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Women's Soccer Malard celebrates at full-time following United's victory against Atletico Judit Cartiel - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images There were two defenders beginning to close in, goalkeeper Lola Gallardo in her way, team-mates Elisabeth Terland and Ellen Wangerheim arriving in the box, and a devilish angle to beat. None of that mattered to Melvine Malard as she fired a superb strike across Gallardo that nestled in the bottom corner. Advertisement Malard had already notched one assist against Atletico Madrid on Thursday night, seizing on a poor pass to pull off a clever dummy shot and slide the ball through to striker Terland. The Norwegian’s smart footwork and finish gave Manchester United the lead with less than three minutes played in the away first leg of this Champions League play-off over a quarter-final place. Terland and Maya Le Tissier marked the goal with a haircut celebration — a gentle jab towards United fan Frank Ilett, who is refusing to visit the barber until the men’s team win five matches in a row. He has been waiting 496 days now. After last night, the United women’s team are on a run of six consecutive victories. Malard finished the game with another assist, holding up the ball under pressure from defender Lauren to tee up Julia Zigiotti Olme’s goal in the 81st minute. The Frenchwoman marked her first-half goal with her customary celebration, pointing to both temples — the same pose she pulled after scoring United’s first ever goal in the Women’s Champions League in October 2023. But that point-blank header, which ultimately was not enough to overcome Paris Saint-Germain in qualifying for the competition proper, pales in comparison to her latest goal. “Honestly, (she’s developed) so much, ” head coach Marc Skinner said when reflecting on Malard’s growth over three seasons at the club. “She’s had to fight hard. “She has the ability to play in any of those front three positions, which I think is really unique. The quality of the finish today, we know Mel has that. She had to wait a while for that to happen again but I’m really pleased with the contributions, all around the form she has. She’s ruthless in the end as well. “I think she’s coming to fruition. ” Malard is emblematic of a United side who are finally growing into their potential at European level. Advertisement The 25-year-old’s comprehensive attacking performance fired United to a 3-0 victory in the Spanish capital last night, a heavy advantage to bring back to Leigh Sports Village for the second leg next Thursday. In their first season in the Champions League proper, United are poised to progress to the last eight, where they would meet Bayern Munich. It is an impressive turnaround from their failure to finish in the top three of the Women’s Super League in 2024, missing out on even the European qualifying rounds. Questions have been asked of the club’s commitment to their women’s team, which was only reformed in 2018 after over a decade in mothballs, and their recruitment and squad-building have sometimes been criticised. The journey has not been linear, but Skinner looks to have assembled a side capable of competing on the biggest stage. Some of the young players that United have invested in over the past three seasons are now senior professionals in their peak years. Malard is just one example: in her debut season, on loan from Lyon in France, she was not a consistent starter but showed enough promise for the club to agree a permanent deal. She is now almost ever-present in the forward line and has already recorded her highest goals and assist tallies for United in a WSL season with seven of the 22 games still to play. Jayde Riviere is another example of where United’s long-term investment in youth has paid off. In that 2023 game against PSG, making only her second United appearance, the full-back was run ragged by Sakina Karchaoui. Against Atletico last night, she showed off her defensive prowess as well as making threatening forays forward, stinging the goalkeeper’s palms early in the second half and skewing a solo effort just wide on the hour mark after winning the ball in midfield. Advertisement Hinata Miyazawa, another 2023 arrival who came off the bench in that PSG tie, has started all of United’s 25 domestic and European fixtures this season and is the engine of their midfield. The fact Riviere, Miyazawa, goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce and captain Le Tissier have all also signed contract extensions in the past two years provides welcome peace of mind. There is a cohesive, well-bonded core of players who are now, crucially, backed up with meaningful depth. United’s squad began to show the strains of European and domestic competition in November, with a gruelling league-phase win against PSG coming between WSL defeats to Aston Villa and Manchester City. Back-to-back losses to Champions League stalwarts Wolfsburg and Lyon followed, and Skinner was clear in his calls for United to be “aggressive” in the winter transfer window. In January, there was the arrival of forwards Lea Schuller from Bayern and Wangerheim from Sweden’s Hammarby, as well as full-back Hanna Lundkvist, whose contract with San Diego Wave of the NWSL had ended. Wangerheim was able to deputise for injured summer signing Fridolina Rolfo against Atletico and while Schuller and Lundkvist did not feature, both started the weekend fixture against Leicester City — allowing Terland and Riviere some valuable rest before the trip to Madrid. “(The January signings) have added the quality that we can turn to on the bench when we need to change games, or when they need to start and we need to adapt it, ” Skinner said on Wednesday. “You’ve seen that in the games so far. We’ve had 10 goals or involvements from substitute appearances (in the WSL — a league-best amount), so it shows a lot about how our players are ready to come into the game to change it. ” Their squad-building is not perfect. Lucia Garcia, Grace Clinton, Geyse and Irene Guerrero are among signings from 2022 or 2023 who have ended up leaving the club swiftly for various reasons, some supporters are concerned about the lack of academy players progressing to the first team, and the fact Le Tissier has started every WSL game since she joined the club in summer 2022 is testament to her durability on one hand but also points to a lack of depth at centre-back. On the whole, though, a United side whose journey has so often been marked by headlines about off-pitch matters are now doing their talking on it — and telling a compelling story of making themselves at home on the European stage. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Cerys is a London-based writer covering Chelsea for The Athletic, as well as other London clubs and women's football. She joined The Athletic in summer 2025. Follow Cerys on Twitter @reallycerys