Man Utd

Maya Le Tissier third goal for Man United Women v Tottenham Hotspur 13 October 2024  Man Utd

Elisabeth Terland second goal for Man Utd Women v Tottenham Hotspur 13 October 2024  Man Utd

Elizabeth Terland opening goal for Man Utd Women v Tottenham Hotspur 13 October 2024  Man Utd

Our no.7, who celebrated her 25th birthday last month, has been selected in the starting XI for the clash with Spurs at Leigh Sports Village (kick-off 12:30 BST).

It means Tooney will become the first outfield player to appear in 93 consecutive WSL games for the same club, according to Opta.

The England international overtakes the previous record of 92, held by Kerys Harrop for Birmingham City.

The overall record, when you add goalkeepers into the equation, is kept by former Reds stopper Mary Earps with 102 appearances.

Ella starts her third successive league match for Marc Skinner’s side this season. She played the full 90 in our opening 3-0 win against West Ham at Old Trafford and 76 minutes in the 1-0 victory at Everton that followed, before sitting out the 2-0 League Cup success over Liverpool at Leigh in our last outing - a game Marc Skinner and the rest of the squad dedicated to her father, Nick, who recently passed away at the age of 59.

Along with Millie Turner and Leah Galton, Ella is one of the only remaining members from our 2018/19 title-winning inaugural squad.

Joining United at the age of eight, the attacking midfielder has established herself as one of the pioneers of women’s football at her childhood club and paved the way for many young girls in the sport.

Tooney told us recently that she accepts growing responsibility as a long-serving player, on the back of an impressive 2023/24 season.

During the campaign, Ella surpassed the 50-goal mark for the Reds, won four Player of the Month prizes, and claimed our Women’s Goal of the Season award for her stunning FA Cup final strike against today’s opponents Tottenham.

Congratulations on breaking another record, Tooney!

Listen to radio commentary of United Women v Tottenham Hotspur on ManUtd.com and in the United App from 12:30 BST.

Highlights: United Women 3 Tottenham 0  Man Utd

Skinner: There are tougher challenges coming  Man Utd

The sides meet for the first time since pre-season when Spurs recorded a narrow victory in the friendly at St George's Park.

The Reds are unbeaten, with three clean sheets in all competitions, going into the game at Leigh Sports Village.

On Friday morning, Skinner spoke to the press about the team feeling fresh, preparation for the 12:30 BST kick-off and supplying an update on our injury news.

WE’VE GOT A GOOD CHEMISTRY

“We're in a good space. We're still learning. I can tell that there are parts of our game that are not smooth but I've been happy with our clean sheets. I think that's huge for us. We're embedding a new goalkeeper into a starting position. We're embedding new defenders, new midfielders, new forwards. I've been really pleased with the fact that the girls have taken it on. They've got this real good chemistry with each other as well. We're playing some really exciting stuff and, even in training, I'm starting to see little connections in players that haven't played together before. I think that is really important for us. It's still our style, but I just think you'll see individuals do things differently.”

I WILL NEVER TAKE SPURS LIGHTLY

“We've got to make sure we're in good defending positions [against Tottenham] and we do things properly. We can score goals as well. It's going to be an intriguing game. I won't take Tottenham ever lightly. I pay every team the respect they deserve and this is a team that can score goals, can create chances, has great counter-attacking ability. We've just got to try to control it as much as possible. It'll be a good game. It will be tight and, if we do our things, then, you know, hopefully we can win the game.”

OUR PREPARATION FOR THE WEEKEND

“I'm sure only Sunday would tell [if the week off was of benefit]. It was good to get some more coaching time. We're still building relationships, so it was good to get that, but only Sunday would tell. Hopefully, we’ve managed the week effectively. We've got two more sessions before Spurs so, hopefully, we can get the last bits of detail and then we go into the game ready. I think, for everybody watching, the games are going to be way more unpredictable this year. You're going to have to be resilient. You're going to have to adapt and that's something I'm looking forward to as a coach is adapting live as well. It's part and parcel of the job."

TEAM NEWS

“Anna Sandberg will be missing for probably a few weeks, maybe [until] before Christmas, maybe just after Christmas. She had a knee issue that we've we've looked at. Then Melvine [Malard] will miss maybe the next two games again, nothing too serious, just a hamstring strain. We’re making sure she's looked after as well. She did it in the game against Liverpool. Everybody else should be in contention apart from Evie Rabjohn who's a long-term [one]."

BARRY UPDATE

"Keira Barry is back on the field, so she's training back on the field now. Hopefully, she'll be injury free and then will probably be training with us up until Christmas. Then, if she excels, I'll leave a door open but, if not, then we're probably looking at a loan in that that window after Christmas to get her game time. What I need from Keira is to stay robust. It's hard. The kids that have come up from the Academy have struggled with the intensity."

Marc Skinner's side have enjoyed a fruitful start to the new campaign, winning all three of our outings across all competitions so far without conceding a goal.

The Reds overcame Liverpool 2-0 in the FA Women's League Cup last week, with Melvine Malard and Rachel Williams both finding the net.

Our upcoming clash against the Lilywhites will be the first league outing at Leigh this term and with no men's action in the calendar, you'd be silly to miss out.

Still on the fence about attending? Fear not, our handy guide provides all the information you need ahead of the encounter...

TICKET INFORMATION AND TV DETAILS

Tickets for the 12:30 BST kick-off are still available here, with prices at £12 for adults and £6 each for over-65s and under-16s.

The game is also set to be shown live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage scheduled to begin at 11:30 BST.

Alternatively, our channels will bring you live updates on ManUtd.com and in the Official App, with radio commentary also available.

HOW ARE SPURS FARING SO FAR THIS SEASON?

Tottenham have had a mixed start so far in the WSL, winning one, drawing one and losing one of their opening three games.

Robert Vilahamn's side were beaten 3-2 by Liverpool last time out, conceding in the final moments from the penalty spot.

The Lilywhites did enjoy a stunning start to the season by beating Crystal Palace 4-0 on the opening day, with four different scorers all finding the net.

Forward Jessica Naz is one to watch, having already scored twice and she is likely to partner Three Lions' star Bethany England in attack.

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD

Our last meeting with Spurs was special for so many reasons, as we triumphed 4-0 to lift the Adobe Women's FA Cup at Wembley Stadium.

In fact, after 13 meetings, United have never lost to Sunday's opponents in our history and will look to extend that record.

The Reds have won 11 times, with the two encounters ending in a draw, so confidence is likely to be high.

The hosts established the lead in the first five minutes through striker Ellis Lehane, before a double from Luca Williams-Barnett saw them head into the break with a three-goal advantage.

It looked like the game had slipped away from United when Williams-Barnett completed his hat-trick on the other side of half-time.

Substitute Shea Lacey's brace gave Adam Lawrence's side a fighting chance however, and Gabriele Biancheri's converted penalty in the final five minutes made for a shaky finale for Spurs, but time ran out before we were able to complete an unlikely late comeback.

The hosts made a rapid start to the tie through their striker, Lehane, who latched onto Williams-Barnett's through-ball and dispatched a strike beyond our goalkeeper William Murdock's grasp.

United grew into the game following the opener and produced our best chance of the half in the 15th minute. Jayce Fitzgerald delivered a corner to the head of Reece Munro who beat his marker, and the Spurs goalkeeper, but Lehane was on hand to sweep the effort off the line.

Following that near leveller, the north London side further extended their lead.

Williams-Barnett first doubled his side's lead, knocking in a rebound from Lehane's parried effort, before doubling his personal tally for the game a little over five minutes later, dribbling into our penalty area from the left before slotting home through a crowded six-yard box.

The young Reds emerged from the break with plenty to do after the hosts' three first-half strikes, but it was Spurs who notched first in the second period, again through Williams-Barnett to seal his hat-trick.

Substitute Shea Lacey entered the field on the hour mark and gave Tottenham plenty to worry about despite their comfortable lead. His first goal came in the 78th minute when he cut in from the right wing and squeezed an accurate finish into the goalkeeper's bottom-left corner.

Seconds later he had his name on the scoresheet again, firing a shot that proved powerful enough to slip through Sam Archer's hands and into the net. There may have been some arguments on whether the ball crossed the line, but Amir Ibragimov smashed it into the back of the goal to be on the safe side.

A penalty in the final five minutes, coolly placed beyond the goalkeeper by Gabriele Biancheri, gave the hosts a nervy finish with seven minutes of injury time added on, but our late flurry of goals would arrive just too late to complete the comeback.

Full 90: United v Spurs  Man Utd