The thoughts of Lauren Hemp as Manchester City go four points clear at the top of the WSL

Liverpool v Manchester City - Barclays Women's Super League
Manchester City (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)

Lauren Hemp scored the pick of the goals as Manchester City defeated Manchester United 3-0 in the derby to extend their lead at the top of the Barclays Women’s Super League.

They are now four points ahead of Chelsea, who play Liverpool tomorrow (Sunday, 16th November).

And Hemp was delighted with the result and her own contribution – having missed several weeks of the season with an ankle injury.

“I absolutely loved it,” she said to BBC Sport. “It’s so nice to be back with all the girls.

“Today we showed the mentality that we needed to show. We got a clean sheet as well which is so important for us and, most importantly, we got the three points.”

Lauren Hemp on fans’ excitement

And asked how excited City fans should be with their team’s league position, she replied: “It’s so exciting. It’s important we stay humble.

“We know where we’re at and we’re in a good place as a team. Hopefully we’ll continue this run.”

The statistics that have Manchester City on top of the table

Manchester City have scored more goals than any other side in the WSL across 2025-26  – now 23 goals. They have only failed to score in one of their last 46 matches in the league (a 2-0 loss away at Chelsea in November 2024).

They are now on a winning streak of eight consecutive matches, their longest winning streak in the WSL since a run of 14 between November 2023 and April 2024.

And they continue a fine run of form at home against their local rivals. City won four and lost none of their first five WSL home meetings with United, drawing one, but were beaten 4-2 at the Etihad Stadium in this fixture last season.

The next games for City and United

Manchester United will need a swift bounceback; they face Wolfsburg in the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Wednesday, 19th November.

City’s next game is on Saturday, 22nd November, when they play Nottingham Forest in the Subway Women’s League Cup. Their next match in the WSL is a trip to Leicester City on Sunday, 7th December.

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About Carrie Dunn 373 Articles
Carrie Dunn is a women's football writer. Her book 'Unsuitable for Females' was shortlisted for Football Book of the Year at the 2023 Sports Book Awards, and more recently 'Woman Up' was nominated for the 2024 Vikki Orvice Award for Women's Sport Writing. Her newest book 'Flying the Flag: The Footballing Heroines of the Home Nations Who Made History Abroad' is out now.