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Just as the recent storm swept through the northern region the night before, the home side swept the visitors away at the Etihad. It was a statement 3-0 win for the City coach's side thanks to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Bunny Shaw and Hemp. It was a performance that truly announced their title credentials as they reinforced their standing at the top of the table.

Successive Losses for Manchester United

This scoreline represented successive league defeats for Marc Skinner’s side for the first time since last May, putting them seven points off the table toppers with their championship aspirations severely dented.

The Red Devils' capability to juggle league and European soccer with a limited roster has been a hotly discussed issue since they earned a place in the Champions League. Considering the calendar, it always seemed this was the period that would fully examine this fortitude. Regrettably for the away side, they looked tired all game, the landmark win against PSG clearly having left its mark.

Tactical Shifts

Marc Skinner had tried to rotate the squad with a a few adjustments. Toone, Elisabeth Terland, Janssen and Leah Galton all provided freshness, although the dropping of the on-form Malard to the substitutes raised a few eyebrows.

City, in opposition, have no such loading issues. Andrée Jeglertz made one change from last week’s win over the Toffees with Lauren Hemp making her return to the lineup since recovering from a fitness issue.

Commanding Opening Period

The storm clouds started to gather for the United boss and his team from the first whistle. This was a show of the quality from Manchester City whose potent offense played with and dismantled the opposition with a superb first half showing that saw them net a trio in 21 minutes.

This put the hosts in a commanding position and left United disorganized. In advance of this match, United had conceded just few in this domestic competition but they fell apart in the wake of City’s creative prowess.

Opening Threats

The early indicators came quickly when Vivianne Miedema used her physicality to muscle Zigiotti off the ball, only to send her shot off target. Hemp was at the core of everything in the beginning, exploiting the gap left by Riviere down the visitors' right flank. Her passes were creating danger and led to an chance for Yui Hasegawa that Sandberg cleared off the line.

The Red Devils had several attacks ahead, their direct style giving them choices in the flanks but they could not test Yamashita. Manchester City, on the other hand, commanded the ball, probing their opponents and trying to pull them out of their structure.

Triple Strike

They converted their dominance with almost thirty minutes played when Fujino won the home team a corner. A ball to the far post was nodded across goal by Bunny Shaw for Rebecca Knaak to nod home. It was City’s seventh header of the term.

They increased their cushion with an additional two goals just before the break. When Jade Rose was allowed to drive through the middle from the back, the pitch became spacious for the hosts. The prominent Kerstin Casparij collected the pass on the right before providing a pinpoint driven ball for Shaw to tap home. A short time later, they had a additional score after a quick shift in the ball saw Hemp allowed the space to fire a effort home from range.

After the Break

The most obvious adjustment came from the United manager at the half-time as Malard entered for Terland but by this time it was ineffective to change the course of the match. Former City player Jess Park came most likely to score, rattling the woodwork, but the visitors were lacking in ideas and did not manage to register a single shot on target.

The hosts, in contrast, could have extended their advantage when a delightful Vivianne Miedema long ball sent Shaw away only for her to miss the chance but it mattered little to the hosts. Previously unable to beat any side who placed above them the previous campaign, Jeglertz’s side now have successes against Arsenal and United to position them in a favorable standing after nine matches.