What Manchester United boss Marc Skinner thinks about the possibility of a WSL title race against city rivals | OneFootball

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Manchester United’s English head coach Marc Skinner stands for the national anthem during the English Women’s FA Cup final football match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium, in north west London, on May 12, 2024. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) / NOT FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING USE / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Manchester United face West Ham United on Wednesday evening – knowing that a win will put them within six points of Women’s Super League leaders Manchester City.

But ahead of the game, United head coach Marc Skinner refused to be drawn on the prospect of his team challenging for the title.

“All we can do is keep chipping away at that points tally, and tonight is a great chance for us to do that,” he told the BBC before the match. “We respect West Ham but we have to show more than them tonight to get the victory.”

Marc Skinner on Manchester United delayed kick-off

The kick-off was delayed by 10 minutes due to London traffic, but he shrugged off the idea that his players might be distracted by that disruption, saying: “You have to move with these things, and psychologically you just have to move forward with the game and the challenge ahead.”

United are in league action midweek because they were involved in Sunday’s Subway Women’s League Cup final – a match they lost 2-0 to Chelsea.

And Skinner admitted that the result had stung, but also gave the squad additional motivation to bounce straight back.

“You hurt from a loss but you’re also ready to put that performance in to get the points tonight. I said before the final to the players that we have three finals this week. Regardless of what the result is in that game, we have to go into this game ready to win. Psychologically we are in a space where that is the intention so we must give everything tonight against a West Ham team in their backyard and if we can give it, hopefully we can create the chance to win.”

And he added: “Tonight is about outrunning, outfighting, outworking West Ham, and really being ruthless in the final third.”