Manchester United Women and Chelsea Women played to an engaging 1-1 draw in the Women's Super League (WSL) on Friday, with Anna Sandberg's stunning volley canceling out Wieke Kaptein's early goal for the Blues. The match, played at Progress with Unity Stadium, saw Chelsea's perfect start to the season come to an end, while Manchester United continued their unbeaten run.

The game started at a frenetic pace, with both teams displaying attacking intent from the outset. Chelsea's Wieke Kaptein opened the scoring in the 9th minute, finishing off a slick attacking move with a neat, low finish into the corner, assisted by an exquisite backheel from Catarina Macario. It was only the second league goal Manchester United had conceded this season.

However, Manchester United responded strongly, driven by the inspired dribbling and adventurous play of Jess Park. Their pressure paid off in the 20th minute when Anna Sandberg unleashed a powerful, angled half-volley from just outside the area that Hannah Hampton, Chelsea's goalkeeper, had no chance of stopping. It was Sandberg's first goal for the club.

The first half continued with both sides creating opportunities. Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Manchester United's goalkeeper, made an excellent save to deny Kaptein, while United continued to threaten with their intricate attacks.

The second half saw Manchester United start strongly, with Ella Toone firing a shot just wide. Chelsea, however, also had their chances, with Sjoeke Nüsken setting up Guro Reiten, only for her shot to be blocked. In the closing stages, Chelsea pushed for a winner, Alyssa Thompson crossed for Aggie Beever-Jones, but she couldn't quite make contact. A late chance fell to Nusken, but her shot was blocked by Maya Le Tissier.

Ultimately, neither team could find a winning goal, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. The result means that Chelsea remain unbeaten and top of the WSL table, but Manchester United are just two points behind.

The game was played amidst adverse weather conditions brought by Storm Amy, with swirling rain and gusts of wind. Before kick-off, a minute's silence was observed for the victims of the terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday, and the Manchester United players wore black armbands as a mark of respect. Both teams also joined together in a circle pre-match to show their united stance against racism.

Marc Skinner, Manchester United's boss, had said before the game that his team would be brave in attack, and they certainly lived up to his words. Despite having lost 10 of their previous 11 WSL meetings with Chelsea, Manchester United showed a determination not to roll over and demonstrated that they may well have the qualities to mount a serious title challenge this season. Sonia Bompastor, Chelsea's manager, made three changes to her starting XI, bringing in Ellie Carpenter, Sandy Baltimore, and Catarina Macario.