Man City Three Goals to Nil Man United: Lauren Hemp finds the net in City comfortable victory.
Much like the recent storm hit the north-west the previous evening, City overwhelmed Manchester United away at the their home ground. It was a statement three-nil win for Andrée Jeglertz’s side thanks to goals from Knaak, Bunny Shaw and Hemp. It was a display that firmly established their leadership claims as they reinforced their place at the top of the table.
Consecutive Losses for United
This scoreline marked consecutive Women's Super League losses for the United manager's side for the first time since last May, putting them a sizable gap off the top team with their championship aspirations severely dented.
The Red Devils' capacity to balance domestic and European football with a limited squad has been a hotly discussed topic since they secured entry to the UCL. Considering the calendar, it always appeared this was the period that would seriously challenge this capability. Sadly for the visitors, they looked weary from start to finish, the landmark win against PSG clearly having had an impact.
Lineup Adjustments
The United manager had attempted to rotate the squad with a a few alterations. Ella Toone, Elisabeth Terland, Janssen and Galton all brought vigor, although the exclusion of the on-form Malard to the bench caused surprise.
The hosts, in contrast, have fewer fitness worries. The City coach made one adjustment from the previous win over the Toffees with Lauren Hemp making her return to the lineup since healing from a physical setback.
Commanding Opening Period
The storm clouds started to accumulate for the United boss and his team from the kickoff. This was a exhibition of the strength from Manchester City whose dynamic offense manipulated and tore United open with a sublime first half performance that saw them put three past the keeper in 21 minutes.
This placed City completely dominant and had Manchester United struggling. Before this match, United had conceded just a handful in this WSL season but they disintegrated in the face of City’s offensive ingenuity.
Opening Threats
The warning signs came quickly when Miedema used her strength to muscle Zigiotti off the ball, only to pull her shot past the post. Lauren Hemp was at the center of everything from the start, exploiting the gap left by Riviere down United’s wing. Her passes were creating danger and led to an opportunity for Hasegawa that Anna Sandberg scrambled off the line.
The Red Devils had a number of forays forward, their long-ball tactic giving them choices in the wings but they could not challenge Ayaka Yamashita. Manchester City, in the meantime, commanded possession, taunting their opponents and trying to draw them out of their defensive shape.
Scoring Spree
They made their pressure count with almost thirty minutes played when Fujino won the hosts a set-piece. A ball to the far post was headed across goal by Bunny Shaw for Knaak to head in. It was Manchester City's 7th headed goal of the season.
They extended their cushion with an additional two goals just before the interval. When Jade Rose was able to advance through the center from the back, the field widened for City. The prominent Kerstin Casparij picked the ball up on the right side before providing a pinpoint ground pass for Shaw to force home. A short time later, they had a third goal after a swift turnover in the ball saw Hemp given the room to drive a shot home from range.
After the Break
The primary substitution came from the United manager at the break as Melvine Malard was introduced for Elisabeth Terland but by this time it was futile to shift the momentum of the game. Ex- City player Jess Park came closest, striking the post, but the visitors were creatively abject and did not manage to register a solitary shot on target.
The home side, meanwhile, could have increased their lead when a delightful Vivianne Miedema through ball sent Shaw away only for her to fail to convert but it mattered little to the winning team. After failing to beat any opponent who finished above them last season, City's side now have successes against Arsenal and United to put them in a favorable situation after nine matches.
