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Just as Storm Claudia swept through the northern region the night before, the home side blew Manchester United aside at the Etihad Stadium. It was a statement three goal victory for their manager's side owing to goals from Knaak, Shaw and Lauren Hemp. It was a display that clearly signaled their championship potential as they strengthened their place at the WSL pinnacle.

Successive Defeats for Manchester United

This result marked successive WSL losses for Marc Skinner’s side for the first time since last May, putting them a sizable gap off the league leaders with their title hopes hanging by a thread.

United’s capacity to balance league and European football with a limited team has been a hotly discussed issue since they qualified for the Champions League. Reviewing the schedule, it always appeared this was the matchday that would seriously challenge this fortitude. Sadly for the opposition, they looked fatigued all game, the memorable win against the French side clearly having taken a toll.

Tactical Shifts

The United manager had sought to freshen things up with a handful of changes. Toone, Terland, Janssen and Galton all provided vigor, although the dropping of the in-form Malard to the bench was questioned.

The hosts, in opposition, have no such workload concerns. Andrée Jeglertz made a single alteration from last week’s win over Everton with Lauren Hemp making her initial starting appearance since recovering from a physical setback.

Commanding Opening Period

The trouble started to build for the United boss and his team from the kickoff. This was a show of the quality from Manchester City whose energetic attack controlled and dismantled the opposition with a excellent opening period showing that saw them put three past the keeper in 21 minutes.

This placed City in a commanding position and had Manchester United disorganized. Before this fixture, the away side had conceded just few in this WSL season but they collapsed in the face of the hosts' offensive ingenuity.

Early Chances

The omens came soon when Miedema used her power to muscle Zigiotti off the ball, only to drag her shot off target. Lauren Hemp was at the center of everything in the beginning, using the space left by Jayde Riviere down United’s wing. Her passes were creating danger and led to an opportunity for Hasegawa that Anna Sandberg cleared off the line.

The Red Devils had a number of sorties ahead, their straightforward approach giving them alternatives in the wings but they could not challenge Ayaka Yamashita. City, meanwhile, controlled the ball, taunting their opponents and trying to lure them of their defensive shape.

Scoring Spree

They made their pressure count with almost the first period played when Fujino won the home team a corner. A cross to the back post was headed across goal by Bunny Shaw for Rebecca Knaak to nod home. It was Manchester City's seventh header of the term.

They extended their advantage with two more goals just before the interval. When Rose was permitted to advance through the midfield from the back, the pitch widened for the hosts. The influential Casparij picked the ball up on the right before providing a precise driven ball for Bunny Shaw to force home. A short time later, they had a third goal after a swift change in the ball saw Hemp afforded the room to strike a shot home from distance.

After the Break

The primary adjustment came from Skinner at the half-time as Malard entered for Elisabeth Terland but by this time it was too late to shift the momentum of the game. Ex- Manchester City player Park came most likely to score, striking the upright, but the visitors were creatively abject and did not manage to record a one shot on target.

The home side, on the other hand, could have increased their lead when a superb Miedema long ball sent Shaw away only for her to fluff her lines but it did not affect the result to the hosts. Having failed to beat any opponent who ended above them last season, Jeglertz’s side now have victories against Arsenal and United to place them in a strong standing after the opening fixtures.