Fans call for Manchester United manager to be sacked

Marc Skinner, Manager of Manchester United, reacts to 0-2 defeat during the Barclays Women's Super League match between Leicester City and Manchester United at The King Power Stadium on November 17, 2024 in Leicester, England.
Marc Skinner has been in charge of United since 2021 (Image credit: Cameron Smith/Getty Images)

Manchester United supporters have called for Marc Skinner to be sacked after their 1-0 loss to Chelsea in the Women's Super League.

The win came after goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce fouled Mayra Ramirez in the box. Guro Reiten stepped up to take the resulting penalty and the Norway international calmly finished.

The defeat means United are no longer unbeaten in the top-flight and sit in fifth, nine points behind leaders Chelsea.

Manchester United: What have fans said?

Marc Skinner clapping

Marc Skinner has been under pressure for a few months (Image credit: Getty Images)

Calls from fans for Skinner's departure started towards the end of last season and have not stopped despite him winning the FA Cup with the club in May.

The sacking pleas increased in volume after Sunday's loss with some accusing Skinner being 'happy to lose' after he praised his side's performance against Chelsea.

Marc Skinner, Manager of Manchester United, shakes hands with players of Manchester United after the Barclays Women's Super League match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Leigh Sports Village on November 03, 2024 in Leigh, England.

Marc Skinner was pleased with his players' performance (Image credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Skinner told Sky post-match: "Chelsea are the best team in the country, they have been for years. They are champions for a reason. We came here and we said we would give everything from the off, I felt the players, you can see their reaction after the game, they've given everything.

"Both teams had to play the conditions. The pride I feel for the team and their commitment to what we're doing, what we know we can do. Even though we have taken a defeat, I'm really happy with their performance."

Supporters took to social media to share their frustration with the manager.

One fan wrote: "Can't believe how happy Marc Skinner is to lose. Man United's performance was awful, they had one shot on target and just 11 touches in the box against a Chelsea side who barely had to try. Bring back shame."

Another posted: "1 shot on goal, 30% possession, 64% pass accuracy, 11% cross accuracy (1 successful), 26% long ball accuracy. How much longer can Marc Skinner be manager and this is a norm?"

While another supporter wrote: "I don’t think we’ll ever see the true potential of our players with Marc Skinner at the helm. Truthfully we all deserve better than him."

In FourFourTwo's view, if he doesn't bring silverware this season, no one would be surprised to see Skinner replaced.

The boss' contract was due to run out this past summer but the club gave Skinner a short-term contract extension. There has been no confirmation on when that runs out.

Skinner has been in charge of United since 2021 and has since delivered the FA Cup. The club also challenged Chelsea for the WSL title in the 2022/23 season but the Blues pipped them to the title by two points.

Sarah Rendell
Women's football editor

Sarah joined the FourFourTwo team in September 2024 in a freelance role. She also writes for The Guardian, BBC and Rugby World where she specialises in women's football and rugby. Sarah has a bachelors degree in English and a master's in newspaper journalism.