Marc Skinner and Manchester United Women sent Aston Villa warning

Manchester United Women's boss Marc Skinner has emphasised the importance of getting back on the winning track as his team sets up for a clash against a struggling Aston Villa side. United, five games into the Women’s Super League season, have maintained an unbeaten streak—clinching victory in their first three outings before ending the subsequent two fixtures level.

They were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton after a strike from ex-forward Nikita Parris and had a similar outcome against Arsenal last weekend, salvaging a point thanks to a late goal from Melvine Malard. This Sunday sees them at Leigh Sports Village once more, facing a Villa team that's still searching for their first league win.

During a press briefing, Skinner said: "The draw against Brighton, I felt we played pretty well and we should have probably won the game but they only had three shots and one of them, the goal they scored is a shot that Nikita finishes fantastically well."

He then reflected on the Arsenal fixture stating, "The Arsenal game was probably one that we gained the point on the balance of performance. I think our players know that in this league you drop points from draws as well. You’ve got to maintain those wins."

Acknowledging the upcoming challenge he added, "It’s not going to be easy against Villa. Let’s be clear on that. We’ve got to earn that win but I think we have to get to those winning ways."

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United currently stand fifth, trailing eight points behind leaders Manchester City, albeit with two games in hand. Champions Chelsea, who rest four points below City in second and also have played just five matches, will face off against Liverpool on Sunday.

The champions boast an impeccable record this season after Sonia Bompastor took over the reins from Emma Hayes in the summer, with their latest display being a dominant 5-0 victory against Everton at Goodison Park. They've netted 20 goals in their five league wins, with contributions from 13 different players.

Speaking ahead of her team's next visit to Merseyside, Bompastor highlighted the advantage this brings: "That’s really valuable, for sure, because it gives the opposition some doubts on players. They don’t really know which one is going to score."

She also pointed out the depth of talent in the squad, saying, "It shows the quality we have in our squad, especially being able to play without maybe the most creative players in the squad: Catarina Macario and Lauren James."

While James is still out of action, both Macario and Lucy Bronze could make their comebacks this weekend. Meanwhile, three teams are languishing with just two points from six games – Villa, and Everton and West Ham, who are at the bottom of the table.

Everton will be hoping to clinch their first win when they face Crystal Palace, who are slightly ahead in ninth place, and West Ham will be playing host to Leicester, who sit in eighth with five points.