Man City Three Goals to Nil Manchester United: Lauren Hemp finds the net in City stroll.

Much like Storm Claudia swept through the northwest the previous evening, Manchester City blew Manchester United aside at the their home ground. It was a statement 3-0 victory for the City coach's side due to goals from Knaak, Bunny Shaw and Hemp. It was a result that truly announced their leadership claims as they strengthened their place at the top of the table.

Back-to-Back Setbacks for Manchester United

This scoreline marked back-to-back WSL defeats for the United manager's side for the initial occasion since last May, placing them seven points off the table toppers with their championship aspirations hanging by a thread.

The Red Devils' ability to juggle domestic and continental soccer with a limited roster has been a frequently analyzed topic since they earned a place in the Champions League. Considering the fixture list, it always appeared this was the period that would fully examine this ability. Unfortunately for the away side, they looked weary throughout, the historic win against the French side clearly having had an impact.

Tactical Shifts

Marc Skinner had tried to rotate the squad with a handful of adjustments. Toone, Elisabeth Terland, Dominique Janssen and Galton all added vigor, although the omission of the in-form Malard to the substitutes was questioned.

The hosts, in opposition, have no similar fitness concerns. Andrée Jeglertz made one adjustment from their most recent win over Everton with Hemp making her initial starting appearance since recovering from injury.

Overpowering Start

The pressure started to gather for Skinner and his team from the kickoff. This was a show of the power from City whose dynamic attack manipulated and tore United open with a superb initial 45 minutes performance that saw them put three past the keeper in just over twenty minutes.

This put the hosts completely dominant and left United all at sea. In advance of this fixture, United had conceded just a handful in this domestic competition but they collapsed in the face of Manchester City's attacking flair.

Opening Threats

The early indicators came soon when Vivianne Miedema used her power to push Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to drag her shot past the post. Lauren Hemp was at the heart of everything early on, using the gap left by Riviere down the visitors' right flank. Her passes were causing problems and led to an chance for Yui Hasegawa that Sandberg scrambled off the line.

The Red Devils had several forays forwards, their long-ball tactic giving them choices in the flanks but they could not test the City goalkeeper. Manchester City, meanwhile, controlled the ball, taunting their rivals and trying to lure them of their structure.

Goals Galore

They turned chances into goals with almost half an hour played when Aoba Fujino won the hosts a set-piece. A ball to the back post was nodded across goal by Shaw for Rebecca Knaak to score. It was City’s 7th headed goal of the campaign.

They added to their lead with two more goals just before the interval. When Rose was permitted to maraud through the midfield from the back, the pitch became spacious for the hosts. The key Casparij received possession on the right side before providing a precise ground pass for Shaw to bundle home. Four minutes later, they had a third goal after a rapid shift in the ball saw Lauren Hemp allowed the room to drive a effort home from outside the box.

Final Period

The primary change came from Skinner at the interval as Melvine Malard came on for Terland but by this time it was futile to alter the outcome of the contest. Former Manchester City player Park came nearest, hitting the upright, but the visitors were creatively abject and failed to record a single shot on goal.

The hosts, on the other hand, could have extended their advantage when a excellent Vivianne Miedema through ball sent Bunny Shaw away only for her to fail to convert but it was insignificant to the winning team. After failing to beat any team who ended above them in the prior term, City's side now have wins against Arsenal and United to position them in a strong position after nine matches.