Vivianne Miedema scored twice as Manchester City thrashed Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford to move 11 points clear at the top of the Women's Super League. The result not only ended United's title hopes but also damaged their chances of qualifying for Europe next season.
City dominated from the start, with Miedema heading in from a corner after just six minutes and adding a second from Kerstin Casparij's cross before the 20-minute mark. Lauren Hemp hit the crossbar and had a goal from Rebecca Knaak disallowed, before Casparij sealed the win early in the second half with a far-post finish.
Marc Skinner, the United head coach, cited fatigue after their midweek Champions League match against Bayern Munich, but praised City's squad depth as a key advantage. City head coach Andrée Jeglertz described his team's performance as "amazing to watch" and one of the best halves of the season.
City need a maximum of five points from their final three league games – all against bottom-four sides – to secure their first league title in a decade. The victory mathematically ended United's title challenge and left defending champions Chelsea 12 points adrift with four games remaining, while Arsenal remain the only other challengers with games in hand.
The 24,983 crowd at Old Trafford saw a dominant display from the league leaders, who could have won by a greater margin. Khadija Shaw missed a late chance to make it 4-0, but the result underlined the gap between the two sides and left United facing a tough battle to secure European football.
