🔗 Share this article Manchester City Three Goals to Nil The Red Devils: Lauren Hemp on target in City dominant win. Similar to the recent storm hit the northwest the previous evening, Manchester City overwhelmed the visitors aside at the Etihad Stadium. It was a convincing 3-0 triumph for the City coach's side due to goals from Knaak, Shaw and Hemp. It was a result that truly announced their leadership claims as they strengthened their position at the WSL pinnacle. Successive Losses for Manchester United This scoreline marked consecutive WSL setbacks for Skinner's side for the maiden instance since last May, leaving them a significant margin off the top team with their championship aspirations in serious doubt. United’s capacity to juggle domestic and continental soccer with a thin roster has been a widely debated issue since they qualified for the European competition. Considering the calendar, it always appeared this was the period that would truly test this ability. Sadly for the opposition, they looked weary from start to finish, the historic win against the French side clearly having had an impact. Team Changes Marc Skinner had tried to make changes with a a few changes. Ella Toone, Terland, Dominique Janssen and Leah Galton all added freshness, although the omission of the in-form Melvine Malard to the sidelines was questioned. City, in opposition, have no such fitness issues. Andrée Jeglertz made one adjustment from their most recent win over Everton with Lauren Hemp making her return to the lineup since healing from injury. Commanding Opening Period The storm clouds started to accumulate for Skinner and his squad from the kickoff. This was a show of the strength from Manchester City whose dynamic offense played with and dismantled the opposition with a sublime first half display that saw them score three goals in just over twenty minutes. This left the home team in a commanding position and saw the visitors all at sea. In advance of this fixture, the away side had conceded just six in this league campaign but they fell apart in the wake of the hosts' creative prowess. Early Chances The warning signs came early when Miedema used her strength to muscle Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to send her shot wide. Lauren Hemp was at the center of everything from the start, taking advantage of the gap left by Jayde Riviere down the visitors' wing. Her deliveries were causing problems and led to an opportunity for Yui Hasegawa that Sandberg kicked off the line. The Red Devils had a number of attacks forward, their long-ball tactic giving them options in the flanks but they could not test the City goalkeeper. City, meanwhile, dominated the ball, teasing their rivals and trying to draw them out of their structure. Triple Strike They made their pressure count with almost half an hour played when Fujino won the home team a corner. A ball to the back post was directed across goal by Shaw for Rebecca Knaak to nod home. It was Manchester City's seventh goal from a cross of the season. They extended their advantage with another pair of goals just before the interval. When Jade Rose was able to advance through the midfield from defense, the field opened up for the hosts. The influential Casparij collected the pass on the right side before providing a accurate ground pass for Bunny Shaw to force home. Four minutes later, they had a third goal after a quick shift in the ball saw Lauren Hemp afforded the opportunity to fire a attempt home from outside the box. Second Half The clearest substitution came from the United manager at the half-time as Malard was introduced for Elisabeth Terland but by this time it was too late to shift the momentum of the match. Ex- Manchester City player Park came nearest, rattling the upright, but the away team were lacking in ideas and failed to produce a single shot on goal. The home side, in contrast, could have extended their lead when a superb 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 team who placed above them in the prior term, Jeglertz’s side now have victories against Arsenal and Manchester United to position them in a favorable position after the opening fixtures.