Man City Three-Nil Manchester United: Lauren Hemp on target in Manchester City comfortable victory.

Much like the recent storm swept through the north-west the night before, City swept Manchester United away at the Etihad Stadium. It was a emphatic three goal triumph for Andrée Jeglertz’s side thanks to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Bunny Shaw and Hemp. It was a result that clearly signaled their title credentials as they strengthened their position at the top of the table.

Successive Losses for United

This scoreline signalled back-to-back WSL defeats for Skinner's side for the maiden instance since last May, leaving them a sizable gap off the top team with their championship aspirations severely dented.

United’s capacity to manage domestic and European football with a limited roster has been a frequently analyzed topic since they secured entry to the Champions League. Reviewing the calendar, it always seemed this was the period that would truly test this ability. Sadly for the away side, they seemed tired from start to finish, the memorable win against Paris Saint-Germain clearly having left its mark.

Lineup Adjustments

The United manager had attempted to make changes with a handful of alterations. Toone, Terland, Janssen and Galton all added vigor, although the omission of the high-performing Melvine Malard to the bench was questioned.

City, in contrast, have no similar workload issues. Andrée Jeglertz made one adjustment from the previous win over Everton with Hemp making her return to the lineup since healing from a physical setback.

Dominant First Half

The storm clouds started to accumulate for the United boss and his side from the first whistle. This was a exhibition of the quality from Manchester City whose potent forward line played with and dismantled the opposition with a excellent initial 45 minutes showing that saw them score three goals in under half an hour.

This placed City completely dominant and left United all at sea. In advance of this fixture, United had allowed just few in this domestic competition but they disintegrated in the presence of City’s attacking flair.

Initial Opportunities

The warning signs came soon when Vivianne Miedema used her power to bundle Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to drag her shot past the post. Lauren Hemp was at the core of everything in the beginning, using the gap left by Riviere down United’s right side. Her passes were causing problems and led to an attempt for Yui Hasegawa that Sandberg cleared off the line.

United had a number of forays forwards, their straightforward approach giving them options in the wings but they could not test the City goalkeeper. Manchester City, meanwhile, controlled possession, teasing their opponents and trying to draw them out of their organization.

Scoring Spree

They converted their dominance with almost thirty minutes played when Aoba Fujino won the home team a set-piece. A delivery to the far post was headed across goal by Bunny Shaw for Rebecca Knaak to head in. It was Manchester City's seventh header of the season.

They increased their cushion with an additional two goals just before the break. When Rose was permitted to maraud through the center from the back, the play opened up for City. The influential Kerstin Casparij picked the ball up on the right before providing a accurate ground pass for Shaw to force home. A short time later, they had a third goal after a rapid turnover in possession saw Hemp given the opportunity to strike a shot home from distance.

After the Break

The most obvious change came from the United manager at the half-time as Malard was introduced for Terland but by this time it was ineffective to alter the outcome of the contest. Former Manchester City player Jess Park came closest, striking the post, but the visitors were offensively poor and were unable to record a one shot on goal.

The home side, meanwhile, could have extended their advantage when a superb Miedema pass sent Shaw away only for her to miss the chance but it did not affect the result to the winning team. Previously unable to defeat any opponent who ended above them the previous campaign, City's side now have victories against Arsenal and Manchester United to put them in a commanding position after nine games.