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Much like Storm Claudia swept through the north-west the night before, City blew the visitors away at the their home ground. It was a statement 3-0 win for Andrée Jeglertz’s side thanks to goals from Knaak, Shaw and Lauren Hemp. It was a result that truly announced their title credentials as they strengthened their standing at the league summit.

Back-to-Back Setbacks for Manchester United

This scoreline signalled back-to-back WSL losses for Skinner's side for the initial occasion since last May, putting them a significant margin off the top team with their trophy ambitions in serious doubt.

The Red Devils' ability to manage league and European football with a thin squad has been a frequently analyzed subject since they earned a place in the European competition. Considering the fixture list, it always seemed this was the period that would seriously challenge this fortitude. Regrettably for the opposition, they looked tired throughout, the landmark win against PSG clearly having left its mark.

Team Changes

Skinner had attempted to make changes with a a few alterations. Toone, Terland, Janssen and Galton all added freshness, although the exclusion of the high-performing Malard to the sidelines was questioned.

City, in opposition, have no similar workload issues. The City coach made one adjustment from their most recent win over Everton with Lauren Hemp making her first start since recovering from a fitness issue.

Overpowering Start

The storm clouds started to accumulate for the United boss and his side from the first whistle. This was a demonstration of the power from Manchester City whose potent attack manipulated and pulled the visitors apart with a superb first half showing that saw them score three goals in 21 minutes.

This put the hosts completely dominant and had Manchester United all at sea. Prior to this match, United had allowed just a handful in this league campaign but they collapsed in the wake of the hosts' offensive ingenuity.

Initial Opportunities

The omens came quickly when Vivianne Miedema used her strength to push Zigiotti off the ball, only to drag her shot wide. Lauren Hemp was at the center of everything early on, taking advantage of the space left by Riviere down the visitors' right side. Her crosses were causing problems and led to an opportunity for Yui Hasegawa that Sandberg kicked off the line.

United had a number of attacks ahead, their direct style giving them alternatives in the wings but they could not test Ayaka Yamashita. City, meanwhile, commanded possession, taunting their opponents and trying to lure them of their structure.

Goals Galore

They turned chances into goals with almost thirty minutes played when Fujino won the hosts a set-piece. A cross to the far post was nodded across goal by Bunny Shaw for Knaak to score. It was City’s seventh header of the season.

They added to their advantage with another pair of goals just before the interval. When Jade Rose was allowed to drive through the middle from the back, the pitch opened up for City. The influential Kerstin Casparij received possession on the right before sending a precise ground pass for Shaw to bundle home. A short time later, they had a third goal after a quick change in the ball saw Hemp given the space to drive a shot home from outside the box.

Final Period

The primary substitution came from Skinner at the half-time as Malard was introduced for Terland but by this time it was too late to shift the momentum of the match. Ex- Manchester City player Park came closest, striking the post, but the away team were creatively abject and failed to record a single shot on target.

The hosts, in contrast, could have increased their cushion when a delightful Miedema through ball sent Shaw away only for her to miss the chance but it was insignificant to the hosts. After failing to overcome any opponent who ended above them last season, Jeglertz’s side now have victories against the Gunners and Manchester United to position them in a commanding position after nine games.