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Just as the recent storm tore through the north-west the night before, Manchester City blew the visitors away at the Etihad Stadium. It was a statement three-nil victory for Andrée Jeglertz’s side thanks to goals from Knaak, Bunny Shaw and Hemp. It was a result that firmly established their leadership claims as they consolidated their standing at the top of the table.

Successive Defeats for United

This result signalled back-to-back league defeats for Skinner's side for the first time since last May, putting them a significant margin off the top team with their championship aspirations severely dented.

United’s ability to manage domestic and continental soccer with a limited team has been a widely debated issue since they secured entry to the UCL. Considering the fixture list, it always felt like this was the period that would truly test this capability. Sadly for the visitors, they appeared tired throughout, the historic win against PSG clearly having left its mark.

Tactical Shifts

Marc Skinner had tried to freshen things up with a a few changes. Toone, Elisabeth Terland, Dominique Janssen and Leah Galton all brought freshness, although the dropping of the on-form Malard to the sidelines raised a few eyebrows.

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

Overpowering Start

The pressure started to accumulate for the United boss and his team from the first whistle. This was a demonstration of the strength from Manchester City whose potent forward line manipulated and dismantled the opposition with a sublime opening period performance that saw them net a trio in under half an hour.

This placed City in a commanding position and had Manchester United struggling. Before this fixture, the away side had conceded just six in this domestic competition but they collapsed in the presence of City’s attacking flair.

Opening Threats

The early indicators came quickly when Vivianne Miedema used her power to push Julia Zigiotti off the ball, only to pull her shot wide. Hemp was at the core of everything early on, exploiting the room left by Riviere down the visitors' wing. Her passes were posing a threat and led to an chance for Hasegawa that Sandberg kicked off the line.

The Red Devils had several attacks forward, their straightforward approach giving them options in the wide areas but they could not trouble Ayaka Yamashita. City, meanwhile, controlled the ball, probing their rivals and trying to draw them out of their organization.

Scoring Spree

They converted their dominance with almost the first period played when Fujino won the hosts a set-piece. A cross to the back post was directed across goal by Bunny Shaw for Rebecca Knaak to head in. It was City’s 7th headed goal of the campaign.

They added to their cushion with another pair of goals just before the interval. When Rose was allowed to maraud through the center from defense, the pitch became spacious for City. The key Casparij received possession on the right side before sending a pinpoint driven ball for Bunny Shaw to tap home. Shortly later, they had a additional score after a swift turnover in the ball saw Lauren Hemp given the space to fire a shot home from range.

Final Period

The primary adjustment came from the United manager at the interval as Malard came on for Elisabeth Terland but by this time it was ineffective to alter the outcome of the game. Ex- City player Park came most likely to score, hitting the upright, but the visitors were lacking in ideas and failed to produce a one shot on target.

The home side, meanwhile, could have increased their advantage when a excellent Vivianne Miedema pass sent Bunny Shaw away only for her to miss the chance but it was insignificant to the winning team. Previously unable to beat any team who placed above them last season, the manager's side now have victories against Arsenal and Manchester United to position them in a favorable situation after the opening fixtures.