Manchester City Three-Nil The Red Devils: Lauren Hemp finds the net in Manchester City comfortable victory.
Similar to bad weather tore through the north-west the previous evening, the home side swept Manchester United away at the their home ground. It was a statement three-nil triumph for Andrée Jeglertz’s side thanks to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Shaw and Lauren Hemp. It was a display that clearly signaled their championship potential as they consolidated their position at the top of the table.
Back-to-Back Defeats for Manchester United
This scoreline signalled consecutive WSL defeats for Marc Skinner’s side for the initial occasion since last May, putting them seven points off the table toppers with their trophy ambitions hanging by a thread.
The Red Devils' capacity to manage league and continental soccer with a small team has been a hotly discussed subject since they earned a place in the UCL. Considering the calendar, it always seemed this was the matchday that would fully examine this ability. Sadly for the visitors, they looked weary from start to finish, the landmark win against PSG clearly having taken a toll.
Team Changes
Marc Skinner had sought to freshen things up with a several alterations. Toone, Terland, Dominique Janssen and Galton all brought freshness, although the exclusion of the on-form Malard to the bench was questioned.
Manchester City, in comparison, have no such loading concerns. Andrée Jeglertz made one adjustment from their most recent win over Everton with Lauren Hemp making her initial starting appearance since returning from a physical setback.
Dominant First Half
The trouble started to gather for the United boss and his squad from the opening minute. This was a show of the power from City whose dynamic offense played with and dismantled the opposition with a excellent first half display that saw them score three goals in 21 minutes.
This left the home team in a commanding position and had Manchester United all at sea. Before this match, United had conceded just six in this league campaign but they disintegrated in the presence of the hosts' offensive ingenuity.
Opening Threats
The omens came quickly when Miedema used her strength to muscle Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to send her shot wide. Lauren Hemp was at the center of everything from the start, using the gap left by Riviere down the visitors' wing. Her crosses were causing problems and led to an attempt for Yui Hasegawa that Anna Sandberg cleared off the line.
United had multiple forays forward, their straightforward approach giving them alternatives in the flanks but they could not test the City goalkeeper. City, meanwhile, dominated the ball, probing their opposition and trying to draw them out of their defensive shape.
Scoring Spree
They turned chances into goals with almost thirty minutes played when Fujino won the hosts a set-piece. A cross to the far post was directed across goal by Shaw for Knaak to score. It was Manchester City's seventh header of the season.
They added to their advantage with an additional two goals just before the interval. When Jade Rose was permitted to maraud through the middle from central defence, the field opened up for City. The influential Kerstin Casparij received possession on the wing before sending a precise ground pass for Shaw to tap home. Shortly later, they had a third goal after a rapid turnover in possession saw Hemp given the opportunity to fire a shot home from distance.
Final Period
The most obvious substitution came from Skinner at the break as Malard was introduced for Elisabeth Terland but by this time it was futile to alter the outcome of the contest. Ex- City player Park came most likely to score, striking the post, but the visitors were offensively poor and failed to register a one shot on goal.
The home side, meanwhile, could have added to their cushion when a superb Vivianne Miedema pass sent Bunny Shaw away only for her to fail to convert but it did not affect the result to the hosts. After failing to overcome any side who ended above them in the prior term, City's side now have victories against the Gunners and United to put them in a favorable situation after the opening fixtures.