Photo via BBC Sport

Two games, two defeats - are Olid's Man Utd in trouble?

Manchester United's difficult beginning to the Women's Super League campaign continued with a crushing 5-0 loss at home against Sonia Bompastor's Chelsea, coming right after an opening 2-1 defeat to London City Lionesses. New manager Eva Olid, who took charge this summer on a deal running through 2028 with an optional extra year, oversaw a performance in Leigh where her side surrendered 25 attempts while mustering only two of their own—an early effort from Elisabeth Terland and a late blocked strike by substitute Lea Schuller.

The lopsided display marked United's first pair of losses to begin a league season since their 2019-20 maiden year, leaving director of football operations Ameesh Manek watching a squad that finished fourth and just nine points back of Chelsea under previous boss Marc Skinner appear far adrift from the top tier.

The setback follows a major squad retooling focused on young talent, which saw key members of their 2023-24 FA Cup championship exit: Melvine Malard joined Chelsea after leading the squad with 19 goal involvements last term, while Millie Turner and Lisa Naalsund departed for Birmingham City. Fresh recruits faced an equally tough day, as Monica Jusu Bah managed just eight touches across 63 minutes, Rebeca Bernal received a booking during her substitute appearance, and standout defender Andrea Medina exited in tears with a second-half knock.