How is the WSL title race shaping up?

After our rivals Chelsea and Arsenal played their games in hand by winning 4-0 and 4-1 against West Ham and Everton respectively on Wednesday evening, every side has now completed 20 of their 22 league fixtures this season. 

It is currently the Blues from West London who are sitting at the summit of the WSL table – two points clear as things stand – as we head into the penultimate games this weekend. The domestic double is the target for Emma Hayes's side after their narrow 1-0 win over the Reds in last Sunday's FA Cup final at Wembley.

Marc Skinner’s team are still very much in the hunt to cause an upset, though, with a Manchester derby and a trip to Liverpool on our horizon, and we’ll be looking to capitalise on any potential slip-up from Chelsea.

As far as the title race goes, it could very well be settled on the final day of the season with third-placed Arsenal also having an outside chance of snatching the trophy away from the current top two.

Chelsea will host the Gunners this Sunday in a lunch-time kick-off at 12:30 BST, nearly six hours before United face City at Leigh Sports Village in the evening (18:45 BST). Tickets for our final home game of the season are available online via manutd.com/tickets.

If the earlier game unfolds in our favour, a win in the Manchester derby would take us back to the top of the WSL table by the end of the day. Should Hayes’s side lose to Arsenal, maximum points from our remaining two fixtures would see Skinner’s side clinch a first-ever league title, while a draw this weekend for the Blues could leave things up to goal difference, which is currently in favour of the London club.

While the title remains in reach, United have all but succeeded in another of our objectives for this season – to disrupt the traditional top three and secure a coveted spot in the UEFA Champions League for the 2023/24 campaign. 

We need only four points at the very most from our clashes with City and Liverpool to secure at least a runners-up spot. But thanks to our impressive goal difference, a place in the UCL already looks safe, even if we fail to pick up any points in our remaining two games. As well as being six points ahead of fourth-placed City, our goal difference is currently better by a tally of 17.

Gareth Taylor’s side are really playing for the chance to leapfrog Arsenal into third spot by winning their final two games, and hoping the Gunners lose theirs. 

This plethora of scenarios is credit to the enthralling campaign the WSL has delivered this season, with the Reds very much at the heart of the action. 

REMAINING FIXTURES

Here’s how the remainder of the season is shaping up for the top four teams, ahead of the weekend’s action (all kick-off times in BST):

UNITED
Sun 21 May: Manchester City (H), 18:45
Sat 27 May: Liverpool (A), 14:30 

CHELSEA
Sun 21 May: Arsenal (H), 12:30
Sat 27 May: Reading (A), 14:30

ARSENAL
Sun 21 May: Chelsea (A), 12:30
Sat 27 May: Aston Villa (H), 14:30

MANCHESTER CITY
Sun 21 May: United (A), 18:45
Sat 27 May: Everton (H), 14:30

To book tickets for our crucial final home match at Leigh Sports Village this Sunday evening, head to manutd.com/tickets.