The Citizens Three-Nil Man United: Lauren Hemp scores in Manchester City comfortable victory.

Much like the recent storm hit the northern region the night before, City blew the visitors away at the Etihad. It was a statement 3-0 triumph for Andrée Jeglertz’s side due to goals from Knaak, Shaw and Lauren Hemp. It was a result that clearly signaled their leadership claims as they consolidated their standing at the top of the table.

Consecutive Setbacks for United

This result signalled back-to-back Women's Super League defeats for Skinner's side for the first time since last May, placing them a significant margin off the top team with their trophy ambitions severely dented.

The Red Devils' ability to manage domestic and continental football with a thin squad has been a widely debated topic since they earned a place in the UCL. Reviewing the fixture list, it always felt like this was the matchday that would seriously challenge this capability. Sadly for the opposition, they looked tired throughout, the landmark win against Paris Saint-Germain clearly having had an impact.

Team Changes

Skinner had attempted to make changes with a several alterations. Toone, Elisabeth Terland, Janssen and Galton all provided energy, although the omission of the in-form Malard to the bench raised a few eyebrows.

Manchester City, in contrast, have fewer loading worries. Jeglertz made a single alteration from their most recent win over the Toffees with Lauren Hemp making her initial starting appearance since returning from a fitness issue.

Overpowering Start

The trouble started to accumulate for the United boss and his team from the opening minute. This was a demonstration of the quality from City whose potent offense played with and pulled the visitors apart with a sublime initial 45 minutes showing that saw them net a trio in 21 minutes.

This placed City in a commanding position and saw the visitors struggling. Before this match, the away side had conceded just few in this league campaign but they disintegrated in the face of the hosts' creative prowess.

Initial Opportunities

The early indicators came soon when Miedema used her strength to bundle Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to send her shot wide. Lauren Hemp was at the heart of everything from the start, exploiting the gap left by Riviere down the visitors' right flank. Her deliveries were posing a threat and led to an attempt for Hasegawa that Anna Sandberg scrambled off the line.

United had a number of forays forward, their long-ball tactic giving them choices in the wide areas but they could not challenge Ayaka Yamashita. Manchester City, meanwhile, controlled the ball, taunting their opposition and trying to pull them out of their organization.

Triple Strike

They converted their dominance with almost half an hour played when Aoba Fujino won the hosts a corner. A ball to the back post was directed across goal by Shaw for Knaak to head in. It was Manchester City's 7th header of the campaign.

They added to their cushion with two more goals just before the break. When Jade Rose was allowed to advance through the middle from central defence, the play became spacious for the hosts. The key Kerstin Casparij collected the pass on the right before sending a pinpoint driven ball for Shaw to bundle home. Four minutes later, they had a third goal after a swift turnover in the ball saw Hemp given the opportunity to drive a attempt home from outside the box.

Final Period

The most obvious substitution came from the United manager at the break as Melvine Malard was introduced for Terland but by this time it was futile to alter the outcome of the contest. Ex- City player Jess Park came closest, rattling the woodwork, but the visitors were lacking in ideas and were unable to register a single shot on target.

The home side, on the other hand, could have added to their advantage when a delightful Miedema through ball sent Bunny Shaw away only for her to fluff her lines but it was insignificant to the hosts. Previously unable to defeat any side who finished above them in the prior term, Jeglertz’s side now have victories against Arsenal and United to position them in a strong position after nine matches.