When Manchester United manager Marc Skinner was asked how he planned to approach Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal, he answered succinctly.
“We know what we have to do,” he told Just Women’s Sports. “We have to come in and silence a fantastic arena with brilliant fans, and we have to go and create history.”
And for one half, it looked like they might.
Skinner led his team to success in the first half of Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal, tying Bayern Munich on aggregate early as a packed crowd of shocked fans looked on from Allianz Arena. The United underdogs dominated the half, making runs in behind and dangerous combinations up the right wing. A beautiful ball from United right back Jayde Riviere confounded the Bayern defense, allowing forward Melvine Malard to score off of a mistake by Bayern goalkeeper Ena Mahmutovic in the 11th minute.
Skinner was right — his team did know exactly what to do. But over 90 minutes, experience won out. Bayern took the match 2-1 and advanced 5-3 on aggregate.
The English side’s confidence ran out in the second half as they played on their backfoot, rarely pressing and allowing 11 corners from Bayern by the 64th minute. Inevitably, it seemed, eventually one of those corners led to Bayern’s first goal of the game in the 80th minute, with captain Glódís Viggósdóttir putting her team up in a 4-3 aggregate off of a header from an in-swinging corner.
Four minutes later, it was over. Another aerial threat was initially saved off the goal line by Malard, but it then landed at the feet of midfielder Linda Dallmann, who rocketed the ball into the top right corner of the net. United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce didn’t stand a chance with the rebound.
The damage, in some ways, had been done in the first leg, when United fell 3-2 at home. While they clawed back late, a moment of brilliance from Japanese midfielder and recent Asian Cup champion Momoko Tanikawa sealed Bayern’s advantage.
Still, this run for United was never supposed to happen — at least not this soon. This year, they advanced out of the UWCL group stage for the first time, dominating Atlético Madrid 5-0 on aggregate to reach the quarterfinals. Along the way, they proved they belong — not only in the English league, but also in the Champions League.
And on Wednesday, United appeared to be a different team than the one that dropped the first leg. They adjusted their tactics, learning from their opponents and making tweaks to their defensive structure and timing. They played with aggression and ambition.
Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women’s Sports Daily
We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women’s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women’s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!
Injuries and a subsequent thin squad followed United into Munich, with just four outfield players available on the bench. January additions of Lea Schüller from Bayern Munich and Hanna Lundkvist from the San Diego Wave added quality, but the squad remained stretched.
After a recent derby loss to Manchester City, Skinner was blunt: “The reality is that they just have more energy,” he said to the press postgame. “Our players are giving everything that they’ve got.”
And the thin roster was already plagued with injuries, from star English striker Ella Toone to Dutch international Dominique Janssen. As Skinner explained, the issue wasn’t the training; rather, it was the toll of the intense schedule.
“When your squad size gets smaller,” he said in that same postgame conversation, “you have less options to change the game in the way that you want to.”
Fatigue has been a recurring issue for United late in the season, and it showed again at the end of Wednesday’s match. Historically, the team has dipped after February, and that trend appears to have followed them once more.
But still, there’s a bigger picture. This year, the group of underdogs has built a clear identity as a hardworking and tight-knit squad. That chemistry carried them through this campaign and was on full display in their first half against Bayern, even if their tired legs ultimately caught up to them in the second half.
The United players have formed an identity as a tight-knit group, making the group hard to break down for opposing sides. One of their biggest advantages is that the team is a well-connected group that plays for each other. This cohesiveness was on display in the first half on Wednesday, though tired legs saw the backline falter with ten minutes left in the game.
And for many players, the experience of playing in the Champions League and getting this far matters tremendously. As Lundkvist said in a pregame presser, playing in the Champions League is the “opportunity of a lifetime.”
Few expected United to make it this far, given their surroundings of European powerhouses like Bayern, Barcelona and Lyon as well as domestic powers Arsenal and Chelsea. So, they’re proud of their run. And now, as Bayern prepares to take on Barcelona in the semifinals (assuming Barcelona advances past Real Madrid in the quarterfinals), United turns their focus back to the Women’s Super League. They currently sit in fourth with three matches left, and a top three finish would secure them a return to the Champions League next year.
A big test — a match against the formidable Chelsea — still looms. United hasn’t beaten the Blues since spring 2024. But they have a break now to rest their legs before taking on Tottenham. And, like Skinner said, his team knows what to do. Their historic run could very well end with another berth to the Champions League next year.
“Becoming Caitlin Clark” is out now!
Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.