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Much like Storm Claudia swept through the north-west the night before, the home side overwhelmed Manchester United aside at the Etihad Stadium. It was a statement three-nil win for Andrée Jeglertz’s side owing to goals from Knaak, Bunny Shaw and Hemp. It was a result that truly announced their championship potential as they consolidated their standing at the league summit.

Back-to-Back Setbacks for Manchester United

This scoreline marked successive WSL setbacks for Marc Skinner’s side for the maiden instance since last May, putting them a significant margin off the top team with their trophy ambitions in serious doubt.

United’s capacity to balance domestic and European soccer with a thin roster has been a widely debated issue since they earned a place in the European competition. Considering the fixture list, it always seemed this was the matchday that would seriously challenge this fortitude. Sadly for the away side, they seemed tired throughout, the historic win against PSG clearly having had an impact.

Lineup Adjustments

Marc Skinner had tried to freshen things up with a handful of changes. Toone, Terland, Dominique Janssen and Leah Galton all added energy, although the exclusion of the in-form Malard to the substitutes caused surprise.

The hosts, in comparison, have no such fitness concerns. Jeglertz made one change from the previous win over Everton with Lauren Hemp making her initial starting appearance since returning from a physical setback.

Commanding Opening Period

The pressure started to gather for Skinner and his team from the first whistle. This was a demonstration of the power from Manchester City whose dynamic attack manipulated and pulled the visitors apart with a sublime first half display that saw them score three goals in under half an hour.

This left the home team firmly in control and left United disorganized. Before this fixture, United had allowed just six in this domestic competition but they collapsed in the presence of Manchester City's creative prowess.

Initial Opportunities

The omens came quickly when Vivianne Miedema used her power to muscle Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to drag her shot wide. Hemp was at the core of everything from the start, using the gap left by Riviere down United’s right side. Her deliveries were causing problems and led to an opportunity for Yui Hasegawa that Anna Sandberg scrambled off the line.

The Red Devils had a number of forays forwards, their straightforward approach giving them options in the wings but they could not test the City goalkeeper. Manchester City, in the meantime, commanded the ball, taunting their opposition and trying to lure them of their structure.

Goals Galore

They made their pressure count with almost the first period played when Fujino won the home team a set-piece. A delivery to the back post was nodded across goal by Bunny Shaw for Rebecca Knaak to nod home. It was City’s 7th header of the season.

They increased their cushion with another pair of goals just before the break. When Rose was allowed to drive through the middle from central defence, the pitch opened up for the hosts. The key Kerstin Casparij picked the ball up on the right before providing a pinpoint ground pass for Shaw to force home. A short time later, they had a additional score after a swift shift in the ball saw Hemp allowed the opportunity to strike a shot home from range.

After the Break

The most obvious adjustment came from the United manager at the half-time as Malard entered for Terland but by this time it was futile to alter the outcome of the contest. Ex- Manchester City player Jess Park came most likely to score, striking the upright, but the visitors were creatively abject and did not manage to record a single shot on target.

The home side, in contrast, could have increased their advantage when a delightful Miedema pass sent Bunny Shaw away only for her to fluff her lines but it did not affect the result to the winning team. Previously unable to beat any team who placed above them last season, the manager's side now have victories against Arsenal and United to place them in a strong position after nine games.