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Just as the recent storm tore through the northwest the prior day, the home side blew Manchester United aside at the Etihad Stadium. It was a emphatic 3-0 victory for the City coach's side thanks to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Shaw and Hemp. It was a result that clearly signaled their championship potential as they consolidated their place at the top of the table.

Back-to-Back Losses for Manchester United

This result marked successive WSL defeats for the United manager's side for the maiden instance since last May, placing them a sizable gap off the table toppers with their trophy ambitions in serious doubt.

Manchester United's ability to manage league and European soccer with a small team has been a hotly discussed topic since they secured entry to the Champions League. Considering the calendar, it always appeared this was the period that would fully examine this fortitude. Regrettably for the visitors, they looked fatigued all game, the landmark win against the French side clearly having left its mark.

Team Changes

Marc Skinner had sought to rotate the squad with a several adjustments. Ella Toone, Terland, Janssen and Leah Galton all brought freshness, although the omission of the on-form Malard to the substitutes raised a few eyebrows.

The hosts, in contrast, have no such loading worries. Jeglertz made one adjustment from last week’s win over Everton with Lauren Hemp making her initial starting appearance since returning from injury.

Dominant First Half

The trouble started to gather for the United boss and his side from the kickoff. This was a show of the strength from Manchester City whose dynamic attack controlled and dismantled the opposition with a superb first half showing that saw them score three goals in just over twenty minutes.

This left the home team firmly in control and left United disorganized. Prior to this fixture, United had allowed just a handful in this domestic competition but they disintegrated in the presence of Manchester City's creative prowess.

Initial Opportunities

The early indicators came early when Miedema used her power to bundle Zigiotti off the ball, only to drag her shot off target. Hemp was at the core of everything early on, exploiting the gap left by Riviere down United’s wing. Her deliveries were causing problems and led to an attempt for Hasegawa that Anna Sandberg kicked off the line.

United had multiple sorties forwards, their long-ball tactic giving them choices in the wings but they could not test Ayaka Yamashita. Manchester City, meanwhile, controlled possession, taunting their opposition and trying to lure them of their organization.

Triple Strike

They turned chances into goals with almost half an hour played when Fujino won the home team a set-piece. A cross to the back post was nodded across goal by Bunny Shaw for Rebecca Knaak to score. It was City’s seventh goal from a cross of the term.

They extended their advantage with two more goals just before the interval. When Jade Rose was able to maraud through the midfield from central defence, the pitch opened up for City. The key Kerstin Casparij picked the ball up on the right side before sending a pinpoint driven ball for Shaw to tap home. Shortly later, they had a third after a rapid change in the ball saw Hemp afforded the room to drive a effort home from distance.

After the Break

The clearest substitution came from the United manager at the half-time as Malard was introduced for Elisabeth Terland but by this time it was ineffective to change the course of the contest. Ex- Manchester City player Jess Park came nearest, hitting the post, but the visitors were offensively poor and were unable to record a single shot on goal.

The home side, in contrast, could have added to their advantage when a excellent Vivianne 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 opponent who finished above them last season, the manager's side now have successes against the Gunners and United to place them in a strong position after nine games.