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Just as Storm Claudia swept through the north-west the night before, the home side overwhelmed Manchester United aside at the Etihad Stadium. It was a emphatic three goal win for their manager's side due to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Shaw and Lauren Hemp. It was a display that truly announced their leadership claims as they consolidated their place at the WSL pinnacle.

Successive Losses for Manchester United

This outcome marked successive WSL defeats for Marc Skinner’s side for the first time since last May, leaving them a significant margin off the top team with their title hopes severely dented.

United’s capability to manage league and continental soccer with a limited squad has been a frequently analyzed topic since they qualified for the UCL. Reviewing the schedule, it always appeared this was the week that would truly test this ability. Sadly for the opposition, they looked fatigued from start to finish, the historic win against PSG clearly having left its mark.

Lineup Adjustments

The United manager had tried to rotate the squad with a handful of alterations. Ella Toone, Elisabeth Terland, Dominique Janssen and Galton all added freshness, although the dropping of the on-form Malard to the sidelines was questioned.

City, in comparison, have no similar loading worries. Jeglertz made a single alteration from the previous win over Everton with Hemp making her return to the lineup since returning from a fitness issue.

Commanding Opening Period

The trouble started to accumulate for the United boss and his side from the kickoff. This was a demonstration of the strength from City whose dynamic attack played with and dismantled the opposition with a sublime first half showing that saw them score three goals in just over twenty minutes.

This put the hosts in a commanding position and saw the visitors disorganized. Before this match, the away side had conceded just six in this league campaign but they collapsed in the presence of City’s creative prowess.

Initial Opportunities

The omens came early when Miedema used her power to push Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to pull her shot past the post. Hemp was at the heart of everything early on, taking advantage of the space left by Jayde Riviere down United’s right flank. Her crosses were creating danger and led to an chance for Hasegawa that Anna Sandberg kicked off the line.

The Red Devils had several attacks ahead, their direct style giving them alternatives in the wings but they could not trouble the City goalkeeper. Manchester City, on the other hand, dominated possession, taunting their rivals and trying to lure them of their structure.

Goals Galore

They made their pressure count with almost the first period played when Aoba Fujino won the hosts a set-piece. A cross to the far post was directed across goal by Bunny Shaw for Knaak to nod home. It was Manchester City's 7th goal from a cross of the term.

They extended their advantage with an additional two goals just before the interval. When Rose was able to maraud through the middle from central defence, the field became spacious for the hosts. The key Kerstin Casparij picked the ball up on the wing before sending a accurate ground pass for Bunny Shaw to tap home. Four minutes later, they had a third after a rapid change in the ball saw Hemp given the opportunity to strike a shot home from range.

After the Break

The primary change came from Skinner at the interval as Melvine Malard entered for Terland but by this time it was too late to change the course of the contest. Former Manchester City player Jess Park came nearest, hitting the upright, but the visitors were offensively poor and were unable to record a single shot on target.

The home side, in contrast, could have extended their advantage when a delightful Miedema pass sent Shaw away only for her to fluff her lines but it did not affect the result to the winning team. Previously unable to defeat any team who placed above them last season, City's side now have successes against Arsenal and United to put them in a favorable situation after nine games.