WSL leaders Manchester City asserted their dominance with a resounding 3-0 win over rivals Manchester United. The game was ended as a contest in the space of four minutes, when Bunny Shaw slid in for her side's second before Lauren Hemp capped her return from injury with a powerful strike on the stroke of half-time after Rebecca Knaak had initially opened the scoring.
The hosts exerted their control from the off and almost took the lead in the opening minutes when Yui Hasegawa's shot was cleared off the line. United grew into the game, counteracting City's high line with balls over the top, but the course of the game was turned when City took the lead in the 26th minute. A Lauren Hemp inswinger to the back post was nodded back across goal by Shaw, with Knaak guiding the ball back across goal past Safia Middleton-Patel.
Still United pushed forward but City were far more ruthless, doubling their lead in the 43rd minute when Kerstin Casparij's cross was met by a sliding Shaw to slot home. Hemp capped off a brilliant first half, both for herself and her team, with a thunderous third. The Lionesses star was given far too touch time at the edge of the United box, allowing her to power a left-footed effort into the near top corner.
Knaak might've been sent off in the second half for what probably should've been a second yellow but, that aside, the second half passed by with little incident as City extended their lead at the WSL summit to four points, with second-placed Chelsea in action against Liverpool on Sunday.
GOAL rates Manchester City's players from the Etihad Stadium.
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Ayaka Yamashita (6/10):
Commanded her box well from set pieces but had little to do otherwise.
Kerstin Casparij (7/10):
Her inviting cross set up Shaw for the second. Bombed up and down the right flank throughout.
Jade Rose (7/10):
Rebuffed United's advances after the introduction of Malard in the second half. Strong in the tackle. Put her head on the line to clear a late goalmouth scramble.
Rebecca Knaak (7/10):
Took the opener brilliantly, powering her header back across goal giving a scrambling Middleton-Patel no chance. Lucky to avoid a second yellow when her lunging tackle on Malard went unpunished with the referee playing advantage.
Leila Ouahabi (5/10):
A touch indecisive on the ball at times. Her failure to deal with a long ball could have set up a United goal, or got Knaak sent off.
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Yui Hasegawa (6/10):
Denied an early goal when her effort was cleared off the line. Screened her back four with minimal fuss.
Laura Blindkilde Brown (7/10):
A perfectly neat and composed performance. Sarina Wiegman will want to give her a competitive cap as soon as possible.
Vivianne Miedema (8/10):
An early effort clipped the outside of the United post. Linked up well with Hemp and showed flashes of her brilliance on the ball. Dropped into a holding midfield role in the final 15 minutes and looked just as comfortable. Pure class.
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Aoba Fujino (6/10):
So strong in possession, her low centre of gravity making it impossible for United's defenders to win the ball.
Lauren Hemp (9/10):
Back in the side for the first time since September. Provided attacking impetus down the left and on set-pieces. Her thunderous strike from the edge of the box killed the contest.
Khadija Shaw (8/10):
A constant aerial threat and a willing runner in behind and her decision to nod back into the box set-up Knaak's opener. Slid in with authority to double the lead shortly before the half-time break. Took a bang to the head that ended her afternoon.
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Iman Beney (6/10):
Came on in the 74th minute, winning a corner almost instantly with her direct dribbling. An exciting prospect.
Sydney Lohmann (5/10):
Helped to ice the game in the middle of the park.
Grace Clinton (N/A):
Introduced for Shaw in the 82nd minute. Little time, or need, to affect proceedings.
Andree Jeglertz (7/10):
Clearly saw no need to make any major changes. He will be thrilled with his side's tenacity in keeping a clean sheet.