“The reality is”: Skinner highlights key difference between two sides after City maul United in derby

Manchester United Women fell to a disappointing defeat against Manchester City at Old Trafford. The Red Devils were never really in the game as they were blown away 0-3 by their city rivals. United found themselves 2-0 down inside the first 20 minutes and, in reality, could not lay a glove on the league leaders. Marc Skinner’s side now find themselves 11 points behind their rivals in first place and have dropped down to third in the league. The manager spoke to the club’s media after the match. Offering an explanation for the result, he explained, “yeah, obviously we started slow, which wasn’t ideal. The players are trying their hardest—I promise you that. They made a few mistakes and it can look like Manchester City blew us away in the first half, but the reality is they just had more energy.” Injuries Skinner went on to assert, “but if we’re being honest, look at what Manchester City can bring—that’s the difference. My injury list is growing, not from training but from games—overuse injuries. I can’t really legislate for that. The girls are trying really hard, we’re trying really hard, but when your squad gets smaller, you’ve got fewer options to change the game the way you want.” Skinner claimed that this is normal for Champions League squads and said, “we’ve done the best we can with what we have.” Bayern promise United have a huge game coming up against Bayern Munich in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final. The Red Devils are 2-3 down from the first leg, but Skinner promised a response from his team. He explained, “we have to keep going, dust ourselves down, and look ahead. There’s a big opportunity—trying to beat Bayern on Wednesday and turn things around. We’re hurting right now, but we have to use that and push forward.” Defensive lapses The head coach once again claimed his side were let down by poor decision-making defensively, but that this will happen when players are tired. He once again drew comparisons with City’s situation by claiming, “you miss a beat for a second, and a team like Manchester City punishes you. They play once a week, have a full squad, and can maintain high energy and pressure.” Featured image Maja Hitij via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.