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Much like Storm Claudia hit the northern region the night before, the home side swept Manchester United aside at the their home ground. It was a statement three-nil triumph for their manager's side due to goals from Knaak, Shaw and Hemp. It was a result that clearly signaled their championship potential as they strengthened their place at the WSL pinnacle.

Consecutive Defeats for United

This scoreline represented back-to-back WSL losses for the United manager's side for the initial occasion since last May, leaving them seven points off the top team with their title hopes hanging by a thread.

The Red Devils' capability to balance league and European football with a small squad has been a hotly discussed topic since they secured entry to the Champions League. Reviewing the fixture list, it always appeared this was the period that would truly test this capability. Unfortunately for the away side, they seemed tired throughout, the memorable win against the French side clearly having left its mark.

Team Changes

The United manager had tried to make changes with a handful of alterations. Toone, Terland, Janssen and Leah Galton all brought freshness, although the exclusion of the high-performing Malard to the substitutes raised a few eyebrows.

City, in opposition, have no such workload concerns. Andrée Jeglertz made a single alteration from last week’s win over Everton with Hemp making her initial starting appearance since returning from injury.

Dominant First Half

The pressure started to accumulate for the United boss and his side from the kickoff. This was a show of the quality from Manchester City whose potent offense manipulated and dismantled the opposition with a superb initial 45 minutes performance that saw them score three goals in 21 minutes.

This left the home team firmly in control and left United disorganized. In advance of this fixture, the away side had let in just few in this WSL season but they disintegrated in the face of Manchester City's attacking flair.

Opening Threats

The warning signs came soon when Vivianne Miedema used her strength to muscle Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to pull her shot wide. Lauren Hemp was at the core of everything in the beginning, exploiting the gap left by Riviere down United’s wing. Her passes were causing problems and led to an chance for Hasegawa that Anna Sandberg kicked off the line.

United had multiple forays forwards, their long-ball tactic giving them options in the wide areas but they could not challenge the City goalkeeper. Manchester City, in the meantime, dominated the ball, teasing their opposition and trying to draw them out of their organization.

Goals Galore

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

They added to their advantage with two more goals just before the half-time. When Jade Rose was allowed to maraud through the middle from central defence, the pitch became spacious for City. The influential Kerstin Casparij received possession on the right side before sending a pinpoint driven ball for Bunny Shaw to force home. A short time later, they had a third after a swift turnover in the ball saw Hemp allowed the opportunity to drive a shot home from range.

Second Half

The clearest adjustment came from Skinner at the break as Melvine Malard was introduced for Terland but by this time it was futile to alter the outcome of the contest. Ex- Manchester City player Park came nearest, hitting the woodwork, but the visitors were creatively abject and failed to register a solitary shot on goal.

The home side, in contrast, could have added to their cushion when a delightful Miedema pass sent Shaw away only for her to miss the chance but it did not affect the result to the winning team. Having failed to overcome any side who placed above them the previous campaign, City's side now have wins against Arsenal and Manchester United to position them in a strong position after nine games.