Manchester City returned to the summit of the Barclays Women’s Super League on Saturday afternoon with a 5-0 victory against West Ham United at the Joie Stadium.
With one-third of the 2026/27 season completed, Manchester City moved two points clear at the top of the table. es.mancity.com reported that Chelsea held the lead on goal difference before the ninth round of fixtures, level on points with the defending champions. Sonia Bompastor’s Chelsea side drew 1-1 with Everton, allowing Manchester City to overtake them in the standings.
Manchester City manager has utilized 25 starting XI changes across the first nine league matches of the campaign. es.mancity.com noted that defensive adjustments continued on Saturday due to the absence of club captain Alex Greenwood. A back four of Kerstin Casparij, Jade Rose, Rebecca Knaak, and Carlotta Wamser started together for the first time.
Khadija Shaw Manchester City v West Ham United NOVEMBER 7, 2026 pic.twitter.com/L2GrYuy1nh
Khadija “Bunny” Shaw recorded her ninth WSL hat-trick, bringing her total to 12 goals across nine appearances this season. es.mancity.com reported that the forward leads the league scoring charts by four goals over Vivianne Miedema. Fran Kirby, Sam Kerr, and Bethany England share third place with three goals each.
The three-time WSL Golden Boot winner sits ahead of closest challengers Oceane Hurte, Victoria Pelova, and Melvine Malard, who have each scored six goals. es.mancity.com outlined Shaw’s pursuit of a third scoring title.
Manchester City generated 20 shots during the match, placing half of those attempts on target. es.mancity.com noted that exactly half of those on-target efforts resulted in goals against West Ham. The hosts also recorded 25 touches inside the opponent’s penalty area.
Aoba Fujino scored her first goal of the season following an individual run that began with her own recovery in midfield. es.mancity.com reported that Fujino later provided an assist for young Swiss international Iman Beney to score her first goal of the campaign.
The 5-0 win marked only Manchester City’s second clean sheet of the league season. es.mancity.com reported that the previous defensive shutout came in a 1-0 away victory against Charlton in September.
Substitutes Risa Shimizu, Iman Beney, and Gracie Prior contributed to preserving the defensive shut-out alongside the starting back line.
Manchester City will end the weekend on top of the WSL standings! A Bunny Shaw hat-trick helped Man City beat West Ham 5-0 at the Joie Stadium. Meanwhile, Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw against a resolute Everton side.#BarclaysWSL pic.twitter.com/aUmqRBXilo
Lauren Hemp registered an early left-footed shot from inside the area at the 14-minute mark. West Ham attacker K. Gago responded with attempts from set-pieces and open play during the first half.
Manchester City midfielder Mary Fowler tested the West Ham goal with a left-footed strike in the 51st minute. Hemp added another close-range effort in the 65th minute before West Ham midfielder Katie Zelem concluded the match with a late shot from the left side of the penalty area.
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