From a blunt attack to costly defensive mistakes, Chelsea’s 5-0 thrashing exposed Manchester United’s biggest problems. We dive into the data behind a difficult start for Eva Olid in England.
After losing several key players in the summer and committing to a more sustainable model centred around youth development, it was always likely to be a difficult start to life for Eva Olid at Manchester United.
However, even the most pessimistic supporters may not have expected the Women’s Super League campaign to begin quite so badly.
Defeat to London City on the opening night was followed by a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Chelsea, with the underlying numbers painting an equally worrying picture.
The attacking structure is yet to click, while defensive errors are being punished with alarming regularity. It is almost impossible to believe this is the same side that was competing with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City for a place in Europe just a few months ago.
That gap to the division’s elite has also grown over the last year. United finished fourth last season for the first time since 2021-22, nine points behind champions Chelsea and just four clear of Tottenham in fifth.
They have now lost three consecutive WSL matches for the first time in their history and are winless in six league games overall (D2 L4). For many supporters, the fear throughout the summer was that a lack of investment would leave the club vulnerable, and early signs suggest those concerns may have been justified.
Sunday’s humbling also ended another remarkable run. It was the first time Manchester United had lost a WSL home match played on a Sunday, bringing an end to a 12-game unbeaten streak in such fixtures.
Nevertheless, the Opta supercomputer still gives United a 35.7% chance of finishing fourth at this early stage, albeit down 3.6 percentage points from the start of the campaign. More tellingly, they now have a 0.2% chance of automatic relegation and a 0.4% probability of finishing in the relegation play-off place, having started the season with no chance of either outcome.
Chelsea, meanwhile, ruthlessly answered the questions raised about their profligacy after opening-day frustration at Stamford Bridge when they drew 1-1 with Aston Villa.
But while the scoreline on Sunday was striking, the underlying numbers painted a more worrying picture for Olid’s side.
An Attack Yet to Arrive
The attacking identity Olid is trying to implement has been difficult to spot across United’s opening two WSL matches. There have been brief glimpses, most notably the intricate combination play on the edge of Chelsea’s box that led to an effort from Jess Park has created zero chances, having registered 30 last season, while Phallon Tullis-Joyce. The USWNT goalkeeper made six saves, with only her seven-save performance against Tottenham in October 2024 seeing her record more in a WSL game.
United were forced into 49 clearances, their second most in a league match, behind only the 67 they made against Arsenal in January 2026. They also attempted just 118 passes in Chelsea’s half, with only one lower figure on record for the club in the WSL coming against Brighton in October 2020.
The result continued an unwanted trend, too. United have now lost three WSL matches by more than three goals, and all three have come against Chelsea: 6-1 in September 2021, 6-0 in May 2024, and now 5-0.
The Standard United Are Chasing
While Manchester United’s shortcomings were impossible to ignore, Chelsea deserve significant credit for the manner in which they exposed them.
There had been some questions around Chelsea’s finishing after they were held on the opening weekend by Villa, but Sonia Bompastor’s side answered them emphatically.
United spent much of the afternoon trying to withstand relentless waves of pressure as Chelsea dominated territory, possession and chance creation from the opening whistle.
Lauren James drifted fluidly across the frontline alongside Sjoeke Nüsken, linking effectively with Kaptein and Alyssa Thompson, while Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh regularly provided support on the right to overload United’s defensive structure.
The Blues’ 11 shots on target were their most in a WSL match since September 2025 against West Ham and their joint-highest tally against traditional ‘big four’ opposition.
Bompastor’s side also recorded 61 touches in the opposition’s box, their most ever against a fellow member of the WSL’s ‘big four’.
Chelsea completed 543 successful passes, 162 successful passes ending in the final third, and attempted 217 passes ending in the final third. The first two were club records in WSL matches against ‘big four’ opposition, while the latter was their second highest such total on record.
Chance creation is not an issue for the Blues, who have generated a league-high 6.6 expected goals across their opening two matches, created a competition-leading 11 big chances and recorded more touches in the opposition’s box (119) than any other side.
James has also been involved in more attacking sequences than any other player in the division (27).
Looking Ahead
For United, however, the concern is what comes next. Chelsea may have been perfectly equipped to exploit their weaknesses, and rivals Liverpool and Manchester City await next month.
Chelsea did not simply capitalise on individual mistakes, but exposed a United side struggling to progress the ball, vulnerable when building from the back and increasingly unable to impose themselves in either half of the pitch.
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