Man City women extend lead on top of WSL with Derby victory as they blow Manchester United away at the Etihad.
Man City destroyed Manchester United at the Etihad, just as Storm Claudia tore through the northwest the night before. Andrée Jeglertz’s team won 3-0 with goals from Lauren Hemp, Bunny Shaw, and Rebecca Knaak. As they solidified their position at the top, it was one that genuinely demonstrated their title credentials.
On the other hand, the outcome marked Marc Skinner’s team’s first consecutive WSL losses since May 2024, putting them seven points behind the league leaders. There has been much discussion about their ability to manage both domestic and European football with a small roster, and it always seemed like this week would put that capacity to the test. Unfortunately for the visitors, it was obvious that the historic victory over PSG had worn them out.
The United manager acknowledged that they needed to improve but was not prepared to give up on their title bid.
“We deserved it. We gave City those goals,” he told BBC Sport. “It wasn’t like they dominated us; that’s the scary thing.”
“We’ll see at the end of the season,” he continued. “I still think you can catch them. I don’t see anything exceptional with them … What we need to do is use the winter window to recruit the people we need to help to support this team.”
Skinner had made a few adjustments to liven things up. Leah Galton, Dominique Janssen, Ella Toone, and Elisabeth Terland all contributed energy, but some people were taken aback when Melvine Malard, who was playing well, was benched.
On the other hand, Manchester City is not concerned about schedule. Lauren Hemp made her first start following her injury recovery, marking one alteration made by Jeglertz.
From the beginning, the storm clouds began to form for United. With a brilliant first half performance in which they scored three goals in 21 minutes, City’s explosive attack played with and tore apart the visitors.
United had several forays forwards, their direct style giving them options but they could not trouble Ayaka Yamashita. City, meanwhile, were strong in possession, teasing their opposition and trying to pull them out of their structure.