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Similar to Storm Claudia swept through the north-west the previous evening, City swept Manchester United away at the Etihad Stadium. It was a statement 3-0 victory for their manager's side thanks to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Bunny Shaw and Hemp. It was a display that firmly established their title credentials as they consolidated their place at the WSL pinnacle.

Back-to-Back Losses for United

This result marked back-to-back WSL defeats for the United manager's side for the maiden instance since last May, putting them seven points off the table toppers with their trophy ambitions severely dented.

Manchester United's capacity to balance league and European football with a limited roster has been a hotly discussed issue since they qualified for the European competition. Reviewing the calendar, it always felt like this was the matchday that would fully examine this ability. Unfortunately for the away side, they appeared fatigued throughout, the landmark win against PSG clearly having left its mark.

Team Changes

The United manager had sought to freshen things up with a a few changes. Toone, Elisabeth Terland, Janssen and Galton all brought freshness, although the omission of the in-form Melvine Malard to the substitutes was questioned.

The hosts, in contrast, have no similar workload issues. The City coach made one adjustment from last week’s win over Everton with Hemp making her return to the lineup since recovering from a fitness issue.

Dominant First Half

The storm clouds started to gather for Skinner and his side from the kickoff. This was a show of the power from City whose dynamic forward line manipulated and pulled the visitors apart with a sublime initial 45 minutes performance that saw them put three past the keeper in just over twenty minutes.

This placed City in a commanding position and left United struggling. Prior to this fixture, United had let in just few in this domestic competition but they fell apart in the face of City’s creative prowess.

Initial Opportunities

The early indicators came soon when Miedema used her physicality to bundle Zigiotti off the ball, only to drag her shot off target. Hemp was at the center of everything early on, exploiting the gap left by Riviere down United’s right flank. Her passes were posing a threat and led to an attempt for Yui Hasegawa that Anna Sandberg cleared off the line.

United had several sorties forwards, their direct style giving them options in the wide areas but they could not test the City goalkeeper. Manchester City, on the other hand, commanded the ball, taunting their opposition and trying to draw them out of their structure.

Triple Strike

They made their pressure count with almost half an hour played when Aoba Fujino won the hosts a set-piece. A cross to the far post was directed across goal by Shaw for Knaak to score. It was City’s seventh goal from a cross of the term.

They increased their lead with an additional two goals just before the half-time. When Jade Rose was allowed to drive through the midfield from the back, the pitch opened up for City. The influential Kerstin Casparij picked the ball up on the right before sending a precise driven ball for Shaw to bundle home. Shortly later, they had a third after a swift change in possession saw Hemp afforded the space to strike a attempt home from outside the box.

Second Half

The clearest adjustment came from Skinner at the break as Malard was introduced for Terland but by this time it was too late to shift the momentum of the game. Former Manchester City player Park came closest, striking the woodwork, but the away team were creatively abject and failed to register a one shot on goal.

The home side, on the other hand, could have increased their lead when a excellent Miedema pass sent Shaw away only for her to fail to convert but it mattered little to the hosts. Having failed to defeat any side who ended above them the previous campaign, Jeglertz’s side now have successes against Arsenal and Manchester United to put them in a favorable standing after nine games.