🔗 Share this article

Much like Storm Claudia swept through the northern region the night before, Manchester City overwhelmed United away at the Etihad Stadium. It was a convincing 3-0 win for Andrée Jeglertz’s side thanks to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Shaw and Hemp. It was a performance that firmly established their leadership claims as they strengthened their position at the league summit.

Back-to-Back Defeats for United

This result represented successive Women's Super League losses for Marc Skinner’s side for the first time since last May, putting them a significant margin off the top team with their championship aspirations hanging by a thread.

The Red Devils' ability to juggle league and European soccer with a thin roster has been a hotly discussed subject since they qualified for the UCL. Reviewing the fixture list, it always felt like this was the matchday that would seriously challenge this ability. Regrettably for the away side, they looked weary throughout, the landmark win against Paris Saint-Germain clearly having taken a toll.

Tactical Shifts

Skinner had tried to rotate the squad with a handful of alterations. Toone, Terland, Janssen and Galton all brought vigor, although the exclusion of the in-form Malard to the sidelines was questioned.

City, in comparison, have no such fitness issues. Andrée Jeglertz made a single alteration from the previous win over the Toffees with Hemp making her initial starting appearance since healing from a physical setback.

Dominant First Half

The storm clouds started to gather for Skinner and his side from the kickoff. This was a show of the strength from Manchester City whose dynamic forward line manipulated and dismantled the opposition with a sublime opening period showing that saw them score three goals in just over twenty minutes.

This put the hosts completely dominant and had Manchester United disorganized. Prior to this encounter, the away side had allowed just six in this league campaign but they fell apart in the wake of City’s attacking flair.

Early Chances

The early indicators came quickly when Vivianne Miedema used her strength to muscle Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to pull her shot past the post. Hemp was at the core of everything in the beginning, taking advantage of the space left by Jayde Riviere down United’s wing. Her deliveries were posing a threat and led to an opportunity for Yui Hasegawa that Anna Sandberg cleared off the line.

United had a number of sorties forwards, their long-ball tactic giving them choices in the wings but they could not trouble Ayaka Yamashita. City, in the meantime, controlled possession, teasing their opponents and trying to draw them out of their organization.

Goals Galore

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

They extended their advantage with an additional two goals just before the break. When Rose was permitted to drive through the center from central defence, the field became spacious for the hosts. The influential Casparij received possession on the right side before sending a accurate ground pass for Shaw to force home. Four minutes later, they had a third after a rapid shift in possession saw Hemp given the space to strike a effort home from outside the box.

Second Half

The clearest change came from Skinner at the half-time as Malard entered for Terland but by this time it was too late to shift the momentum of the match. Former Manchester City player Park came most likely to score, hitting the woodwork, but the away team were offensively poor and failed to produce a one shot on target.

The hosts, meanwhile, could have increased their lead when a superb Miedema pass sent Shaw away only for her to fail to convert but it was insignificant to the hosts. Previously unable to overcome any team who ended above them the previous campaign, City's side now have wins against Arsenal and Manchester United to position them in a favorable standing after the opening fixtures.