🔗 Share this article Manchester City Three-Nil Man United: Hemp on target in City comfortable victory. Just as Storm Claudia swept through the north-west the previous evening, City overwhelmed Manchester United away at the their home ground. It was a emphatic 3-0 victory for their manager's side owing to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Bunny Shaw and Hemp. It was a display that truly announced their title credentials as they consolidated their standing at the league summit. Successive Losses for United This scoreline signalled back-to-back Women's Super League setbacks for Skinner's side for the initial occasion since last May, leaving them seven points off the table toppers with their title hopes hanging by a thread. United’s capacity to balance league and European football with a small roster has been a hotly discussed issue since they secured entry to the UCL. Considering the calendar, it always appeared this was the week that would fully examine this capability. Sadly for the away side, they looked weary all game, the historic win against Paris Saint-Germain clearly having had an impact. Team Changes Marc Skinner had sought to freshen things up with a handful of adjustments. Toone, Terland, Janssen and Leah Galton all added vigor, although the omission of the in-form Malard to the bench was questioned. City, in comparison, have no similar loading worries. Andrée Jeglertz made one adjustment from the previous win over Everton with Hemp making her initial starting appearance since returning from injury. Commanding Opening Period The pressure started to accumulate for Skinner and his side from the kickoff. This was a exhibition of the quality from Manchester City whose energetic offense manipulated and pulled the visitors apart with a superb first half display that saw them score three goals in 21 minutes. This placed City in a commanding position and left United struggling. Before this match, the away side had conceded just six in this league campaign but they disintegrated in the face of the hosts' creative prowess. Opening Threats The omens came soon when Vivianne Miedema used her strength to muscle Zigiotti off the ball, only to send her shot past the post. Hemp was at the center of everything in the beginning, taking advantage of the room left by Riviere down the visitors' right side. Her crosses were posing a threat and led to an opportunity for Yui Hasegawa that Anna Sandberg kicked off the line. United had multiple sorties forward, their straightforward approach giving them alternatives in the wings but they could not test Ayaka Yamashita. City, meanwhile, commanded the ball, teasing their opponents and trying to lure them of their defensive shape. Scoring Spree They converted their dominance with almost half an hour played when Aoba Fujino won the home team a corner. A delivery to the back post was nodded across goal by Bunny Shaw for Knaak to score. It was City’s 7th header of the term. They extended their lead with an additional two goals just before the break. When Jade Rose was permitted to advance through the center from defense, the pitch opened up for City. The influential Kerstin Casparij picked the ball up on the right side before delivering a accurate driven ball for Bunny Shaw to bundle home. Four minutes later, they had a third goal after a rapid change in the ball saw Lauren Hemp afforded the space to drive a effort home from distance. Final Period The primary adjustment came from the United manager at the interval as Malard entered for Elisabeth Terland but by this time it was ineffective to alter the outcome of the contest. Ex- City player Park came most likely to score, rattling the woodwork, but the visitors were offensively poor and were unable to produce a solitary shot on goal. The hosts, meanwhile, could have extended their lead when a delightful Vivianne Miedema pass sent Bunny Shaw away only for her to fail to convert but it did not affect the result to the winning team. Previously unable to beat any team who placed above them the previous campaign, Jeglertz’s side now have wins against Arsenal and United to put them in a strong standing after the opening fixtures.