Lauren Hemp: How dazzling Manchester City winger can boost their WSL title hopes

City are doing well without Hemp, with Khadija Shaw and Vivianne Miedema forming a strong partnership this season.

But the return of their England stars is a welcome boost for manager Andree Jeglertz, who knows he needs to rotate throughout the season to maintain his advantage.

United were on the attack from the first minute against Hemp, using full-back Jayde Riviere and placing teasing crosses into the box for Shaw to nibble on.

Eventually a corner kick helped set up Rebecca Knaak’s first strike and Hemp added City’s third with Shaw’s decisive touch to make it 2-0.

“Lauren is a great player and I’m so happy she came in and put in that performance. We have a great squad and a lot of good players,” Jeglertz said.

“Lauren gives us something different and that’s good for us. She’s got a great left foot every time she has the ball, of course everyone knows that, but it’s her ability to always interact with the full-back.

“He’s always thinking: ‘Can I play forward? Can I play another centre? Should I go one-on-one?’ He gives us all of these.

“In this game, it was more challenging to defend Jayde Riviere because he is a great full-back. He struggled to find the right position for a few minutes but was brilliant the rest of the game.”