Manchester City players show their delight after Lauren Hemp put them 3-0 ahead.Photograph: Naomi Baker/WSL/WSL Football/Getty Images
Just as Storm Claudia tore through the north-west the previous evening, Manchester City blew Manchester United away at the Etihad. It was a statement 3-0 victory for Andrée Jeglertz’s side thanks to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Bunny Shaw and Lauren Hemp. It was one that truly announced their title credentials as they consolidated their place at the top of the table.
It was a result that signalled back-to-back WSL defeats for Marc Skinner’s side for the first time since May 2024, leaving them seven points off the league leaders with their title hopes hanging by a thread.
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United’s ability to juggle domestic and European football with a thin squad has been a hotly discussed topic since they qualified for the Champions League. Looking at the calendar, it always felt like this was the week that would truly test this capability. Unfortunately for the visitors, they looked fatigued throughout, the historic win against PSG clearly having taken a toll.
Skinner had tried to freshen things up with a handful of changes. Ella Toone, Elisabeth Terland, Dominique Janssen and Leah Galton all added energy, although the dropping of the in-form Melvine Malard to the bench raised a few eyebrows.
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Manchester City, in contrast, have no such loading worries. Jeglertz made one change from last week’s win over Everton with Lauren Hemp making her first start since recovering from injury.
The storm clouds started to gather for Skinner and his team from the first whistle. This was a show of the strength from City whose dynamic attack played with and pulled the visitors apart with a sublime first half performance that saw them score three goals in 21 minutes.
This put the hosts firmly in control and left United all at sea. Prior to this encounter, United had conceded just six in this league campaign but they fell apart in the face of the City’s creative prowess.
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The warning signs came early when Vivianne Miedema used her strength to bundle Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to drag her shot wide. Hemp was at the heart of everything early on, exploiting the space left by Jayde Riviere down United’s right side. Her deliveries were causing problems and led to an opportunity for Yui Hasegawa that Anna Sandberg scrambled off the line.
United had several forays forwards, their direct style giving them options in the wide areas but they could not trouble Ayaka Yamashita. City, meanwhile, dominated possession, teasing their opposition and trying to pull them out of their structure.
They made their pressure count with almost half an hour played when Aoba Fujino won the hosts a corner. A delivery to the back post was headed across goal by Shaw for Knaak to nod home. It was City’s seventh headed goal of the campaign.
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They extended their advantage with two more goals just before the break. When Jade Rose was allowed to maraud through the middle from central defence, the pitch opened up for City. The influential Kerstin Casparij picked the ball up on the right before delivering a pinpoint low cross for Shaw to bundle home. Four minutes later, they had a third after a swift turnover in possession saw Hemp afforded the space to drive a shot home from distance.
The most obvious change came from Skinner at the break as Malard entered for Terland but by this time it was too late to change the course of the game. Former Manchester City player Jess Park came closest, hitting the post, but the visitors were creatively abject and failed to register a single shot on target.
The hosts, meanwhile, could have extended their lead when a delightful Miedema long ball sent Shaw away only for her to fluff her lines but it mattered little to the hosts. Having failed to beat any team who finished above them last season, Jeglertz’s side now have victories against Arsenal and Manchester United to put them in a strong position after nine matches.