# 2021–22 Manchester United W.F.C. season

The 2021–22 season was Manchester United Women's fourth season since they were founded and their third 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.
Following the resignation of Casey Stoney at the end of the previous season, Marc Skinner was announced as the new Manchester United head coach on 29 July 2021, having stood down from his head coaching position at Orlando Pride in order to take the job.
Having played at Old Trafford behind closed doors during the previous season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team played at Old Trafford in front of fans for the first time on 27 March 2022. They beat Everton 3–1 with a new club record 20,241 in attendance.

## Pre-season

Manchester United scheduled four preseason friendlies, with all but the Rangers game played behind closed doors. The matches against Championship side Liverpool and WSL side Aston Villa were both played at Carrington with the former broadcast live on MUTV. A week-long training camp in Scotland included a friendly against Rangers of the SWPL before a final friendly against WSL side Brighton & Hove Albion held on neutral ground at Loughborough University.
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers |
| 8 August 2021 | Liverpool | H | 2–2 | Galton 25', Hanson 26' |
| 14 August 2021 | Aston Villa | H | 2–0 | Thomas 4', Hanson 17' |
| 19 August 2021 | Rangers | A | 5–0 | Zelem (2) 8', 51', Staniforth 33', Hanson 74', Galton 77' |
| 28 August 2021 | Brighton & Hove Albion | N | 1–1 | Zelem |

## FA Women's Super League
### Matches

| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | League position |
| 3 September 2021 | Reading | H | 2–0 | Hanson 39', Batlle 54' | 2,111 | 1st |
| 12 September 2021 | Leicester City | A | 3–1 | Toone 36', Thorisdottir 47', Thomas 71' | 4,473 | 3rd |
| 26 September 2021 | Chelsea | H | 1–6 | Russo 48' | 2,197 | 6th |
| 3 October 2021 | Birmingham City | A | 2–0 | Galton 27', Toone 80' | 650 | 4th |
| 9 October 2021 | Manchester City | H | 2–2 | Staniforth 72', Russo 75' | 3,797 | 3rd |
| 7 November 2021 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–1 | Russo 45+2' | 1,308 | 5th |
| 14 November 2021 | Everton | A | 1–1 | Toone 10' | 840 | 5th |
| 21 November 2021 | Arsenal | H | 0–2 | | 2,186 | 6th |
| 12 December 2021 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 2–0 | Ladd 45+1', Bøe Risa 69' | 1,776 | 5th |
| 19 December 2021 | Aston Villa | H | 5–0 | Toone (2) 8', 79' Zelem 13' (pen.), Staniforth 50', Thomas 73' | 1,001 | 4th |
| 9 January 2022 | West Ham United | A | Postponed due to COVID-19 outbreak at West Ham | Postponed due to COVID-19 outbreak at West Ham | Postponed due to COVID-19 outbreak at West Ham | Postponed due to COVID-19 outbreak at West Ham |
| 15 January 2022 | Birmingham City | H | 5–0 | Zelem 12', Galton (2) 16', 18', Ramsey 45' (o.g.), Russo 71' | 1,015 | 3rd |
| 23 January 2022 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 3–0 | Bøe Risa 38', Ladd 42', Galton 62' | 1,519 | 2nd |
| 5 February 2022 | Arsenal | A | 1–1 | Russo 10' | 2,385 | 3rd |
| 13 February 2022 | Manchester City | A | 0–1 | | 5,317 | 4th |
| 5 March 2022 | Leicester City | H | 4–0 | Thomas 17', Russo 30', Zelem (2) 59', 63' | 1,103 | 3rd |
| 12 March 2022 | Reading | A | 3–1 | Galton (2) 5', 25', Russo 43' | 1,371 | 3rd |
| 16 March 2022 | West Ham United | A | 1–1 | Toone 54' | 1,425 | 3rd |
| 27 March 2022 | Everton | H | 3–1 | Russo (2) 35', 84', Zelem 54' (pen.) | 20,241 | 3rd |
| 3 April 2022 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 1–0 | Galton 68' | 1,524 | 3rd |
| 24 April 2022 | Aston Villa | A | 0–0 | | 941 | 3rd |
| 1 May 2022 | West Ham United | H | 3–0 | Thomas 12', Fisk 20' (o.g.), Galton 49' | 2,546 | 3rd |
| 8 May 2022 | Chelsea | A | 2–4 | Thomas 13', Toone 25' | 4,378 | 4th |

### Table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 2 | Arsenal | 22 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 65 | 10 | +55 | 55 | Qualification for the Champions League second round |
| 3 | Manchester City | 22 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 60 | 22 | +38 | 47 | Qualification for the Champions League first round |
| 4 | Manchester United | 22 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 45 | 22 | +23 | 42 | |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 24 | 23 | +1 | 32 | |
| 6 | West Ham United | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 33 | −10 | 27 | |

## Women's FA Cup

As a member of the first tier, United entered the FA Cup in the fourth round proper. They were drawn away to third-division Bridgwater United, winning 2–0 in front of a sellout club-record crowd of 2,500. For the fifth round proper, United were drawn against Manchester City for the fifth time in the last six cup competitions. United had most recently beaten City in their last cup meeting, 2–1 in this season's League Cup.
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 30 January 2022 | Round 4 | Bridgwater United | A | 2–0 | Buxton 17' (o.g.), Toone 81' | 2,500 |
| 27 February 2022 | Round 5 | Manchester City | H | 1–4 | Zelem 13' | 2,335 |

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

As a team not qualified for the group stage of the Champions League, Manchester United entered the League Cup at the group stage. They were drawn into Group B, one of two Northern section groups, alongside fellow WSL clubs Everton and Leicester City, and Championship side Durham. Because Manchester City were knocked out of the Champions League during the qualifying rounds, they belatedly entered the League Cup group stage after the draw was made instead of receiving a bye and were placed alongside United in Group B as the only remaining Northern group with four teams.
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Group position |
| 14 October 2021 | Durham | A | 2–2 (5–3 p) | Fuso 35', Toone 73' | 1,468 | 2nd |
| 17 November 2021 | Manchester City | H | 2–1 | Fuso 30', Batlle 82' | 2,369 | 2nd |
| 5 December 2021 | Leicester City | H | 2–2 (3–4 p) | Russo 47', Zelem 80' | 839 | 2nd |
| 15 December 2021 | Everton | A | 2–0 | D. Turner 20' (o.g.), Thomas 23' | 672 | 2nd |
Group B
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | WPEN | LPEN | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Manchester City | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 3 | +11 | 9 | Advances to knock-out stage |
| 2 | Manchester United | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 9 | Possible knock-out stage based on ranking |
| 3 | Everton | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 6 | |
| 4 | Leicester City | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 5 | |
| 5 | Durham | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 1 | |
Ranking of second-placed teams
| Pos | Grp | Teamvte | Pld | W | WPEN | LPEN | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Qualification |
| 1 | B | Manchester United | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 9 | 2.25 | Advances to knock-out stage |
| 2 | C | Charlton Athletic | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 6 | 2.00 | |
| 3 | A | Sunderland | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 7 | 1.75 | |
| 4 | E | London City Lionesses | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1.67 | |
| 5 | D | Reading | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 | 1.33 | |

### Knockout phase

The draw for the quarter-final was made on 20 December 2021 with Manchester United drawn away to five-time winners Arsenal, the competition's most successful team. The teams had met once before in the League Cup when United were a Championship side in the 2018–19 season.
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 19 January 2022 | Quarter-final | Arsenal | A | 1–0 | Russo 85' | 825 |
| 2 February 2022 | Semi-final | Chelsea | A | 1–3 | Bøe Risa 32' | 1,548 |

## Squad statistics

    As of 8 May 2022
    Numbers in brackets denote appearances as substitute.
    Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward
| No. | Pos. | Name | League | League | 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 | Emily Ramsey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | Martha Harris | 0(1) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Maria Thorisdottir | 17(3) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4(1) | 0 | 23(4) | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | Jade Moore | 0(3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | Aoife Mannion | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | Hannah Blundell | 19(2) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4(2) | 0 | 25(4) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | Ella Toone | 22 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3(2) | 1 | 27(2) | 9 | 5 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Vilde Bøe Risa | 8(9) | 2 | 0(2) | 0 | 4(2) | 1 | 12(13) | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Martha Thomas | 9(9) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 15(9) | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | Katie Zelem (c) | 22 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4(1) | 1 | 28(1) | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | Leah Galton | 20(1) | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4(2) | 0 | 25(3) | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | MF | Hayley Ladd | 12(2) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2(1) | 0 | 15(3) | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 13 | FW | Ivana Fuso | 0(7) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 3(3) | 2 | 4(11) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | Jackie Groenen | 12(4) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14(5) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | Diane Caldwell | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 16 | FW | Signe Bruun | 2(3) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 2(5) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | Ona Batlle | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3(1) | 1 | 25(1) | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | Kirsty Hanson | 6(11) | 1 | 0(1) | 0 | 3(2) | 0 | 9(14) | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | Kirsty Smith | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | Millie Turner | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | GK | Fran Bentley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | Alessia Russo | 19(3) | 9 | 1(1) | 0 | 3(3) | 2 | 23(7) | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | Carrie Jones | 0(3) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3(3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | Tara Bourne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | GK | Mary Earps | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 24(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | GK | Sophie Baggaley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 | MF | Lucy Staniforth | 7(5) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3(1) | 0 | 10(6) | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 38 | FW | Karna Solskjær | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | GK | Safia Middleton-Patel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | DF | Niamh Murphy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | FW | Keira Barry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Own goals | Own goals | Own goals | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 4 | — | — |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos. | Name | From |
| 1 July 2021 | DF | Olivia Moulton | Bolton Wanderers |
| 20 July 2021 | MF | Vilde Bøe Risa | Sandviken |
| 23 July 2021 | DF | Hannah Blundell | Chelsea |
| 23 July 2021 | GK | Sophie Baggaley | Bristol City |
| 26 July 2021 | DF | Aoife Mannion | Manchester City |
| 28 July 2021 | FW | Martha Thomas | West Ham United |
| 27 January 2022 | DF | Diane Caldwell | North Carolina Courage |
| 27 January 2022 | MF | Jade Moore | Orlando Pride |

### Out

| Date | Pos. | Name | To |
| 21 June 2021 | FW | Jessica Sigsworth | Leicester City |
| 23 June 2021 | FW | Jane Ross | Rangers |
| 24 June 2021 | FW | Christen Press | Angel City FC |
| 24 June 2021 | FW | Tobin Heath | Arsenal |
| 25 June 2021 | DF | Amy Turner | Orlando Pride |
| 1 July 2021 | GK | Tamsin Bynoe | Liverpool |
| 23 July 2021 | FW | Lauren James | Chelsea |
| 23 July 2021 | FW | Lauren James | Chelsea |
| 23 July 2021 | FW | Lauren James | Chelsea |
| 26 July 2021 | DF | Abbie McManus | Leicester City |
| 30 July 2021 | FW | Megan Hornby | Blackburn Rovers |

### Loan in

| Date from | Date to | Pos. | Name | To | Ref. |
| 27 January 2022 | 30 June 2022 | FW | Signe Bruun | Lyon | |

### Loan out

| Date from | Date to | Pos. | Name | To |
| 6 August 2021 | 30 June 2022 | GK | Emily Ramsey | Birmingham City |
| 6 August 2021 | 30 June 2022 | GK | Fran Bentley | Bristol City |
| 28 August 2021 | 29 January 2022 | DF | Tara Bourne | Sheffield United |
| 31 October 2021 | 30 June 2022 | MF | Rebecca May | Billericay Town |
| 14 November 2022 | 30 June 2022 | GK | Safia Middleton-Patel | Blackburn Rovers |
| 14 November 2022 | 30 June 2022 | MF | Chloe Williams | Blackburn Rovers |
| 29 January 2022 | 30 June 2022 | DF | Tara Bourne | Blackburn Rovers |
| 12 March 2022 | 12 March 2022 | GK | Safia Middleton-Patel | Leicester City |