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Much like bad weather hit the north-west the night before, City swept Manchester United away at the Etihad. It was a statement three goal win for Andrée Jeglertz’s side owing to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Bunny Shaw and Lauren Hemp. It was a performance that truly announced their leadership claims as they reinforced their standing at the WSL pinnacle.

Back-to-Back Defeats for United

This scoreline signalled consecutive Women's Super League defeats for Marc Skinner’s side for the maiden instance since last May, placing them a significant margin off the table toppers with their championship aspirations in serious doubt.

The Red Devils' capacity to balance league and European soccer with a limited squad has been a hotly discussed issue since they qualified for the UCL. Looking at the fixture list, it always felt like this was the period that would truly test this capability. Unfortunately for the away side, they looked fatigued all game, the landmark win against the French side clearly having taken a toll.

Lineup Adjustments

Marc Skinner had tried to rotate the squad with a handful of changes. Ella Toone, Terland, Dominique Janssen and Leah Galton all brought freshness, although the omission of the on-form Melvine Malard to the bench was questioned.

City, in contrast, have no similar fitness concerns. Jeglertz made one adjustment from last week’s win over Everton with Lauren Hemp making her first start since returning from a fitness issue.

Commanding Opening Period

The storm clouds started to gather for the United boss and his squad from the opening minute. This was a exhibition of the power from Manchester City whose dynamic forward line manipulated and dismantled the opposition with a sublime initial 45 minutes performance that saw them put three past the keeper in under half an hour.

This put the hosts in a commanding position and saw the visitors struggling. In advance of this fixture, the away side had conceded just six in this league campaign but they fell apart in the face of City’s attacking flair.

Initial Opportunities

The warning signs came early when Vivianne Miedema used her physicality to muscle Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to send her shot wide. Lauren Hemp was at the center of everything in the beginning, exploiting the space left by Riviere down United’s wing. Her passes were posing a threat and led to an attempt for Hasegawa that Anna Sandberg scrambled off the line.

The Red Devils had multiple forays ahead, their long-ball tactic giving them choices in the flanks but they could not challenge the City goalkeeper. City, on the other hand, commanded the ball, teasing their rivals and trying to draw them out of their defensive shape.

Goals Galore

They turned chances into goals with almost half an hour played when Fujino won the hosts a set-piece. A delivery to the back post was directed across goal by Bunny Shaw for Knaak to nod home. It was City’s 7th headed goal of the campaign.

They added to their cushion with two more goals just before the interval. When Jade Rose was able to maraud through the middle from the back, the play opened up for the hosts. The prominent Kerstin Casparij collected the pass on the right side before providing a accurate ground pass for Shaw to tap home. A short time later, they had a third after a rapid change in possession saw Hemp afforded the room to drive a attempt home from outside the box.

After the Break

The clearest adjustment came from Skinner at the break as Melvine Malard came on for Elisabeth Terland but by this time it was futile to shift the momentum of the contest. Ex- City player Park came nearest, hitting the upright, but the away team were creatively abject and were unable to register a solitary shot on goal.

The hosts, on the other hand, could have increased their cushion when a excellent Vivianne Miedema pass sent Shaw away only for her to fail to convert but it was insignificant to the winning team. After failing to beat any side who finished above them in the prior term, the manager's side now have successes against Arsenal and Manchester United to place them in a strong situation after nine matches.