(Football news) Manchester United do not have control over their own destiny because Chelsea, who are now in first place in the league, are two points ahead of them, but a victory on Saturday would be sufficient to take advantage of any errors made by the Blues. Liverpool manager Matt Beard will be happy with his team’s 23 points, which are on pace to deliver them a respectable seventh-place finish after they won promotion from the Championship last season. The 3-3 away draw with Aston Villa last Saturday would have frustrated Beard, though, as his team twice let leads slip.The 3-3 away draw with Aston Villa last Saturday would have frustrated Beard, though, as his team twice let leads slip.
The Reds took the lead after falling behind in the seventh minute with two goals from Katie Stengel and Natasha Dowie, however Rachel Daly of Aston Villa levelled in the final seconds of the first half. Stengel scored her second goal of the match in the 62nd minute, but Kirsty Hanson’s equaliser destroyed Liverpool’s hopes of winning, ensuring that the Reds finished the 2022–23 season without a victory in any of their 11 WSL away games (D6, L5). In order to win their fourth straight home game, Liverpool will now travel back to Prenton Park for their final match of the year.
Last weekend, Man United defeated local rival Manchester City in a thrilling 2-1 victory to extend the season’s last day of play. Hayley Ladd’s long-range goal gave the Red Devils the lead in the second minute. Ellie Roebuck, the custodian for Man City, was then dismissed in the last seconds of the first half, giving Man United the advantage. Marc Skinner’s team appeared to have given the championship to Chelsea despite having a numerical advantage when Man City levelled in the second half, but Lucia Garcia sprang from the bench to score the game-winning goal for Man United in the 91st minute.
Man United will be happy that they made history by qualifying for the Women’s Champions League, but they still have a slim chance of winning their first WSL championship. If they defeat Liverpool and Chelsea loses to WSL bottom-dwellers Reading, they would be crowned champions. In order for Emma Hayes’ team to earn a point, Man United would have to defeat them by a score of six goals.
Squad Updates
Liverpool won’t be able to play Melissa Lawley because she recently had hip surgery. Carla Humphrey, Leighanne Robe, and Rhiannon Roberts, all of whom are anticipated to be in the matchday squad on Saturday, are among the players who Liverpool has revealed will depart at the conclusion of the current campaign. Stengel will be attempting to surpass ten league goals this weekend after increasing her total to nine for the season with a great goal against Aston Villa last week.
The majority of the visiting team is available to Skinner, but Maria Thorisdottir and Aoife Mannion are both injured. Garcia might be forced to make do with a spot among the replacements despite scoring the game-winning goal against Man City. The line will continue to be led by Alessia Russo, who will aim to increase her season total of 10 goals scored.
Form Guide
Liverpool D W L L W D
Manchester United W W W W W W
Predicted Playing Xl
Liverpool: Kirby, Bonner, Roberts, Matthews, Koivisto, Taylor, Nagano, Hinds, Kearns, Stengel, Dowie
Manchester United: Earps, Batlle, Le Tissier, Turner, Blundell, Ladd, Zelem, Parris, Toone, Galton, Russo
Also read: Manchester United thrash Chelsea and qualify for Champions League
