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Just as bad weather swept through the northern region the night before, Manchester City blew Manchester United aside at the their home ground. It was a statement three-nil triumph for their manager's side owing to goals from Rebecca Knaak, Shaw and Lauren Hemp. It was a performance that firmly established their championship potential as they reinforced their position at the top of the table.

Consecutive Defeats for United

This scoreline signalled back-to-back WSL losses for the United manager's side for the first time since last May, placing them a significant margin off the table toppers with their title hopes severely dented.

Manchester United's capacity to balance league and continental football with a thin roster has been a hotly discussed issue since they earned a place in the European competition. Considering the calendar, it always seemed this was the matchday that would seriously challenge this ability. Unfortunately for the visitors, they appeared fatigued from start to finish, the historic win against the French side clearly having had an impact.

Tactical Shifts

Skinner had sought to freshen things up with a a few adjustments. Toone, Terland, Janssen and Leah Galton all added freshness, although the exclusion of the high-performing Melvine Malard to the substitutes raised a few eyebrows.

City, in opposition, have no similar workload concerns. Andrée Jeglertz made one adjustment from the previous win over Everton with Hemp making her initial starting appearance since returning from injury.

Dominant First Half

The pressure started to accumulate for Skinner and his side from the kickoff. This was a show of the power from City whose dynamic forward line manipulated and tore United open with a excellent initial 45 minutes showing that saw them net a trio in just over twenty minutes.

This left the home team in a commanding position and left United disorganized. Prior to this encounter, United had allowed just few in this WSL season but they collapsed in the face of City’s creative prowess.

Early Chances

The warning signs came soon when Miedema used her power to muscle Zigiotti off the ball, only to send her shot wide. Hemp was at the center of everything early on, exploiting the space left by Riviere down the visitors' right flank. Her crosses were creating danger and led to an chance for Hasegawa that Sandberg kicked off the line.

United had multiple forays forwards, their straightforward approach giving them alternatives in the flanks but they could not challenge Ayaka Yamashita. City, meanwhile, dominated the ball, teasing 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 delivery to the far post was headed across goal by Shaw for Rebecca Knaak to score. It was City’s 7th headed goal of the campaign.

They extended their advantage with another pair of goals just before the half-time. When Jade Rose was permitted to drive through the midfield from the back, the play widened for the hosts. The prominent Casparij received possession on the wing before delivering a precise low cross for Bunny Shaw to bundle home. Four minutes later, they had a third after a rapid shift in the ball saw Lauren Hemp allowed the room to fire a attempt home from range.

Second Half

The primary adjustment came from Skinner at the interval as Melvine Malard entered for Terland but by this time it was too late to shift the momentum of the contest. Ex- Manchester City player Jess Park came most likely to score, striking the post, but the visitors were lacking in ideas and did not manage to produce a one shot on goal.

The hosts, meanwhile, could have extended their lead when a delightful Miedema pass sent Bunny Shaw away only for her to miss the chance but it did not affect the result to the hosts. Previously unable to beat any opponent who placed above them last season, City's side now have victories against Arsenal and Manchester United to place them in a strong situation after the opening fixtures.