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Much like the recent storm swept through the northwest the previous evening, the home side blew Manchester United away at the Etihad. It was a convincing 3-0 triumph for the City coach's side due to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Bunny Shaw and Hemp. It was a result that clearly signaled their leadership claims as they consolidated their place at the league summit.

Successive Losses for Manchester United

This scoreline marked consecutive WSL defeats for Marc Skinner’s side for the initial occasion since last May, putting them a sizable gap off the top team with their trophy ambitions in serious doubt.

Manchester United's capacity to juggle league and European soccer with a small team has been a frequently analyzed topic since they secured entry to the Champions League. Considering the calendar, it always appeared this was the matchday that would seriously challenge this fortitude. Unfortunately for the opposition, they looked weary all game, the historic win against the French side clearly having taken a toll.

Team Changes

Marc Skinner had tried to freshen things up with a several changes. Toone, Terland, Dominique Janssen and Galton all brought vigor, although the omission of the on-form Melvine Malard to the sidelines caused surprise.

Manchester City, in comparison, have no similar fitness worries. Andrée Jeglertz made one adjustment from their most recent win over the Toffees with Hemp making her return to the lineup since recovering from a fitness issue.

Overpowering Start

The storm clouds started to build for the United boss and his squad from the kickoff. This was a show of the quality from Manchester City whose potent offense played with and tore United open with a superb initial 45 minutes performance that saw them net a trio in 21 minutes.

This put the hosts in a commanding position and had Manchester United all at sea. Before this match, the away side had allowed just six in this domestic competition but they fell apart in the presence of Manchester City's creative prowess.

Opening Threats

The warning signs came early when Vivianne Miedema used her strength to bundle Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to pull her shot wide. Hemp was at the center of everything early on, using the space left by Riviere down the visitors' right side. Her passes were posing a threat and led to an attempt for Yui Hasegawa that Sandberg cleared off the line.

The Red Devils had a number of sorties forwards, their direct style giving them options in the flanks but they could not test the City goalkeeper. Manchester City, in the meantime, commanded the ball, teasing their opponents and trying to lure them of their structure.

Goals Galore

They converted their dominance with almost thirty minutes played when Fujino won the home team a set-piece. A cross to the far post was headed across goal by Shaw for Knaak to nod home. It was City’s 7th header of the season.

They extended their cushion with an additional two goals just before the break. When Rose was able to advance through the midfield from defense, the field became spacious for City. The prominent Kerstin Casparij received possession on the right before providing a accurate ground pass for Shaw to bundle home. Shortly later, they had a additional score after a swift shift in possession saw Lauren Hemp given the opportunity to drive a attempt home from outside the box.

After the Break

The primary adjustment came from the United manager 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, striking the upright, but the away team were lacking in ideas and failed to record a solitary shot on target.

The hosts, meanwhile, could have added to their advantage when a superb Vivianne Miedema pass sent Bunny Shaw away only for her to miss the chance but it was insignificant to the winning team. After failing to beat any team who ended above them last season, City's side now have wins against Arsenal and United to put them in a commanding position after nine matches.