For Manchester United Women, the past week has felt like a pendulum swinging between dominance and doubt.
One night they looked untouchable, crashing through London City Lionesses with five goals and a swagger that screamed WSL title contenders. A few days earlier in Norway, though, they were left shellshocked by Brann, their UEFA Women’s Champions League dreams hanging by a thread after a single set piece and a goalkeeper’s heroic display.
Now, as the UWCL schedule barrels toward its decisive second leg at Leigh Sports Village, the question is brutally simple: redemption or repeat?
WSL Statement: United Run Riot in Bromley
Manchester United walked into the Copperjax Community Stadium knowing that only a statement win would do. A shock defeat in Bergen had sown seeds of doubt, and with four matches crammed into just 11 days, fatigue and pressure loomed like storm clouds. Instead of folding, Marc Skinner’s side came out snarling.
Within three minutes, captain Maya Le Tissier was standing over the penalty spot, the weight of her 100th appearance draped across her shoulders. She never looked like missing. One clean strike into the corner, one clenched fist to the air, and one captain announcing that United were back.
Her contribution didn’t end there. A deft assist later in the half proved that this was no ceremonial appearance. Le Tissier is the spine of this side, a leader who has played every single game since joining in 2022. Consistency is her superpower, and on her century, she embodied United’s ruthlessness.
The highlight reel only grew from there. Jayde Riviere, making her 50th appearance, decided the moment was right to score her first goal. From an angle that screamed “cross”, she went for glory instead. The ball arrowed into the top corner and immediately sparked debate. Was it a shot or a hopeful delivery? Riviere ended the noise herself. “I thought I would shoot,” she laughed. “Why not?”
Why not, indeed. It was the kind of strike that redefines a player, the kind of goal fans replay for years. One supporter wrote simply: That is one of the best goals I have ever seen from a United Women’s player.
Then came the Malard mayhem. Melvine Malard scored twice inside three second-half minutes, the first marginally offside but allowed to stand, the second a classic header delivered with French precision. With four goals in just two league games, Malard is on a tear, rewriting her own Manchester United story after a patchy debut season. Skinner, ever the perfectionist, couldn’t resist joking: “She could have had a hat-trick.”
Jess Park, meanwhile, looked like a player liberated. Fresh from her late transfer from Manchester City, she was deployed wide and free, tasked with tormenting defenders. She obliged, laying on an assist for Malard before curling a sublime fifth goal into the top corner to cap the rout. Skinner’s verdict summed it up: “Sometimes she’s been on the chain, and we’re letting her off it now.”
Even in triumph, though, the football gods found a way to twist the knife. Millie Turner, such a bedrock in United’s defense, went down awkwardly and left on a stretcher. By full time, she was hobbling on crutches. The joy of five goals was dimmed by the familiar dread of injury, with fans groaning online: Why can’t we ever have nice things?
London City, for their part, looked like a club still adjusting to the deep end of WSL life. Backed by ambitious ownership and packed with 17 new signings, they were undone by United’s intensity. Their only consolation was a goal from Nikita Parris, a former Red who had every right to celebrate against her old team. It was a baptism of fire for the newcomers, a reminder of just how high the level truly is.
The final whistle confirmed a 5-1 win. The Man Utd scoreline was emphatic, the performance cathartic. At least for a day, United were top of the WSL table, unbeaten against every newly promoted side they’ve ever faced. Fans searching where to watch London City Lionesses vs Manchester United W.F.C. had been rewarded with a festival of goals.
But the domestic high was only ever going to be a temporary distraction. The real test lies in Europe.
The European Reality Check: Bergen’s Bitter Night
Just three days earlier, the mood had been very different. Under grey skies in Bergen, Manchester United dominated Brann on paper. More possession, more shots, more territory. Yet when the dust settled, the scoreboard read Brann 1, United 0.
The night will be remembered as much for its chaos as for its football. United’s preparations were thrown into disarray when several players’ boots went missing during transit. Hours before kick-off, club staff were raiding a local sports shop for replacements, dropping nearly four thousand pounds on new boots and shin guards. Some players took to the pitch in half-sizes too big. Lisa Naalsund, back in her hometown, had to borrow a pair of her old boots from her mother.
It felt like a bad omen.
For 75 minutes, United huffed and puffed, firing at Brann’s young goalkeeper Selma Panengstuen, who played the game of her life. She denied Ella Toone three times, saved a double effort from Dominique Janssen and Park, and flung her body in front of every chance. At just 20, she became a wall in gloves, the kind of heroic figure who defines knockout football.
Then came the hammer blow. Brann won a free-kick, Signe Gaupset delivered, and Ingrid Stenevik – on her 100th appearance – rose highest to nod home. The stadium exploded. The noise was wild, unrestrained, and historic, with more than 16,000 fans setting a new record for women’s football in Norway.
For Brann, it was a fairytale moment. For United, it was a gut punch.
What stung more was the celebration. Brann’s players partied as if the tie were already over. Skinner bristled. “It’s half-time,” he spat. “They’re celebrating like they’ve already won. Let’s see at Leigh.”
Elisabeth Terland, a former Brann player now in United red, sharpened the edge further. “It triggers me that they think they have already won,” she said. “They haven’t.”
But Brann’s coach saw no arrogance, only joy. “It’s allowed to celebrate good performances,” he said. “We deserve to suck on that caramel.”
The Decisive Clash: Redemption at Leigh
And so everything comes down to Thursday, September 18. The UWCL fixtures have saved their most combustible drama for Leigh Sports Village, where United must overturn a 1-0 deficit.
Skinner has thrown down the gauntlet to the fans. “We need to fill it,” he urged. “We need Manchester energy.” The roar of Leigh must become an extra player, as ferocious as the Norwegian crowd that carried Brann to victory.
The tactical battles are clear. United’s forwards must finally crack Panengstuen, whose first-leg heroics bordered on the supernatural. The midfield must dictate, with Naalsund facing her old club again and Hinata Miyazawa tasked with picking apart Brann’s compact shape. Set pieces, United’s undoing in Bergen, must be defended with iron concentration.
Brann will not roll over. They come armed with belief, a perfect defensive record in their domestic league, and a swagger that comes from already knocking United down once. Gaupset has predicted United will be under “even greater pressure” at home. Stenevik, already a club legend after her winner, dreams of even bigger moments.
The stakes could not be higher. Progress, and United reach the UWCL league phase for the first time in their history. Fail, and they tumble into the Women’s Europa Cup, a consolation competition that will feel like a comedown at best, an embarrassment at worst. For a club still haunted by their collapse against PSG two years ago, the scars would only deepen.
From Bergen to Leigh via Bromley: A Week That Defines a Season
This week will define Manchester United Women’s season. The five-goal fireworks at London City proved they can dazzle. The one-goal defeat in Bergen proved they can stumble. The second leg against Brann will decide which identity sticks.
Fans searching where to watch Man Utd today are not just hunting for a broadcast link. They are signing up for a night of reckoning, a European showdown where emotion will spill into every duel and every whistle. The UWCL matches are not kind to nearly-men or nearly-women. They reward the ruthless and punish the wasteful.
Football doesn’t care about “deserving.” United deserved more in Norway. They didn’t win. Now they must be better in Manchester – and they must win.
Redemption or repeat. History will decide on September 18.
doragon sports 