European football and another final – are Man Utd a success?

It was not pretty. But that feels fitting for Manchester United, a club that have navigated more than their fair share of trials and tribulations over the past few years. Intrigue seems to follow their every move whether warranted or not.

And so the story unfolded as it should at Old Trafford on the penultimate weekend, as Man Utd fought from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Manchester City, in turn securing Champions League football at the expense of their rivals for the second time in three seasons.

United only needed a draw. They were visibly desperate for it, but still managed to concede two first-half goals to Man City defenders Laia Aleixandri and Rebecca Knaak, needing goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce to deny Kerolin a third.

The game plan fell apart at the seams in the first 42 minutes. United were being out-passed, out-fought, made to run harder and faster to keep pace. City were simply slicker and more fluid. The visitors completed more successful passes in the opposing half (228) than United managed anywhere on the pitch all game (205).

But Marc Skinner seems to be comfortable doing things the hard way. There’s something compelling about it. Grace Clinton rocked up with a header from nowhere to half the deficit and Melvine Malard arrived from the bench to complete the rescue act in the second half. A minute later, Aoife Mannion was sent off but even that could not spoil the perfect outcome.

“It’s huge. Moments like this make it all worth it. The next step is we have to recruit the right way,” Skinner reflected. “Champions League gives you that. People want to come to a Champions League team. Hopefully it opens that market for us.”

United won the prize they feel they were owed, finishing above their Manchester counterparts for only the second time in their history, despite losing 4-3 on the final day to Arsenal.

City boss Nick Cushing spoke about their achievement, too, praising United’s “want to win”. And it’s that component, missing previously, which has engineered the biggest shift. Winning by scrapping and slogging and being relentless is new. The kind of edge Chelsea have had for years.

Skinner, rewarded with a new two-year deal recently, has used the fewest players (21) and made the fewest changes to his starting XI (29) in the WSL. Largely because his starting selections have performed consistently well. United beat Man City away from home for the first time in January and did so again in the FA Cup semi-final in April – the showpiece at Wembley awaits on May 18.

When they take the lead they tended to keep it, only dropping two points from winning positions – the fewest of any team. Defensively they have shone, boasting as many clean sheets (13) as champions Chelsea. The good definitely outweighs the bad.

And yet because it’s Manchester United, because the drama creates noise and chatter, because we were here two years ago when they qualified for Europe only to falter in the second round of qualifying, doubts linger.

Is this version, 24 months on, better equipped? Is this a team capable of battling the best? Is it an attractive enough project to ensure current stars want to stay and other world-class talents want to join?

The nitty gritty is where questions are rightly raised. Common detractions include recruitment turnover, investment, support from the wider club, rhetoric by INEOS leader Sir Jim Ratcliffe – which has routinely undermined and perhaps even undervalued the women’s teams’ importance to the club’s global brand.

At the backend of last year Sky Sports was invited beyond the gates of Carrington’s long driveway to get a feel for how the training complex, eight months into a £50m revamp led by INEOS chiefs, was shaping up.

The same refurb that notoriously displaced the women’s team and rehoused them in ‘portacabins’ while works took place, around the same time Jim Ratcliffe clumsily referred to the men’s team as his “main concern”.

The insight was particularly unique for a club that tends to keep outsiders at arm’s length. Seeing the environment firsthand, it was obvious what Man Utd Women want to become. The golden step at the top of the staircase to the coaching quarters – within said ‘portacabins’, which were actually kitted out smartly – read “2028 Women’s Super League winners”.

That date would neatly coincide with 150 years of the club’s existence (10 years of the women’s team, which was only reformed in 2018). But that would mean extinguishing Chelsea, and seeing off the threat of Arsenal and Man City too. And the scale of the Chelsea problem is big. United’s total expenditure for the 2023-24 season (£9m) was less than half Chelsea’s (20.2m).

The competition metrics do not tally favourably.

Skinner says he feels supported day-to-day by the INEOS working group, which includes technical director Jason Wilcox, but equally accepts a greater financial commitment is needed to compete with Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City.

This season of growth and progress cannot be an outlier like 2022-23 was. When Man Utd ran Chelsea close to the title the outlook appeared similar. Whispers were made about finally belonging, about best-in-class players, about trophies and titles. The following campaign was a disaster, finishing fifth behind Liverpool, albeit they did win the FA Cup. Still, Skinner likened it to a “punch in the face”.

This reboot, therefore, has to work. Man Utd must milk the opportunity of Champions League football for all its worth, extracting every inch of commercial profitability, new areas of revenue and ability to lure players previously unreachable. They must beat rivals to signatures by being savvy, offer something more unique, while being able to sustain the core of a young, hungry squad.

They must qualify for the competition proper.

Only then can Skinner, now the WSL’s longest-serving current manager, truly say it’s all been worth it.