Welcome to Full Time, The Athletic’s women’s football column, a one-stop shop every Monday to discuss the big issues in the game in the UK and Europe.
This weekend, there was the usual line-up of Women’s Super League fixtures across the country.
There was more than one huge clash — Arsenal hosted Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium while Manchester City faced Chelsea — and many other crucial games in the WSL and beyond…
The main talking point
At what point will the Manchester United hierarchy feel like they have seen enough?
Their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal in front of a sell-out crowd at the Emirates was one of their worst performances of the season, but right now, manager Marc Skinner seems to have more lives than a cat. The result meant United have now lost their last three matches against the WSL top three by that same scoreline.
In truth, Arsenal barely had to break a sweat against their opponents. Despite a high-intensity start that put Arsenal goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo and centre-back Laia Codina under pressure, within five minutes any potency had evaporated. United struggled to play out from the back, with large gaps between Katie Zelem and the rest of her midfield making it easy for Arsenal to close off passing channels.
The press from United’s front…
