Six shots. Two games.
Six. That is the total number of shots Manchester United have managed across the first two rounds of the Women’s Super League. No other non-promoted side had fared this badly at this stage of a season, apart from Leicester City last year. Leicester went down at the end of that campaign.
Eva Olid knew it would be tough. A summer exodus, a clear shift towards development, a tight budget. Even so, nobody saw this coming.
An opening defeat against London City. Then a 5-0 home hammering by Chelsea last Sunday. Three straight WSL defeats, a first in the club’s history. Six league games without a win.
Try it for $0.99.
The attack does not exist
Against Chelsea, United touched the ball just four times in the opposition box. Four. They also completed 21 entries into the final third. Both figures are club WSL lows.
Field tilt, the stat that tracks territorial control, dropped to 17.4%. That is the fourth-worst mark ever posted by the Red Devils. Possession stood at 37.2%, their lowest total since a trip to Arsenal in January. And 70% of their touches this season have come in their own half.
The result? No big chances in either match. You have to go back to March 2024 to find a similar drought across two straight games. Their expected goals against Chelsea finished at 0.20. Only one lower total sits in the club record books.
Jess Park did not create a chance, despite setting up 30 last season. Ella Toone has not had a touch in the opposition box since kick-off this season. Spanish signing Andrea Medina is the only bright spot, with six touches in the area at the other end.
At the back, it gets uglier
Chelsea forced 25 high turnovers, six of them leading to a shot. United made four errors that led to a shot, a club record, and two that led directly to goals. Dominique Janssen became the first United player to gift away two in the same WSL match.
Twenty-five shots conceded, 11 on target, 2.94 expected goals against. Without Phallon Tullis-Joyce’s six saves, it could have been even worse.
Opta’s supercomputer still gives United a 35.7% chance of finishing fourth. But it now puts their odds of direct relegation at 0.2%, up from zero before the season began. Liverpool and Manchester City are next up next month.
Discover the rest of the football news on our mathodds website and app!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply