Manchester City 3-0 The Red Devils: Hemp on target in Manchester City dominant win.
Just as bad weather hit the north-west the prior day, the home side blew Manchester United aside at the their home ground. It was a statement 3-0 triumph for their manager's side due to goals from Knaak, Shaw and Hemp. It was a display that truly announced their championship potential as they strengthened their position at the WSL pinnacle.
Back-to-Back Setbacks for United
This scoreline represented back-to-back Women's Super League defeats for the United manager's side for the maiden instance since last May, placing them a sizable gap off the table toppers with their trophy ambitions severely dented.
Manchester United's capacity to juggle domestic and European soccer with a thin roster has been a frequently analyzed topic since they qualified for the UCL. Reviewing the fixture list, it always seemed this was the week that would seriously challenge this capability. Sadly for the visitors, they seemed weary all game, the memorable win against PSG clearly having had an impact.
Tactical Shifts
Marc Skinner had tried to make changes with a handful of changes. Toone, Terland, Janssen and Leah Galton all brought freshness, although the dropping of the on-form Melvine Malard to the bench caused surprise.
The hosts, in comparison, have no similar loading concerns. The City coach made a single alteration from their most recent win over Everton with Hemp making her return to the lineup since returning from a physical setback.
Commanding Opening Period
The trouble started to gather for Skinner and his squad from the opening minute. This was a demonstration of the quality from City whose potent offense manipulated and dismantled the opposition with a superb first half display that saw them score three goals in 21 minutes.
This left the home team in a commanding position and left United disorganized. Before this match, the away side had conceded just a handful in this domestic competition but they disintegrated in the wake of the hosts' offensive ingenuity.
Initial Opportunities
The early indicators came quickly when Miedema used her physicality to bundle Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to pull her shot past the post. Lauren Hemp was at the core of everything in the beginning, exploiting the room left by Jayde Riviere down the visitors' wing. Her deliveries were causing problems and led to an chance for Hasegawa that Sandberg scrambled off the line.
United had multiple sorties forward, their straightforward approach giving them choices in the flanks but they could not test Ayaka Yamashita. Manchester City, meanwhile, commanded possession, taunting their rivals and trying to pull them out of their structure.
Goals Galore
They converted their dominance with almost half an hour played when Fujino won the home team a set-piece. A ball to the back post was headed across goal by Shaw for Knaak to score. It was Manchester City's seventh goal from a cross of the season.
They added to their cushion with an additional two goals just before the break. When Rose was allowed to maraud through the midfield from the back, the pitch became spacious for the hosts. The key Kerstin Casparij collected the pass on the wing before delivering a precise low cross for Shaw to tap home. Shortly later, they had a additional score after a quick change in possession saw Lauren Hemp allowed the space to drive a attempt home from distance.
After the Break
The primary change came from Skinner at the interval as Melvine Malard entered for Elisabeth Terland but by this time it was ineffective to alter the outcome of the game. Former City player Park came nearest, striking the woodwork, but the away team were creatively abject and failed to register a solitary shot on goal.
The hosts, meanwhile, could have increased their cushion when a delightful Vivianne Miedema pass sent Bunny Shaw away only for her to miss the chance but it was insignificant to the hosts. Having failed to defeat any opponent who ended above them the previous campaign, the manager's side now have victories against Arsenal and Manchester United to place them in a commanding standing after nine matches.
