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Just as the recent storm tore through the northwest the night before, the home side overwhelmed Manchester United away at the Etihad Stadium. It was a convincing 3-0 win for Andrée Jeglertz’s side due to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Shaw and Hemp. It was a performance that clearly signaled their championship potential as they strengthened their standing at the WSL pinnacle.

Consecutive Defeats for Manchester United

This outcome signalled successive Women's Super League defeats for Skinner's side for the first time since last May, placing them a sizable gap off the league leaders with their trophy ambitions in serious doubt.

United’s ability to manage domestic and European football with a thin squad has been a hotly discussed issue since they qualified for the European competition. Considering the schedule, it always felt like this was the period that would seriously challenge this capability. Unfortunately for the visitors, they seemed weary throughout, the memorable win against the French side clearly having had an impact.

Tactical Shifts

Skinner had attempted to freshen things up with a handful of alterations. Toone, Elisabeth Terland, Dominique Janssen and Leah Galton all added energy, although the exclusion of the high-performing Melvine Malard to the bench caused surprise.

The hosts, in contrast, have no similar fitness concerns. Andrée Jeglertz made a single alteration from their most recent win over Everton with Hemp making her first start since healing from a fitness issue.

Dominant First Half

The trouble started to build for the United boss and his team from the opening minute. This was a show of the strength from Manchester City whose energetic forward line played with and tore United open with a excellent first half performance that saw them put three past the keeper in under half an hour.

This placed City in a commanding position and left United all at sea. Before this encounter, the away side had allowed just a handful in this domestic competition but they fell apart in the face of City’s attacking flair.

Initial Opportunities

The omens came quickly when Miedema used her power to push Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to drag her shot off target. Hemp was at the heart of everything early on, using the gap left by Jayde Riviere down United’s right flank. Her crosses were posing a threat and led to an chance for Hasegawa that Sandberg kicked off the line.

United had a number of sorties forward, their direct style giving them alternatives in the wide areas but they could not test Ayaka Yamashita. Manchester City, in the meantime, dominated possession, probing their rivals and trying to lure them of their organization.

Triple Strike

They turned chances into goals with almost thirty minutes played when Fujino won the home team a set-piece. A ball to the back post was headed across goal by Shaw for Knaak to nod home. It was City’s seventh header of the term.

They extended their advantage with another pair of goals just before the half-time. When Jade Rose was allowed to maraud through the middle from the back, the play opened up for City. The influential Casparij picked the ball up on the wing before sending a accurate low cross for Shaw to tap home. Four minutes later, they had a third after a quick turnover in possession saw Lauren Hemp given the room to fire a shot home from range.

Second Half

The clearest change came from Skinner at the half-time as Malard entered for Terland but by this time it was ineffective to alter the outcome of the contest. Former Manchester City player Jess Park came nearest, striking the upright, but the visitors were creatively abject and failed to record a solitary shot on target.

The hosts, meanwhile, could have extended their lead when a excellent Miedema pass sent Bunny Shaw away only for her to fluff her lines but it did not affect the result to the winning team. After failing to overcome any opponent who ended above them the previous campaign, City's side now have victories against Arsenal and Manchester United to place them in a favorable standing after the opening fixtures.