Lauren Hemp Shines as Manchester City Defeats Liverpool 4-2

Lauren Hemp struck in the 13th minute and again in the 95th as Manchester City clung on, then surged clear, to beat Liverpool 4-2 and keep their perfect WSL title defence alive at the Joie Stadium.

For 90 breathless minutes, that record looked ready to crack.

Hemp lights the fuse, Liverpool hit back

City started like champions. The move for the opener sliced through Liverpool with the kind of precision that has become routine here, and Hemp arrived to sweep in her first goal since November. A clean finish, a clean statement. Business as usual.

Then the script snapped.

A defensive mix-up at the back invited Alice Bergstrom to punish City, and she did not hesitate, drilling Liverpool level. The visitors sensed uncertainty and drove straight at it. Vivien Endemann, already busy and inventive, then produced the moment of the half: a sharp volley that fizzed through Ayaka Yamashita’s outstretched hand to flip the game on its head.

From 1-0 up to 2-1 down, City were rattled. Liverpool were not just hanging in; they were dictating. They pressed with purpose, made bolder choices in possession and carried a conviction that would have been unthinkable a year ago.

Shaw drags City back

When City needed a familiar saviour, Khadija “Bunny” Shaw answered again.

Just before the break, Hemp’s strike forced a save from Khiara Keating, but the former City goalkeeper spilled it. Shaw, alive to the chaos, reacted first and poked home from close range in first-half stoppage time. Her fourth WSL goal of the season, and another reminder why keeping her this summer may prove City’s decisive bit of business.

She almost had a second after the interval, Keating tipping a fierce effort over the bar on the hour. The game, by then, had become a scrap. Mistakes, half-chances, tackles that bit. It felt like one error would decide it.

Liverpool blinked first.

Late chaos, ruthless champions

As the board went up for five added minutes, the score still locked at 2-2, Liverpool sniffed more than a point. They pushed on, committed numbers, chased a famous away win at the champions’ fortress, where City had racked up 13 straight victories.

Then came the gut punch.

A low ball into the box in the 90th minute turned into a nightmare for Reds captain Grace Fisk, who diverted into her own net to hand City a 3-2 lead. Cruel, messy, decisive.

Liverpool had no choice but to throw everything forward. That only opened the runway for Hemp.

With the visitors stretched, the England winger exploded into space, racing the length of the pitch before sliding the ball past Keating in the 95th minute to seal it. A bookend brace, from the opener to the closer, on a night she later admitted was not exactly typical.

“I don't usually score goals so it's nice to get on the scoresheet for once,” she told Sky Sports, confessing she had too much time to think on that final breakaway before picking her spot. The finish, like City’s response, showed composure under pressure.

Manager Andree Jeglertz praised her relentless edge, calling her “a game changer” and hailing a group that “never stop believing” even after gifting Liverpool their two first-half goals.

Liverpool’s new face, same ambition

This defeat will sting Liverpool, but it also underlines how far they have travelled in 12 months.

A year ago, the club was reeling from deep personal loss, while the women’s side battled injuries and instability. Now, under Gareth Taylor, there is structure, bite and belief. They reached four points after just three games this term; it took 12 league matches to reach that tally last season.

Endemann, a summer arrival from Wolfsburg, looked nothing like a player still new to the WSL. She played with the poise of a seasoned campaigner, combining sharply with Bergstrom and Beta Olsson to trouble City throughout. Their front line repeatedly forced errors from a usually assured home defence.

For long spells, Liverpool pressed better, chose smarter passes and looked the more assertive side. Taylor, though disappointed to fall “a bit shy”, stressed that “playing that way, we believe we'll win a lot of games this season.” He pointed to the gulf in depth too: City able to roll on fresh quality, Liverpool naming two 16-year-olds on the bench.

The late lapses will irritate him. The performance, less so.

City stretch clear, Liverpool look up

When the dust settled, the table told its own story. City moved five points clear at the top ahead of the rest of the weekend’s fixtures, their record-equalling home run intact, their title defence still flawless.

Liverpool stayed third on four points, but with something more valuable than their unbeaten start: proof they can go toe-to-toe with the champions in their own backyard.

City, tested harder than most have managed at the Joie, still found a way to win. Liverpool, sharper, braver and far more complete than last season, left with nothing.

The question now is simple: if this is Liverpool in September, what might they look like when the season reaches its sharp end?