Manchester United must hope for flawless end to season as Sir Jim Ratcliffe overhaul nears

With Manchester United a goal down at the Etihad, manager Marc Skinner turned frustratedly to his bench.

"Why aren't they keeping the ball?" he asked his coaching staff as his players struggled to repel the sky-blue tidal wave that continued to make advances toward the United penalty area. His agitation, it seems, was entirely justified as, mere minutes later, his side were 2-0 down and staring down the barrel of their fifth Women's Super League (WSL) defeat of the season.

"The games that we have left, we will give everything," Skinner vowed to the media in his post-match press conference. "That's what we'll always do, that's what this team is built on, it's what Manchester United is built on."

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In fairness, Skinner could hardly have been expected to say anything else. Saturday's 3-1 defeat in east Manchester means his team are now 15 points worse off than the league leaders - a fact that only becomes more sobering when you consider it is their city rivals who currently occupy that top spot.

They are six points adrift of Europe, with that gap likely to widen when third-place Arsenal face off with Aston Villa tomorrow. In fact, should Liverpool avoid defeat in the Merseyside derby on Sunday afternoon, United will end the weekend in fifth place.

It is quite the fall from grace for a side who missed out on the title by just two points last term and were only narrowly beaten by Chelsea in the FA Cup final. It is fair to say that if the Reds came into this season riding the crest of a wave sparked by their previous successes, then their tumultuous recent form means the club is now well and