 85' 1,997 4th
17 November 2019 Chelsea A 0–1 4,790 5th
24 November 2019 Brighton & Hove Albion H 4–0 James 10', Galton (2) 29', 67', Zelem 87' (pen.) 1,707 5th
1 December 2019 West Ham United A 2–3 Hanson 1', James 80' 1,736 5th
8 December 2019 Everton H 3–1 James (2) 4', 45', Zelem 11' (pen.) 1,805 4th
15 December 2019 Birmingham City A Postponed Postponed due to waterlogged pitch
5 January 2020 Bristol City H 0–1 2,021 4th
12 January 2020 Liverpool A Postponed Postponed due to waterlogged pitch
19 January 2020 Tottenham Hotspur H 3–0 Zelem (2) 58' (pen.), 87', Sigsworth 65' 1,846 4th
2 February 2020 Reading A 1–1 James 30' 1,256 4th
9 February 2020 Chelsea H Postponed All WSL games postponed due to Storm Ciara[12]
12 February 2020 Brighton & Hove Albion A 1–1 Walsh 1' (o.g.) 903 5th
23 February 2020 Everton A 3–2 Galton (2) 21', 29', Toone 63' 893 4th
22 March 2020 West Ham United H Cancelled The FA cancelled all remaining leagues fixtures due to the COVID-19 pandemic on 25 May following the previous indefinite suspension of the league announced on 5 April.[13]
25 March 2020 Birmingham City A Cancelled
28 March 2020 Manchester City H Cancelled
5 April 2020 Arsenal A Cancelled
25 April 2020 Bristol City A Cancelled
3 May 2020 Liverpool A Cancelled
12 May 2020 Chelsea H Cancelled
16 May 2020 Birmingham City H Cancelled

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Qualification
2 Manchester City 16 13 1 2 39 9 +30 40 2.50 Qualification for the Champions League
3 Arsenal 15 12 0 3 40 13 +27 36 2.40
4 Manchester United 14 7 2 5 24 12 +12 23 1.64
5 Reading 14 6 3 5 21 24 −3 21 1.50
6 Everton 14 6 1 7 21 21 0 19 1.36
Source: FA WSL, BBC
Rules for classification: Initially: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored. After abandonment of season: 1) Points per game

Women's FA Cup
Main article: 2019–20 Women's FA Cup

Manchester United entered the Women's FA Cup in the fourth round with the rest of the top two tiers and were drawn against Manchester City, one of only two all-WSL ties of the round. It was the third time the derby rivals had met in the 2019–20 season having already faced off in the league and League Cup.[14] The match was selected as the televised game of the round live on the BBC Red Button and subsequently rescheduled from the typical Sunday when the rest of the round's fixtures were played, to the preceding Saturday.[15] City won 3–2 with goals from England internationals Ellen White and Jill Scott proving the difference while a controversial no-goal decision put the lack of goal-line technology in women's football under scrutiny.[16][17] It marked the first time Manchester United had lost the first knockout game of either domestic cup competition at the fourth attempt.

Date Round Opponents H / A Result
F–A		 Scorers Attendance
25 January 2020 Round 4 Manchester City H 2–3 James 69', Hemp 88' (o.g.) 1,948

FA Women's League Cup
Main article: 2019–20 FA Women's League Cup

Group stage

Manchester United were entered into Group C for the 2019–20 League Cup alongside fellow WSL teams Birmingham City, Everton and Manchester City, and Championship side Leicester City.[18] On 21 November 2019, United defeated Leicester City 11–1 to set a new club record home win and the second largest margin of victory in the competition's history, bettered only by Chelsea's 13–0 victory over London Bees in 2014. Ella Toone also matched the club record for goals in a single game with five.[19][20]

Date Opponents H / A Result
F–A		 Scorers Attendance Group
position
20 October 2019 Manchester City H 2–0 Zelem 7', Sigsworth 54' 4,042 3rd
3 November 2019 Everton A 3–0 James 22', Zelem 78' (pen.), A. Turner 87' 361 1st
21 November 2019 Leicester City H 11–1 Sigsworth 2', Arnot 7', Toone (5) 21', 43', 45', 73', 87', Smith 40', Ross 70', Ladd 83', James 90+1' 1,127 1st
11 December 2019 Birmingham City A 3–1 Arnot 1', Ross 27', Toone 90+3' 442 1st
Pos Team Pld W WPEN LPEN L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MNU MCI BIR EVE LEI
1 Manchester United 4 4 0 0 0 19 2 +17 12 Advance to knock-out stage — 2–0 — — 11–1
2 Manchester City 4 3 0 0 1 11 4 +7 9 — — 2–1 — 5–0
3 Birmingham City 4 2 0 0 2 8 6 +2 6 1–3 — — 1–0 —
4 Everton 4 1 0 0 3 5 8 −3 3 0–3 1–4 — — —
5 Leicester City 4 0 0 0 4 2 25 −23 0 — — 1–5 0–4 —
Updated to match(es) played on 11 December 2019. 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

Knockout phase

United qualified top of their group for the second consecutive season, guaranteeing themselves a quarter-final home tie in the process. A 2–1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion saw United reach the semi-final stage for the second consecutive season, setting up a home tie with Chelsea. The London side booked their place in the final with a 1–0 win, a repeat of the narrow scoreline in the team's only other previous meeting, with Chelsea later going on to win the final.[21]

Date Round Opponents H / A Result
F–A		 Scorers Attendance
15 January 2020 Quarter-final Brighton & Hove Albion H 2–1 McManus 13', Ross 75' 642
29 January 2020 Semi-final Chelsea H 0–1 1,044

Squad statistics
See also: List of Manchester United W.F.C. records and statistics
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
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1 GK Siobhan Chamberlain 0000000000
2 DF Martha Harris 9 (2)0003 (2)012 (4)000
3 DF Lotta Ökvist 30002 (1)05 (1)000
4 DF Amy Turner 11 (2)0104 (1)116 (3)130
5 DF Abbie McManus 110106118130
6 MF Aimee Palmer 0000000000
7 FW Ella Toone 5 (8)1003 (2)68 (10)731
8 MF Mollie Green 0000202000
9 FW Jessica Sigsworth 7 (7)2104 (1)212 (8)420
10 MF Katie Zelem (c) 13 (1)5106220 (1)740
11 FW Leah Galton 124002014400
12 MF Hayley Ladd 140104 (2)119 (2)140
13 GK Emily Ramsey 0000101000
14 MF Jackie Groenen 120103016000
15 GK Aurora Mikalsen 0000101000
16 MF Lauren James 9 (3)60 (1)12 (3)211 (7)961
17 FW Lizzie Arnot 0 (4)00 (1)03 (2)23 (7)200
18 FW Kirsty Hanson 6 (5)3104011 (5)300
19 FW Jane Ross 7 (4)1103 (3)311 (7)400
20 DF Kirsty Smith 7 (1)0104112 (1)120
21 DF Millie Turner 140105020010
22 GK Fran Bentley 0000000000
23 DF Charlotte Newsham 0000000000
24 FW Maria Edwards 0000000000
25 MF Chloe Williams 0000000000
26 MF Rebecca May 0 (1)000000 (1)000
27 GK Mary Earps 140104019000
——Own goals —2—1—0—3——

Transfers

In
Date Pos. Name From Ref.
1 July 2019[lower-alpha 1] MF Jackie Groenen 1. FFC Frankfurt [22]
1 July 2019[lower-alpha 2] DF Abbie McManus Manchester City [23]
1 July 2019[lower-alpha 3] MF Hayley Ladd Birmingham City [24]
4 July 2019 FW Jane Ross West Ham United [25]
12 July 2019 GK Mary Earps VfL Wolfsburg [26]
20 August 2019 DF Lotta Ökvist Hammarby IF [27]
6 September 2019 GK Aurora Mikalsen Kolbotn [28]

Out
Date Pos. Name To Ref.
15 May 2019 MF Charlie Devlin Charlton Athletic[lower-alpha 4] [29][30]
DF Naomi Hartley Sheffield United[lower-alpha 5] [29][31]
DF Lucy Roberts South Florida Bulls[lower-alpha 6] [29][32]
FW Ebony Salmon Bristol City[lower-alpha 7] [29][33]
8 August 2019 DF Alex Greenwood Lyon [34]

Loans out
Date from Date to Pos. Name To Ref.
17 August 2019 End of season DF Charlotte Newsham Huddersfield Town [35]
21 August 2019 23 January 2020 MF Aimee Palmer Sheffield United [36]
11 January 2020 End of season MF Mollie Green [37]
24 January 2020 GK Emily Ramsey [38]

Notes
  1. Deal agreed 22 May 2019
  2. Deal agreed 24 May 2019
  3. Deal agreed 5 June 2019
  4. Released, joined Charlton Athletic on 9 August 2019
  5. Released, joined Sheffield United on 4 July 2019
  6. Released, enrolled at University of South Florida on 17 July 2019
  7. Released, joined Bristol City on 15 July 2019

References
  1. Plant, Michael (6 September 2019). "Katie Zelem named as Man Utd Women captain". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  2. Association, The Football. "Decision made to postpone professional football until Friday 3 April at the earliest". www.thefa.com.
  3. "Women's Super League and Championship suspended due to coronavirus". Evening Standard. 13 March 2020.
  4. "Statement: FA Barclays WSL and Women's Championship season ended". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
  5. "New friendly dates for Reds and United Women". ManUtd.com. Manchester United.
  6. "Manchester United Women arrives at Komplett Arena on Saturday 3 August". sandefjordfotball.no (in Norwegian).
  7. "Dates for your diary". rovers.co.uk.
  8. "Man Utd and Spurs promoted". TheFA.com.
  9. "Women's Super League: Manchester City face Manchester United on 2019-20 opening day". BBC Sport. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  10. Plant, Michael (10 July 2019). "United Women's WSL fixtures for 2019/20". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  11. "Women's Super League outcome decided". www.manutd.com.
  12. Duncker, Charlotte (9 February 2020). "Manchester United vs Chelsea in WSL postponed due to Storm Ciara". Manchester Evening News.
  13. "Women's Super League season cancelled". The Independent. 25 May 2020.
  14. "Women's FA Cup dates". TheFA.com. The Football Association.
  15. "SheBelieves Cup & Women's FA Cup ties to be broadcast live on the BBC". BBC Sport. 20 January 2020.
  16. Wrack, Suzanne (25 January 2020). "Manchester United rue lack of tech support as City win FA Cup derby". The Observer.
  17. Whyatt, Katie (25 January 2020). "Lack of technology in women's football under scrutiny after Manchester United's contentious FA Cup exit to Manchester City". The Telegraph.
  18. "Continental League Cup groups". TheFA.com. The Football Association.
  19. Plant, Michael (21 November 2019). "Man Utd Women v Leicester Women match report 21 November 2019". ManUtd.com. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  20. "Women's Continental League Cup: Manchester United beat 11–1 Leicester City in group stage". BBC Sport. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  21. Whyatt, Katie (29 January 2020). "Chelsea through to Continental Cup final for the first time with narrow victory at Manchester United". The Telegraph.
  22. "Groenen agrees to sign for Manchester United Women". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  23. "McManus agrees to sign for United Women". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  24. "United Women reach agreement with Ladd". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  25. "United Women sign Scotland striker Ross". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  26. "Manchester United Women sign Mary Earps". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  27. "Lotta Okvist signs for United Women". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  28. "Aurora Mikalsen signs for United Women". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  29. "Stoney wishes four released players well". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  30. Pizzey, Chloe (9 August 2019). "Charlie Devlin signs for the Addicks". cafcwomen.co.uk. Charlton Athletic Women's Football Club. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  31. "Naomi Hartley signs for the Blades". sufc.co.uk. Sheffield United FC. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  32. "Schilte-Brown Signs Three International Bulls to 2019 Roster". University of South Florida. 17 July 2019.
  33. "Salmon signs for City Women". bcfc.co.uk. Bristol City FC.
  34. "Man United agree terms for Alex Greenwood to join Lyon". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  35. "Huddersfield Town Women's campaign begins on Sunday: Season preview". htafc.com.
  36. "Aimee Palmer signs for the Blades". sufc.co.uk.
  37. "Mollie Green joins Sheffield United on loan". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  38. "Blades Women net Man United 'keeper Emily Ramsey on loan". www.sufc.co.uk. Sheffield United. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
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