A quick first-half double from Vivianne Miedema put Manchester City on course for a 3-0 WSL derby win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, putting them on the cusp of winning the league title for the first time since 2016.
The win moved City to 49 points after 19 of 22 games, with Arsenal, who beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-2 in the late kick-off at The Emirates, moving up to second on 38 points with two games in hand on the leaders.
Arsenal’s win dropped Manchester United, who also have 38 points, to third on goal difference, while Chelsea, who have won the last six titles, are fourth with 37 points.
On a day when the weather turned from bright spring sunshine to dark clouds and driving rain, City started at a frantic pace against United and didn’t let up until they had the three points firmly in the bag.
Lauren Hemp hit a shot off the crossbar in the 16th minute, and Miedema gave City the lead a minute later from the ensuing corner with a running header that evaded Phallon Tullis-Joyce’s dive into the United goal.
Two minutes later, Miedema scored again when City stormed the field with a brilliant passing move. Kerstin Casparij crossed the ball for her unmarked Dutch compatriot to leap into the air and bounce a downward header into the net.
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Casparij scored the third four minutes after the break, steaming in via the far post, after which Hemp’s cross flew just over the head of City striker Bunny Shaw.
Marc Skinner’s United looked a step slow in everything they did and only managed to get on target late in the second half. However, it was far too late as City cruised to victory and closed in on their first title in a decade.
«I really believe in my group of players; no matter which team we play, if we play with this confidence, many teams will compete against us,» said City’s Swedish coach Andre Jeglertz.
«Things can still happen in the three remaining games and we have to keep performing, but I don’t see that pressure being too much because we are so open to it. The players have been very good at dealing with it.»
On a day of derbies in the WSL, Liverpool held on for a 3-2 win over Everton in the early kick-off, while Arsenal’s England striker Alessia Russo scored a hat-trick within the first half hour as her side defeated Spurs in front of a crowd of 46,123.
Published on March 29, 2026
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