# 2018–19 Manchester United W.F.C. season

The 2018–19 season was Manchester United Women's inaugural season following the club's successful application to join the newly-formed FA Women's Championship after a league restructuring. The club also competed in the FA Cup and League Cup. The team played their home games at Leigh Sports Village, while the training ground at The Cliff undergoes redevelopment.

## Pre-season

In March 2018, Manchester United announced their intentions to enter a women's team into the second tier of the 2018–19 season. Their application was confirmed in May and they were announced as one of four new teams to enter the division alongside Charlton Athletic, Leicester City and Lewes F.C.
On 8 June 2018, former England international Casey Stoney was announced as head coach. The full 21-player squad was revealed in July and included the return of Katie Zelem, Emily Ramsey, Naomi Hartley, Fran Bentley, Millie Turner, Kirsty Hanson and Ella Toone who were all previously part of the club's Girls' Regional Talent Club and Centre of Excellence.
United's first game was a behind-closed-doors friendly against Liverpool on 15 July. The game had to be abandoned after goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain was taken to hospital with a suspected serious neck injury which was later confirmed not as serious as first thought.

## FA Women's Championship
### Matches

On 1 August 2018, the FA Women's Championship announced the fixtures for the 2018–19 season. The team confirmed promotion to the FA WSL on 17 April 2019 after victory over Aston Villa with three games to spare. Three days later, they clinched the Championship title with a win at home to Crystal Palace.
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | League position |
| 9 September 2018 | Aston Villa | A | 12–0 | James (2) 10', 23', Sigsworth (5) 25', 33', 35', 49', 61' Zelem 28' (pen.), Hanson (2) 54', 59', Green 66', Toone 68' | 1,165 | 1st |
| 20 September 2018 | Sheffield United | H | 3–0 | Zelem 12' (pen.), Hanson 40', Arnot 64' | 2,003 | 1st |
| 23 September 2018 | London Bees | A | 5–0 | Green (2) 17', 55', James 27', M.Turner 44', Toone 78' | 642 | 1st |
| 30 September 2018 | Durham | H | 0–0 | | 2,244 | 1st |
| 14 October 2018 | Charlton Athletic | H | 3–0 | Zelem 16', Sigsworth 64', Arnot 75' | 2,349 | 1st |
| 28 October 2018 | Leicester City | A | Postponed following the Leicester City F.C. helicopter crash the previous day | Postponed following the Leicester City F.C. helicopter crash the previous day | Postponed following the Leicester City F.C. helicopter crash the previous day | Postponed following the Leicester City F.C. helicopter crash the previous day |
| 4 November 2018 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 4–1 | James 10', Sigsworth (2) 19', 41', Devlin 81' | 2,367 | 2nd |
| 18 November 2018 | Crystal Palace | A | 5–0 | Arnot (2) 17', 55', Green (2) 59', 83', Greenwood 75' (pen.) | 975 | 2nd |
| 25 November 2018 | Millwall Lionesses | H | 8–0 | James 16', Green (3) 32', 38', 49', Zelem 36', Toone 58', Sigsworth 71', Greenwood 79' (pen.) | N/A | 1st |
| 2 December 2018 | Lewes | A | 2–0 | Green 48', Toone 81' | 1,958 | 1st |
| 9 December 2018 | Durham | A | 1–3 | Toone 43' | 912 | 1st |
| 6 January 2019 | London Bees | H | 9–0 | Devlin (2) 2', 56', Toone (2) 29', 66', Arnot 40', Green 42', James (2) 68', 72', Zelem 78' | 1,889 | 1st |
| 13 January 2019 | Charlton Athletic | A | Match abandoned at 1–0 on medical grounds following injury to Kerr | Match abandoned at 1–0 on medical grounds following injury to Kerr | Match abandoned at 1–0 on medical grounds following injury to Kerr | Match abandoned at 1–0 on medical grounds following injury to Kerr |
| 10 February 2019 | Aston Villa | H | Rescheduled due to Aston Villa's FA Cup commitments | Rescheduled due to Aston Villa's FA Cup commitments | Rescheduled due to Aston Villa's FA Cup commitments | Rescheduled due to Aston Villa's FA Cup commitments |
| 13 February 2019 | Leicester City | A | 7–0 | Toone (4) 15', 17', 66' (pen.), 88', Hanson 52', Greenwood 54', Johnston 85' (o.g.) | 824 | 2nd |
| 20 February 2019 | Sheffield United | A | 4–0 | Zelem 1', James 27', Toone 41' (pen.), Green 51' | 1,008 | 2nd |
| 10 March 2019 | Leicester City | H | 6–1 | Green 17', James 22', Hanson 44', Toone 48', Sigsworth (2) 67', 84' | 1,554 | 2nd |
| 24 March 2019 | Charlton Athletic | A | 2–1 | Zelem 57' (pen.), Sigsworth 63' | 732 | 1st |
| 31 March 2019 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 5–1 | Zelem (2) 3', 10' (pen.) Green 46', Sigsworth 81', Galton 87' | 1,607 | 1st |
| 17 April 2019 | Aston Villa | H | 5–0 | M. Turner 6', Greenwood 21' (pen.), Sigsworth 35', Toone 49', Devlin 73' | 1,401 | 1st |
| 20 April 2019 | Crystal Palace | H | 7–0 | James (4) 9', 83', 85', 90', Arnot 33', Galton 35', Sigsworth 46' | 2,112 | 1st |
| 28 April 2019 | Millwall Lionesses | A | 5–0 | Zelem 7' (pen.), A. Turner 12', Devlin 23', Harris 29' (pen.), Sigsworth 77' | 1,920 | 1st |
| 11 May 2019 | Lewes | H | 5–0 | James 12', Sigsworth 34', Galton 68', Palmer 75', A. Turner 79' | 3,702 | 1st |

### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Manchester United (C, P) | 20 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 98 | 7 | +91 | 55 | Promotion to the WSL |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur (P) | 20 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 44 | 27 | +17 | 46 | Promotion to the WSL |
| 3 | Charlton Athletic | 20 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 49 | 21 | +28 | 41 | |
| 4 | Durham | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 37 | 16 | +21 | 39 | |
| 5 | Sheffield United | 20 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 35 | 31 | +4 | 34 | |
* ↑ Dependent on obtaining a licence.

## 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 WSL side Brighton & Hove Albion. Lauren James' brace earned United a 2–0 win to put them in the draw for the fifth round. They were drawn against fellow Championship side London Bees who United had already scored 14 goals against across their two league meetings. United progressed to the quarter-finals with a 3–0 win, held at back-up venue Ewen Fields, and were drawn against Reading to set up the second cup meeting between the two teams after Reading triumphed in the WSL Cup Group Stage earlier in the season. The WSL side triumphed for a second time, taking United to extra-time after a goalless 90 minutes before eventually winning 3–2 with Rakel Hönnudóttir's late winner coming in the 120+2 minute.
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 3 February 2019 | Round 4 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 2–0 | James (2) 51', 90+2 | 764 |
| 17 February 2019 | Round 5 | London Bees | H | 3–0 | Toone 27', Green 33', Devlin 87' | 838 |
| 17 March 2019 | Quarter-final | Reading | A | 2–3 (a.e.t.) | Greenwood 98' (pen.), Harding 107' (o.g.) | 951 |

## FA Women's League Cup
### Group stage

Manchester United were entered into Group Two North for the 2018–19 FA WSL Cup alongside WSL sides Liverpool, Everton and Reading and fellow Championship side Durham. They played two games at home and two away, winning three including both away ties to Merseyside teams.
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Group position |
| 19 August 2018 | Liverpool | A | 1–0 | Arnot 83' | 829 | 2nd |
| 25 August 2018 | Reading | H | 0–2 | | 4,835 | 2nd |
| 5 December 2018 | Durham | H | 1–0 | Green 1' | 686 | 2nd |
| 13 December 2018 | Everton | A | 3–0 | James 12', Galton 17', Zelem 37' | 240 | 1st |
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | WPEN | LPEN | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MNU | REA | EVE | DUR | LIV |
| 1 | Manchester United | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 9 | Advance to knock-out stage | — | 0–2 | — | 1–0 | — |
| 2 | Reading | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 7 | Advance to knock-out stage | — | — | — | 4–1 | 1–1 |
| 3 | Everton | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 6 | | 0–3 | 3–2 | — | — | — |
| 4 | Durham | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 4 | | — | — | 1–0 | — | 3–3 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 4 | | 0–1 | — | 1–3 | — | — |

### Knockout phase

The draw for the quarter-final was made on 18 December, with Manchester United the only team from outside of the FA WSL to qualify from the group stage. They were drawn against West Ham United who had finished second in Group Two South behind defending champions Arsenal. After beating West Ham 2–0, United progressed to the semi-finals and were drawn against Arsenal. The tie was televised nationally on BT Sport as Arsenal won 2–1 to progress to their seventh final in eight years.
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 9 January 2019 | Quarter-final | West Ham United | H | 2–0 | Longhurst 17' (o.g.), Sigsworth 53' | 1,029 |
| 7 February 2019 | Semi-final | Arsenal | A | 1–2 | Green 83' | 1,836 |

## Squad statistics

    Numbers in brackets denote appearances as substitute.
    Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward
| No. | Pos. | Name | Championship | Championship | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total | Discipline | Discipline |
| No. | Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | | |
| 1 | GK | Siobhan Chamberlain | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | Martha Harris | 12 (3) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 19 (3) | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Alex Greenwood (c) | 17 (1) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 26 (1) | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | Amy Turner | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | Aimee Palmer | 6 (7) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 7 (8) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | Ella Toone | 16 (4) | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 (6) | 0 | 19 (10) | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Mollie Green | 14 (4) | 13 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 23 (4) | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Jessica Sigsworth | 15 (4) | 17 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 24 (4) | 18 | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | Katie Zelem | 18 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 26 | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | Leah Galton | 10 (4) | 3 | 1 (1) | 0 | 3 (2) | 1 | 14 (7) | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | Naomi Hartley | 1 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | Emily Ramsey | 2 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | Charlie Devlin | 6 (10) | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 (2) | 0 | 8 (12) | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | Lucy Roberts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | Lauren James | 12 (6) | 14 | 0 (3) | 2 | 6 | 1 | 18 (9) | 17 | 4 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | Lizzie Arnot | 12 (5) | 6 | 1 (1) | 0 | 3 (2) | 1 | 16 (8) | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | Kirsty Hanson | 12 (5) | 5 | 2 (1) | 0 | 3 (3) | 0 | 17 (9) | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | Ebony Salmon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | Kirsty Smith | 13 (3) | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 5 | 0 | 19 (4) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | Millie Turner | 20 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 22 | GK | Fran Bentley | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| — | — | Own goals | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 3 | — | — |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos. | Name | From |
| 13 July 2018 | GK | Siobhan Chamberlain | Liverpool |
| 13 July 2018 | GK | Emily Ramsey | Liverpool |
| 13 July 2018 | GK | Fran Bentley | Manchester City |
| 13 July 2018 | DF | Martha Harris | Liverpool |
| 13 July 2018 | DF | Alex Greenwood | Liverpool |
| 13 July 2018 | DF | Amy Turner | Liverpool |
| 13 July 2018 | DF | Millie Turner | Bristol City |
| 13 July 2018 | DF | Naomi Hartley | Liverpool |
| 13 July 2018 | DF | Lucy Roberts | Liverpool |
| 13 July 2018 | DF | Kirsty Smith | Hibernian |
| 13 July 2018 | MF | Aimee Palmer | Bristol City |
| 13 July 2018 | MF | Mollie Green | Everton |
| 13 July 2018 | MF | Katie Zelem | Juventus |
| 13 July 2018 | MF | Charlie Devlin | Millwall Lionesses |
| 13 July 2018 | MF | Lauren James | Arsenal |
| 13 July 2018 | FW | Lizzie Arnot | Hibernian |
| 13 July 2018 | FW | Ella Toone | Manchester City |
| 13 July 2018 | FW | Jessica Sigsworth | Doncaster Rovers Belles |
| 13 July 2018 | FW | Ebony Salmon | Aston Villa |
| 13 July 2018 | FW | Leah Galton | Bayern Munich |
| 13 July 2018 | FW | Kirsty Hanson | Doncaster Rovers Belles |

### Loans out

| Date from | Date to | Pos. | Name | To |
| 4 January 2019 | End of season | FW | Ebony Salmon | Sheffield United |
| 8 February 2019 | End of season | GK | Fran Bentley | Sheffield United |
| 8 March 2019 | End of season | DF | Naomi Hartley | Sheffield United |