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Just as the recent storm hit the northern region the night before, the home side blew the visitors away at the Etihad. It was a statement three goal victory for the City coach's side thanks to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Shaw and Lauren Hemp. It was a result that truly announced their championship potential as they consolidated their position at the league summit.

Consecutive Defeats for United

This outcome marked back-to-back WSL defeats for Marc Skinner’s side for the initial occasion since last May, placing them a significant margin off the table toppers with their trophy ambitions in serious doubt.

United’s ability to balance league and European football with a small squad has been a frequently analyzed issue since they earned a place in the Champions League. Looking at the fixture list, it always felt like this was the week that would seriously challenge this capability. Unfortunately for the opposition, they appeared fatigued from start to finish, the landmark win against the French side clearly having had an impact.

Tactical Shifts

The United manager had attempted to freshen things up with a several alterations. Toone, Terland, Dominique Janssen and Leah Galton all brought freshness, although the omission of the on-form Malard to the sidelines caused surprise.

The hosts, in opposition, have no such fitness issues. Jeglertz made one adjustment from last week’s win over Everton with Lauren Hemp making her first start since returning from a physical setback.

Dominant First Half

The trouble started to build for Skinner and his side from the kickoff. This was a exhibition of the power from Manchester City whose dynamic offense controlled and dismantled the opposition with a excellent initial 45 minutes showing that saw them score three goals in just over twenty minutes.

This placed City completely dominant and saw the visitors disorganized. In advance of this match, the away side had allowed just a handful in this domestic competition but they fell apart in the face of City’s creative prowess.

Initial Opportunities

The early indicators came quickly when Vivianne Miedema used her physicality to push Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to pull her shot off target. Lauren Hemp was at the core of everything in the beginning, taking advantage of the gap left by Riviere down United’s right side. Her passes were creating danger and led to an chance for Hasegawa that Sandberg scrambled off the line.

The Red Devils had a number of attacks forward, their direct style giving them alternatives in the wings but they could not challenge Yamashita. Manchester City, on the other hand, dominated possession, teasing their rivals and trying to pull them out of their defensive shape.

Scoring Spree

They made their pressure count with almost the first period played when Fujino won the hosts 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 seventh headed goal of the campaign.

They increased their advantage with an additional two goals just before the break. When Rose was allowed to advance through the midfield from the back, the play opened up for City. The key Casparij picked the ball up on the wing before sending a accurate driven ball for Bunny Shaw to bundle home. Four minutes later, they had a third goal after a quick shift in the ball saw Hemp allowed the opportunity to drive a attempt home from range.

Final Period

The clearest substitution came from Skinner at the interval as Malard entered for Elisabeth Terland but by this time it was futile to shift the momentum of the contest. Former Manchester City player Jess Park came most likely to score, rattling the upright, but the visitors were offensively poor and did not manage to register a solitary shot on goal.

The hosts, on the other hand, could have added to their lead when a superb Miedema long ball sent Bunny Shaw away only for her to fail to convert but it mattered little to the winning team. After failing to overcome any opponent who finished above them the previous campaign, Jeglertz’s side now have victories against the Gunners and Manchester United to place them in a favorable situation after nine matches.