A Flat Performance for Manchester United Women Against Aston Villa
Manchester United Women suffered their first defeat of the 2025/26 Women’s Super League (WSL) season as they fell 1-0 to Aston Villa Women at the Leigh Sports Village. The loss, paired with a tepid performance, marked a stark contrast to the explosive start that had seen United topping the league’s goalscoring charts.
Head coach Marc Skinner described the display bluntly: “Flat. It was very flat.” His succinct assessment captured the sense of missed opportunity as United trudged off the pitch, unable to capitalize on Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal that would have allowed them to move to the top of the WSL table.
Marc Skinner Praises Season Start but Acknowledges Off Day
Just days before the Villa clash, Skinner had been effusive in his praise for his squad, stating that the team was “playing better football than we’ve probably ever played.” Their early-season form had been marked by attacking fluidity and a free-scoring approach that left fans and pundits impressed.
Yet, after the Villa defeat, Skinner adopted a more measured tone. He stressed that while the performance was below par, it was not cause for alarm:
“You are going to have flat performances. But I don’t want to overemphasise the situation. Sometimes these [results] happen. I thought Villa’s goal was a scrappy, scruffy, goal from a set-piece. It happens and sometimes it goes against you.”
This perspective reflects a pragmatic approach to managing the squad across a congested fixture schedule.
Maya le Tissier on Team Resilience
United captain Maya le Tissier echoed Skinner’s sentiment, emphasizing that the team does not obsess over the league table.
“To think about the table now is a bit crazy. We don’t really look at other teams so we don’t care about other results.”
Le Tissier also admitted that the squad “didn’t do our basics well” during the Villa game, highlighting the importance of attention to detail even against mid-table opposition.
Areas for Improvement: Cleanliness and Technique
Skinner acknowledged that United needed to refine their play, noting that the team must be “cleaner in our actions and our techniques.” He encouraged his players to take ownership of the mistakes and use them as learning opportunities.
Despite the setback, Skinner remains confident that the team can bounce back quickly, pointing to the squad’s ability to recover from difficult games.
Upcoming Fixtures: PSG and Manchester City Await
The defeat to Villa could serve as a timely wake-up call ahead of crucial matches for United Women. The team faces Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the UEFA Women’s Champions League at Old Trafford on Wednesday, followed by a high-stakes Manchester derby against Manchester City Women on 16 November.
Skinner stressed the need to use the Villa result as motivation:
“As a collective we’ll move forward and be better going into the PSG game. We’ll move forward and we are really good at bouncing back and use that as energy – and that’s what we’ll do on Wednesday.”
Conclusion
While Manchester United Women’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa may have been a disappointing chapter in an otherwise promising start to the WSL season, Marc Skinner and Maya le Tissier remain focused on progression and resilience. With critical fixtures against PSG and Manchester City looming, United will look to rebound quickly and assert themselves as genuine contenders for domestic and European success.
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