Manchester City powered to a dominant 3-0 derby win over Manchester United at the Etihad, strengthening their title ambitions and moving four points clear at the top of the Women’s Super League.
City overwhelmed their rivals with a stunning first-half spell, scoring three goals in 21 minutes through Rebecca Knaak, Bunny Shaw and Lauren Hemp. The victory marked a major statement from Andrée Jeglertz’s side, who have now beaten both Arsenal and United this season.
United, meanwhile, suffered back-to-back WSL defeats for the first time since May 2024. Their midweek heroics against PSG appeared to take a toll, with Marc Skinner’s squad looking fatigued and short of solutions.
“We gave City those goals,” Skinner admitted. “I still think you can catch them … but we need to use the winter window to support the team.”
City controlled the match from the opening whistle, with Hemp repeatedly exploiting space down United’s right. Vivianne Miedema and Yui Hasegawa threatened early before the breakthrough arrived from a corner, Shaw heading across goal for Knaak to nod in.
Shaw then finished a sweeping move to make it 2-0, and Hemp fired in from distance moments later to put the game out of reach by halftime.
United failed to register a shot on target, with substitute Melvine Malard unable to spark a comeback. Jess Park struck the post, but City remained firmly in control.
With another emphatic win over top opposition, City look every bit like serious title contenders after nine matches.
