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Just as Storm Claudia hit the northwest the previous evening, Manchester City swept Manchester United away at the their home ground. It was a statement three goal victory for Andrée Jeglertz’s side owing to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Shaw and Lauren Hemp. It was a display that clearly signaled their title credentials as they consolidated their position at the league summit.

Consecutive Losses for Manchester United

This scoreline represented back-to-back WSL losses for the United manager's side for the first time since last May, leaving them a sizable gap off the table toppers with their trophy ambitions severely dented.

Manchester United's capability to juggle league and continental soccer with a thin squad has been a hotly discussed issue since they secured entry to the Champions League. Reviewing the calendar, it always appeared this was the week that would fully examine this fortitude. Unfortunately for the away side, they seemed weary throughout, the memorable win against Paris Saint-Germain clearly having had an impact.

Tactical Shifts

Marc Skinner had sought to freshen things up with a a few adjustments. Ella Toone, Elisabeth Terland, Janssen and Galton all added freshness, although the omission of the in-form Melvine Malard to the bench raised a few eyebrows.

City, in opposition, have fewer workload worries. Andrée Jeglertz made one change from last week’s win over Everton with Hemp making her first start since recovering from a physical setback.

Dominant First Half

The pressure started to gather for Skinner and his team from the kickoff. This was a demonstration of the power from Manchester City whose potent forward line played with and dismantled the opposition with a sublime opening period display that saw them put three past the keeper in 21 minutes.

This placed City in a commanding position and had Manchester United all at sea. Prior to this fixture, the away side had conceded just few in this league campaign but they collapsed in the face of City’s attacking flair.

Initial Opportunities

The warning signs came early when Vivianne Miedema used her strength to bundle Zigiotti off the ball, only to pull her shot past the post. Hemp was at the heart of everything from the start, exploiting the room left by Jayde Riviere down the visitors' right side. Her deliveries were posing a threat and led to an opportunity for Hasegawa that Sandberg cleared off the line.

United had a number of forays forward, their straightforward approach giving them options in the wings but they could not test Ayaka Yamashita. Manchester City, in the meantime, dominated possession, teasing their opposition and trying to draw them out of their defensive shape.

Goals Galore

They made their pressure count with almost half an hour played when Aoba Fujino won the home team a corner. A delivery to the back post was headed across goal by Bunny Shaw for Knaak to score. It was City’s 7th goal from a cross of the campaign.

They added to their lead with two more goals just before the interval. When Jade Rose was allowed to maraud through the middle from defense, the pitch opened up for the hosts. The key Casparij picked the ball up on the wing before providing a pinpoint ground pass for Shaw to force home. Four minutes later, they had a additional score after a swift turnover in possession saw Hemp allowed the space to fire a shot home from distance.

Second Half

The primary substitution came from Skinner at the break as Melvine Malard was introduced for Terland but by this time it was futile to shift the momentum of the contest. Former Manchester City player Jess Park came most likely to score, striking the upright, but the away team were creatively abject and failed to register a single shot on goal.

The hosts, meanwhile, could have extended their cushion when a superb Miedema pass sent Bunny Shaw away only for her to miss the chance but it mattered little to the hosts. Having failed to beat any opponent who finished above them in the prior term, Jeglertz’s side now have victories against Arsenal and Manchester United to place them in a commanding situation after the opening fixtures.