2022–23 Manchester United W.F.C. season explained

The 2022–23 season was Manchester United Women's fifth season since they were founded and their fourth in the Women's Super League, the professional top-flight women's league in England. The club also competed in the FA Cup and League Cup.

The season marked the first time Manchester United Women reached a major cup final. The team debuted at Wembley Stadium in the 2023 Women's FA Cup final on 14 May 2023.^[1] United lost 1–0 to Chelsea who won their third consecutive FA Cup title. Manchester United also achieved their best league position to date, finishing runner-up to Chelsea and qualifying for the UEFA Women's Champions League for the first time in the process.^[2]

For the third successive season, Manchester United Women scheduled a game at Old Trafford.^[3] The game was played on 3 December 2022 against Aston Villa and set a new club attendance record as 30,196 watched a 5–0 United victory.^[4] The team played a second game in the same season at Old Trafford for the first time, against West Ham United on 25 March 2023 as part of The FA's Women's Football Weekend initiative.^{[5] [6]} Manchester United Women maintained a 100% winning record at Old Trafford, beating West Ham United 4–0.^[7]

Pre-season and friendlies

Having had an earlier friendly against Championship side Blackburn Rovers cancelled, Manchester United began pre-season with a behind-closed-doors friendly against fellow WSL club Liverpool at Carrington on 13 August. Leah Galton scored the only goal of a 1–0 win. United then travelled to France to take part in the invitational Women's French Cup held in Toulouse. They were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals, winning 1–0 thanks to a Katie Zelem goal to set up a final against Bayern Munich who beat Barcelona on the other side of the draw. Bayern won 3–0.^[8] On August 28, United returned to Carrington to end pre-season with a 1–0 win over WSL side Everton. All but the match against Liverpool were broadcast live on MUTV.^[9] On the final weekend before the start of the season, United scheduled a game against Championship side Birmingham City. It was set to feature a depleted squad during the international break but it was later called off. In January, the team scheduled a mid-season week-long winter training camp in Malta including a friendly match against Birkirkara.^[10] The game was watched in front of 1,053 spectators, setting a new record attendance for a women's football match in Malta, beating the previous record of 764 set in 2019 by the national team.^[11]

Date	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance
10 August 2022	Blackburn Rovers	H	Cancelled
13 August 2022	Liverpool	H	1–0	Galton
16 August 2022	Paris Saint-Germain	N	1–0	Zelem 65'
19 August 2022	Bayern Munich	N	0–3
28 August 2022	Everton	H	1–0	García 80'
4 September 2022	Birmingham City	H	Cancelled
6 January 2023	Birkirkara	N	10–0	Bøe Risa (2), Russo (2), García, Clinton, Moore, Parris, Williams, Thomas	1,053

Women's Super League

See main article: 2022–23 Women's Super League.

Matches

Date	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance	League position
10 September 2022	Tottenham Hotspur	A	Postponed due to the death of Elizabeth II
17 September 2022	Reading	H	4–0	Le Tissier (2) 4', 25', Zelem 14' (pen.), Russo 35'	7,315	2nd
25 September 2022	West Ham United	A	2–0	García 50', Blundell 55'	2,104	2nd
16 October 2022	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	4–0	Toone (2) 14', 26', Galton 40', Leon 78'	3,685	1st
23 October 2022	Leicester City	A	1–0	Parris 34'	4,007	2nd
30 October 2022	Everton	A	3–0	Parris 13', Galton 55', Ladd 68'	1,752	1st
6 November 2022	Chelsea	H	1–3	Russo 71'	6,186	3rd
19 November 2022	Arsenal	A	3–2	Toone 39', Turner 85', Russo 90+1'	40,064	2nd
3 December 2022	Aston Villa	H	5–0	Zelem 13', Galton 28', Russo 51', Batlle 76', Williams 90+3'	30,196	2nd
11 December 2022	Manchester City	A	1–1	Galton 27'	44,259	3rd
15 January 2023	Liverpool	H	6–0	García 6', Russo 24', Ladd 41', Koivisto 63' (o.g.), Thomas 72', Williams 84'	7,662	2nd
22 January 2023	Reading	A	1–0	Williams 87'	5,108	1st
5 February 2023	Everton	H	0–0		5,040	2nd
12 February 2023	Tottenham Hotspur	A	2–1	Galton 67', Bartrip 76' (o.g.)	21,940	1st
5 March 2023	Leicester City	H	5–1	Russo (3) 15', 36', 53', Galton 64', García 84'	3,623	1st
12 March 2023	Chelsea	A	0–1		3,277	2nd
25 March 2023	West Ham United	H	4–0	Zelem 52' (pen.), García (2) 65', 90+1', Ladd 84'	27,919	1st
1 April 2023	Brighton & Hove Albion	A	4–0	Galton (2) 12', 66', Williams 86', García 87'	4,375	1st
19 April 2023	Arsenal	H	1–0	Russo 45+6'	6,658	1st
28 April 2023	Aston Villa	A	3–2	Galton 15', Parris 62', Turner 90+3'	4,176	1st
7 May 2023	Tottenham Hotspur	H	3–0	Galton 32', Russo 35', Parris 53'	5,796	1st
21 May 2023	Manchester City	H	2–1	Ladd 2', García 90+1'	7,864	2nd
27 May 2023	Liverpool	A	1–0	García 72'	5,778	2nd

Table

Women's FA Cup

See main article: 2022–23 Women's FA Cup.

As a member of the first tier, United entered the FA Cup in the fourth round proper.

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance
29 January 2023	Round 4	Sunderland	A	2–1	Parris (2) 39', 69'	1,810
26 February 2023	Round 5	Durham	H	5–0	Bøe Risa 42', Galton 53', Blundell 67', Russo 78', Parris 88'	1,735
19 March 2023	Quarter-final	Lewes	A	3–1	Russo 8', Bøe Risa 68', Parris 89'	2,801
15 April 2023	Semi-final	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	3–2	Galton 46', Russo 71', Williams 89'	4,096
14 May 2023	Final	Chelsea	N	0–1		77,390

FA Women's League Cup

See main article: 2022–23 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.

Date	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance	Group position
1 October 2022	Aston Villa	A	1–1 (3–4 p)	Parris 16'	2,109	2nd
26 October 2022	Durham	A	2–2 (1–3 p)	Moore 22', Bøe Risa 66'	1,695	3rd
7 December 2022	Everton	H	4–2	Bøe Risa (2) 1', 20', Williams 12', Moore 27'	1,519	2nd
18 December 2022	Sheffield United	H	4–0	Leon (2) 12', 44', Wilson 51' (o.g.), Thomas 63'	1,273	2nd

Group A

Ranking of second-placed teams

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
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	Emily Ramsey	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	DF	Ona Batlle	19	1	5	0	3	0	27	1	1	0
3	DF	Maria Thorisdottir	3(2)	0	1	0	4	0	8(2)	0	0	0
4	MF	Jade Moore	0(3)	0	0	0	3	2	3(3)	2	0	0
5	DF	Aoife Mannion	2(3)	0	0(4)	0	0	0	2(7)	0	0	0
6	DF	Hannah Blundell	22	1	4	1	0(3)	0	26(3)	2	3	0
7	FW	Ella Toone	22	3	3(1)	0	0(2)	0	25(3)	3	3	1
8	MF	Vilde Bøe Risa	3(9)	0	3	2	4	3	10(9)	5	1	0
9	FW	Martha Thomas	1(19)	1	3(2)	0	4	1	8(21)	2	0	0
10	MF	Katie Zelem (c)	21	3	5	0	0(4)	0	26(4)	3	6	0
11	FW	Leah Galton	20	10	3	2	0(1)	0	23(1)	12	0	0
12	MF	Hayley Ladd	19(2)	4	3(1)	0	1(1)	0	23(4)	4	3	0
13	FW	Ivana Fuso	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	DF	Jayde Riviere	0(1)	0	0	0	0	0	0(1)	0	0	0
15	DF	Maya Le Tissier	22	2	5	0	2(2)	0	29(2)	2	3	0
16	MF	Lisa Naalsund	0(1)	0	1	0	0	0	1(1)	0	0	0
17	FW	Lucía García	8(12)	8	3(2)	0	2(1)	0	13(15)	8	1	0
18	FW	Kirsty Hanson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
19	FW	Adriana Leon	0(5)	1	0(1)	0	3	2	3(6)	3	0	0
20	DF	Aïssatou Tounkara	0(1)	0	0	0	4	0	4(1)	0	0	0
21	DF	Millie Turner	20(2)	2	5	0	3	0	28(2)	2	3	0
22	FW	Nikita Parris	17(4)	4	2(2)	4	1(1)	1	20(7)	9	1	0
23	FW	Alessia Russo	19(1)	10	3(1)	3	0	0	22(2)	13	1	0
24	MF	Carrie Jones	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
25	DF	Tara Bourne	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
26	MF	Grace Clinton	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
27	GK	Mary Earps	22	0	5	0	0	0	27	0	0	0
28	FW	Rachel Williams	0(17)	4	1(4)	1	3	1	4(21)	6	0	0
29	MF	Estelle Cascarino	0(1)	0	0(1)	0	0	0	0(2)	0	0	0
32	GK	Sophie Baggaley	0	0	0	0	4	0	4	0	0	0
37	MF	Lucy Staniforth	2(2)	0	0	0	3	0	5(2)	0	0	0
39	GK	Safia Middleton-Patel	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
41	FW	Alyssa Aherne	0	0	0	0	0(1)	0	0(1)	0	1	0
45	DF	Jessica Simpson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
46	FW	Keira Barry	0	0	0	0	0(1)	0	0(1)	0	0	0
Own goals			—	2	—	1	—	1	—	4	—	—

Transfers

In

Date	Pos.	Name	From	Ref.
2 July 2022	FW	Lois Cartmell	Preston North End	[12]
4 July 2022	FW	Adriana Leon	West Ham United	[13]
12 July 2022	FW	Rachel Williams	Tottenham Hotspur	[14]
15 July 2022	MF	Grace Clinton	Everton	[15]
20 July 2022	DF	Maya Le Tissier	Brighton & Hove Albion	[16]
25 July 2022	FW	Lucía García	Athletic Club	[17]
6 August 2022	FW	Nikita Parris	Arsenal	[18]
10 August 2022	DF	Aïssatou Tounkara	Atlético Madrid	[19]
21 January 2023	DF	Jayde Riviere	Michigan Wolverines	[20]
24 January 2023	MF	Lisa Naalsund	Brann	[21]

Out

Date	Pos.	Name	To	Ref.
12 May 2022	FW	Karna Solskjær	AaFK Fortuna	[22]
10 June 2022	DF	Poppy Lawson	Hibernian	[23]
30 June 2022	DF	Diane Caldwell	Reading	[24] [25]
	DF	Martha Harris	Birmingham City	[26] [27]
1 July 2022	GK	Fran Bentley	Bristol City	[28]
15 July 2022	DF	Kirsty Smith	West Ham United	[29]
6 August 2022	FW	Maria Edwards	SGS Essen	[30]
15 September 2022	MF	Jackie Groenen	Paris Saint-Germain	[31]
9 January 2023	MF	Lucy Staniforth	Aston Villa	[32]

Loans out

Date from	Date to	Pos.	Name	To
7 July 2022	30 June 2023	FW	Ivana Fuso	Bayer Leverkusen	[34]
21 July 2022		MF	Carrie Jones	Leicester City	[35]
22 July 2022		DF	Tara Bourne	Birmingham City	[36]
5 August 2022		GK	Emily Ramsey	Everton	[37]
14 August 2022		MF	Chloe Williams	Blackburn Rovers	[38]
		DF	Niamh Murphy		[39]
24 August 2022		DF	Alyssa Aherne	Burnley	[40]
7 September 2022		FW	Keira Barry	Derby County	[41]
8 September 2022		FW	Kirsty Hanson	Aston Villa	[42]
18 September 2022		DF	Jessica Simpson	Burnley	[43]
14 January 2023		MF	Grace Clinton	Bristol City	[44]
28 January 2023		MF	Jade Moore	Reading	[45]
11 February 2023	12 February 2023	GK	Safia Middleton-Patel	Coventry United	[46]
13 April 2023	30 June 2023	FW	Adriana Leon	Portland Thorns	[47]
26 April 2023	30 April 2023	GK	Safia Middleton-Patel	Blackburn Rovers	[48]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Man Utd reach first Women's FA Cup final . BBC Sport.
2. Web site: Man Utd pipped to WSL title despite beating Liverpool . BBC Sport.
3. News: United Women to play Aston Villa at Old Trafford . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 11 August 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
4. Web site: Magee . Will . Manchester United v Aston Villa: Women's Super League – as it happened . The Guardian . 3 December 2022.
5. News: United Women return to Old Trafford for West Ham clash . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 23 January 2023 . 15 February 2023.
6. Web site: Women's Football Weekend returns . womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
7. Web site: Manchester United Women 4–0 West Ham Women: United move top of WSL after Lucia Garcia second-half double . Sky Sports.
8. News: United Women to play in Amos French Cup . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 16 June 2022 . 22 July 2022 .
9. News: Confirmed: United Women's pre-season schedule . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 21 July 2022 . 22 July 2022 .
10. News: United Women to visit Malta in January . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 23 December 2022 . 24 December 2022 .
11. News: Gianluca . Lia . Manchester United women show their class in Birkirkara friendly . Times of Malta . 6 January 2023 . 15 February 2023 .
12. Web site: So proud of Lois signing u16 contract for Man Utd #pnefc @pnefc season ticket holder. . x.com . 4 July 2022 . 27 October 2024 .
13. Web site: Manchester United Women sign Adriana Leon . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 4 July 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
14. Web site: United Women sign Rachel Williams . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 12 July 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
15. Web site: United Women sign Grace Clinton . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 15 July 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
16. Web site: United Women sign Maya Le Tissier . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 20 July 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
17. Web site: United sign Lucía García . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 25 July 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
18. Web site: United Women sign Nikita Parris . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 6 August 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
19. Web site: United Women sign Aissatou Tounkara . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 10 August 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
20. Web site: Jayde Riviere signs for Manchester United Women . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 21 January 2023 . 15 February 2023 .
21. Web site: Lisa Naalsund signs for United Women . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 24 January 2023 . 15 February 2023 .
22. Web site: Fra Manchester United til AaFK Fortuna . AaFK Fortuna . no . 12 May 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
23. Web site: Poppy Lawson signs from Manchester United . Hibernian FC . 10 June 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
24. Web site: Diane Caldwell to leave United . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 30 June 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
25. Web site: From Red Devils to Royals . Reading FC . 11 August 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
26. Web site: Harris departs United Women . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 14 June 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
27. Web site: Martha Harris checks in at Blues . Birmingham City FC . 14 July 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
28. Web site: Fran Bentley leaves United in permanent move . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 1 July 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
29. Web site: Kirsty Smith joins West Ham United Women . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 15 July 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
30. Web site: Maria Edwards für zwei Jahre von Manchester United verpflichtet . sgs-essen.de . de . 6 August 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
31. Web site: Jackie Groenen: Manchester United midfielder joins Paris St-Germain . BBC Sport . 15 September 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
32. Web site: Lucy Staniforth departs United Women . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 9 January 2023 . 15 February 2023 .
33. Web site: Estelle Cascarino joins United Women on loan . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 21 January 2023 . 15 February 2023 .
34. Web site: Fuso signs contract extension before loan move . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 7 July 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
35. Web site: Carrie Jones to spend 2022/23 with Leicester . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 21 July 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
36. Web site: Tara Bourne joins Blues on loan! . bcfc.com . Birmingham City FC . 22 July 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
37. Web site: Emily Ramsey goes on loan to Everton Women . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 5 August 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
38. Web site: Chloe's chuffed to be back . rovers.co.uk . Blackburn Rovers FC . 14 August 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
39. Web site: Murphy makes Rovers move . rovers.co.uk . Blackburn Rovers FC . 14 August 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
40. Web site: Trio join Claret Women on dual-signing . Burnley FC.
41. Web site: Keira Barry - Derby County . Derby County Women FC . 15 February 2023 .
42. Web site: Kirsty Hanson joins Aston Villa on loan . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 8 September 2022 . 15 February 2023 .
43. Web site: Simpson checks in to Claret Women on dual registration . Burnley FC.
44. Web site: Grace Clinton joins Bristol City on loan . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 14 January 2023 . 15 February 2023 .
45. Web site: A Royal once Moore . Reading FC . 28 January 2023 . 15 February 2023 .
46. News: Safia Middleton-Patel: Coventry United sign Manchester United keeper on emergency loan . BBC Sport . 11 February 2023 . 15 February 2023 .
47. News: Adriana Leon goes on loan from United Women . ManUtd.com . Manchester United . 13 April 2023 . 13 April 2023.
48. Web site: Middleton-Patel joins on loan . Blackburn Rovers FC . 26 April 2023 . 26 April 2023.