Man City Three-Nil Man United: Lauren Hemp finds the net in City stroll.
Similar to bad weather hit the northern region the previous evening, Manchester City overwhelmed United away at the Etihad Stadium. It was a statement three goal victory for Andrée Jeglertz’s side owing to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Bunny Shaw and Hemp. It was a display that truly announced their championship potential as they reinforced their standing at the WSL pinnacle.
Consecutive Defeats for United
This outcome signalled back-to-back WSL losses for the United manager's side for the maiden instance since last May, leaving them seven points off the top team with their trophy ambitions in serious doubt.
United’s ability to juggle league and continental football with a limited team has been a hotly discussed issue since they qualified for the Champions League. Looking at the fixture list, it always seemed this was the week that would seriously challenge this capability. Regrettably for the visitors, they appeared tired all game, the historic win against PSG clearly having taken a toll.
Team Changes
Skinner had attempted to freshen things up with a a few changes. Ella Toone, Elisabeth Terland, Janssen and Galton all brought vigor, although the exclusion of the in-form Malard to the substitutes was questioned.
Manchester City, in opposition, have no similar loading worries. Andrée Jeglertz made a single alteration from their most recent win over the Toffees with Lauren Hemp making her return to the lineup since recovering from a fitness issue.
Dominant First Half
The storm clouds started to build for the United boss and his team from the first whistle. This was a demonstration of the power from City whose potent offense manipulated and pulled the visitors apart with a superb first half display that saw them put three past the keeper in just over twenty minutes.
This put the hosts completely dominant and left United struggling. Before this match, the away side had let in just six in this domestic competition but they disintegrated in the wake of City’s offensive ingenuity.
Initial Opportunities
The omens came soon when Vivianne Miedema used her power to push Zigiotti off the ball, only to send her shot wide. Lauren Hemp was at the heart of everything from the start, exploiting the room left by Jayde Riviere down the visitors' right side. Her crosses were causing problems and led to an opportunity for Hasegawa that Anna Sandberg scrambled off the line.
United had several forays ahead, their long-ball tactic giving them choices in the wings but they could not challenge Ayaka Yamashita. City, on the other hand, commanded the ball, teasing their opposition and trying to pull them out of their structure.
Goals Galore
They converted their dominance with almost half an hour played when Aoba Fujino won the home team a set-piece. A cross to the far post was nodded across goal by Shaw for Rebecca Knaak to score. It was City’s 7th goal from a cross of the campaign.
They increased their cushion with an additional two goals just before the break. When Rose was able to maraud through the center from the back, the field opened up for the hosts. The key Kerstin Casparij picked the ball up on the right side before sending a precise ground pass for Bunny Shaw to tap home. Four minutes later, they had a additional score after a swift turnover in possession saw Hemp given the space to fire a effort home from outside the box.
Second Half
The most obvious adjustment came from the United manager at the interval as Melvine Malard was introduced for Elisabeth Terland but by this time it was too late to shift the momentum of the match. Former Manchester City player Park came closest, rattling the post, but the away team were creatively abject and were unable to register a single shot on target.
The hosts, in contrast, could have increased their cushion when a superb Miedema long ball sent Shaw away only for her to miss the chance but it did not affect the result to the winning team. Previously unable to defeat any team who finished above them last season, the manager's side now have wins against Arsenal and Manchester United to position them in a strong standing after nine games.