On this day (19 November) in 2023 Old Trafford staged its first Manchester Derby in the Women’s Super League. A crowd of 43,615 watched City defeat United 3-1 after the Reds had taken the lead.
The United goal came from a Katie Zelem’s penalty, given for handball against the Reds’ former captain Alex Greenwood, despite the Blues being in control for much of the match.
Two goals in a little over a minute from Jill Roord first and then Lauren Hemp (see photo) inflicted United’s first Women’s Super League defeat of the season. It also lifted City above the Reds. Khadija Shaw added a third for City in the second half, by charging down the goalkeeper Mary Earps’ clearance, before City’s Laia Aleixandri was sent off for a second yellow for pulling back Lucía García.
It was a wonderful victory for the Blues who had been keen to face United at Old Trafford in earlier seasons. However, according to journalist Suzy Wrack: ‘United have waited to play a derby at Old Trafford until the performance gap between the six‑year-old club and their neighbours, the 2016 WSL champions and regular contenders, was a little smaller. They have played four times at Old Trafford, against West Ham twice, Everton and Aston Villa, before breaking the club’s attendance record for the visit of City on Sunday with 43,615 fans present.’
This was not a record for the women’s Manchester derby however, as that had been set on 11 December 2022 when 44,259 had watched City and United play out a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
After the game City boss Gareth Taylor spoke to the media: ‘There’s a huge feeling of pride playing like we did in such a big spectacle. When you turn up to Old Trafford and there is a huge crowd there, it is a completely different game to any other normal WSL game.
‘I thought the two goals we scored in the first half were actually the hardest chances, there were some easier ones [not taken]. So yeah work for us to do still but credit to the players.
‘We were thrown into another situation again with another red card. We can’t have too many complaints about it, but we are prepped for those situations now. Fair play to the players that came on, they helped us to manage the game and helped us to nullify any chances United had. “
United defender Hannah Blundell commented: ‘Against the run of play we got the penalty, then the disallowed goal spurred them on and let them have momentum and we need to figure out how to switch that.We will come back stronger and I know we will with this team. We have a lot of players who can put in the performance and there is a togetherness in this team.’
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