Man Utd's WSL season is in danger of unravelling: Red Devils at risk of throwing away Champions League qualification ahead of crucial derby date with Man City

It's quite incredible to think that United could miss out on Champions League football. Marc Skinner's side have been impressive this term, boasting the best defensive record in the WSL and losing just once in the competition, that at Chelsea, before the month of March began.

Summer signings like Elisabeth Terland, Dominique Janssen and Celin Bizet have been real success stories; Phallon Tullis-Joyce has followed brilliantly in Mary Earps' footsteps; and the form of Lionesses midfield duo Grace Clinton and Ella Toone has proved decisive in big moments.

It's all come amid a fantastic FA Cup campaign, too, with the Red Devils into a third-successive final and in with a chance of defending their title when they face Chelsea at Wembley later this month.

Unsurprisingly, then, Skinner was rewarded with a new contract last month. It will keep him at the club until 2027, with the option of another year. "Marc’s record since taking charge speaks for itself, having delivered our first major women’s silverware and firmly established us among the leading teams in the WSL," Jason Wilcox, United's technical director, said. "After a major overhaul last summer, we have an exciting, developing squad ready to compete for further success, and we are convinced that Marc is the right coach to lead that process."

It has been a good job by Skinner to respond to departures like those of Earps, captain Katie Zelem and top-scorer Nikita Parris, among others, and lead his team through a much better WSL season to date, having finished fifth last term, as well as a fantastic FA Cup run.

However, that all said, United's position as Chelsea's closest competitors just a few weeks ago did still feel like it needed to be presented with caveats. One of the reasons was because the Red Devils still had all of Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal to play in their final three games of the season.

It placed extra emphasis on winning almost every game until that point, but those dropped points against Liverpool and West Ham have left United needing to perform against their biggest rivals at the top in order to achieve something that will have been their minimum expectation this term, in qualifying for the Champions League.

That's not to say United cannot get results against City and Arsenal in these last two weeks. After all, they were very unlucky not to get a result against Chelsea on Wednesday. But it serves as a reminder of just how good a team has to be to even compete for the WSL title, never mind win it.

Both City and Arsenal are much better now than when United last played them, too. The reverse fixture against the Gunners came way back in early November, not long after the north London side had parted ways with head coach Jonas Eidevall. Since then, Renee Slegers has transformed this team into one that qualified for the Champions League final with a 4-1 thumping of eight-time winners Lyon at the end of last month.

Wednesday's 5-2 defeat at Aston Villa, which opened the door for Chelsea to seal the league title, was a serious shock, but that it came just three days after such an incredible high explains some of it, as does Slegers' heavy rotation of personnel. It was also just Arsenal's second league defeat under the Dutchwoman, with the other a narrow 1-0 loss to Chelsea in January.

While the WSL title has gone and some might envision the Gunners' focus switching to the Champions League final now, that simply won't be the case - not least because there is serious value in finishing second rather than third as it determines which round of qualifying a team enters into Europe. Arsenal will certainly want to stay ahead of the Manchester clubs and clinch second as it means their new season will begin in mid-September rather than late August. That's particularly significant given this summer's European Championship, at which most players for these top WSL teams will be, doesn't finish until July 27.

City, meanwhile, have already played United three times this term, in the WSL, the League Cup and the FA Cup, losing the former and the latter encounters. All of those games came after the New Year though, when the Cityzens were deeply entrenched in a brutal injury crisis that has seen the likes of Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood and Khadija Shaw miss significant periods.

While City will still be without players such as Vivianne Miedema this weekend, Hemp and Greenwood both made injury comebacks in victory over Leicester last time out. That gives this team a serious boost on both sides of the ball and coincides with a real opportunity to close the gap to United before a final day meeting with already-relegated Crystal Palace.

Hemp in particular is a huge player to have back, as she loves playing against United. The England winger has been directly involved in five goals in her last six Manchester derbies and will be itching to make her mark on Sunday, having missed all three editions of this fixture this season.

For City, it's simple: they have to win this weekend. A draw would be enough for United to secure a European spot, but defeat would leave the door open for their cross-town rivals to take advantage on the final day. Indeed, if Manchester is painted blue, United would have to beat Arsenal to be sure of Champions League qualification, unless City surprisingly drop points at home to Palace.

It's quite a remarkable situation that the Red Devils find themselves in, given how secure a top-three finish felt just a few weeks ago. It's even more incredible considering the chaos that has been unfolding with the Cityzens, who sacked head coach Gareth Taylor on the week of the League Cup final, lost that game, got knocked out of the Champions League and suffered a seemingly fatal blow to Chelsea in the WSL within just a fortnight of that decision.

But United can only blame themselves for being in this position. An awful display at Liverpool and a lacklustre one at West Ham have both proven costly, and should it all really come crashing down in the next couple of weeks, that decision to award Skinner a new contract could also look foolish. Avoiding defeat on Sunday is imperative or they could be left looking quite embarrassed after what has long felt likely to be such a successful season, but isn't certain to be just yet.