🔗 Share this article Manchester City Three-Nil Man United: Lauren Hemp scores in City comfortable victory. Much like Storm Claudia hit the northern region the night before, the home side blew United aside at the Etihad. It was a emphatic 3-0 victory for Andrée Jeglertz’s side due to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Shaw and Hemp. It was a display that truly announced their leadership claims as they strengthened their standing at the top of the table. Consecutive Losses for United This scoreline represented back-to-back league defeats for Marc Skinner’s side for the maiden instance since last May, leaving them seven points off the league leaders with their trophy ambitions severely dented. The Red Devils' ability to balance domestic and continental football with a thin squad has been a widely debated subject since they qualified for the Champions League. Reviewing the fixture list, it always appeared this was the matchday that would seriously challenge this capability. Sadly for the opposition, they looked weary from start to finish, the historic win against Paris Saint-Germain clearly having had an impact. Team Changes Skinner had tried to freshen things up with a a few changes. Ella Toone, Elisabeth Terland, Janssen and Leah Galton all brought energy, although the dropping of the on-form Melvine Malard to the sidelines was questioned. The hosts, in contrast, have no similar loading concerns. The City coach made one adjustment from the previous win over Everton with Hemp making her first start since recovering from a fitness issue. Dominant First Half The pressure started to build for Skinner and his team from the kickoff. This was a exhibition of the quality from Manchester City whose dynamic forward line manipulated and dismantled the opposition with a superb first half performance that saw them put three past the keeper in under half an hour. This placed City in a commanding position and had Manchester United disorganized. Before this fixture, the away side had allowed just a handful in this league campaign but they fell apart in the wake of the hosts' offensive ingenuity. Opening Threats The early indicators came soon when Vivianne Miedema used her strength to muscle Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to drag her shot off target. Lauren Hemp was at the center of everything early on, using the room left by Riviere down United’s right flank. Her deliveries were posing a threat and led to an opportunity for Hasegawa that Sandberg kicked off the line. United had multiple sorties forwards, their direct style giving them alternatives in the wide areas but they could not challenge Yamashita. City, in the meantime, commanded the ball, teasing their opponents and trying to lure them of their defensive shape. Goals Galore They made their pressure count with almost half an hour played when 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 seventh header of the campaign. They extended their cushion with another pair of goals just before the break. When Jade Rose was able to maraud through the middle from the back, the pitch became spacious for the hosts. The prominent Casparij picked the ball up on the right side before sending a precise low cross for Bunny Shaw to force home. A short time later, they had a third after a rapid shift in possession saw Lauren Hemp afforded the opportunity to fire a shot home from range. After the Break The clearest substitution came from Skinner at the interval as Malard came on for Elisabeth Terland but by this time it was futile to alter the outcome of the match. Ex- City player Jess Park came most likely to score, striking the upright, but the visitors were creatively abject and failed to record a solitary shot on target. The hosts, on the other hand, could have added to their advantage when a superb Vivianne Miedema through ball sent Bunny Shaw away only for her to fluff her lines but it mattered little to the winning team. Having failed to defeat any opponent who finished above them last season, Jeglertz’s side now have wins against Arsenal and Manchester United to position them in a favorable position after nine games.